Trip Closure and/or Reimbursement

Complete an Expense Report if...

• All trips that are 100+ miles and/or includes an overnight stay.
• Your trip is <100 miles and includes no overnight stay AND your trip includes significate logistics and expenses.
• Note: There is a fee associated with each time you submit an "Expense Report"; therefore, it is cheapest to submit only one "Expense Report" per trip, after the trip is over.
• GRADUATE STUDENTS, POST DOCS, & STAFF:  Before you submit your expense report via Concur, you must have it reviewed by the Department Travel Facilitator. To do this, either (1) fill out the expense report in Concur on your own and then email the Department Travel Facilitator to request that they review it. Once they have confirmed the expense report is correct, you will submit it in Concur. Or (2) make an appointment with the Department Travel Facilitator so the two of you can work together to fill out the expense report. 

Close your trip if...

• Regardless of how long or far your trip was, your only expenses are university/department fleet vehicle rental, travel insurance, and/or conference/seminar registration fees).
• Regardless of how long or far your trip was, all your expenses will be paid by funds outside of the University of Utah.
• Your trip is <100 miles and includes no overnight stay.
• NOTE: You can still be reimbursed for your expenses, but for the above types of trips and expenses there is a different process. (See below.)

After your trip is over and if you used Concur, within 30 days you need to submit your expense report within Concur.

To start your Expense Report, log into Concur.

• GRADUATE STUDENTS, POST DOCS, & STAFF:  Before you submit your expense report via Concur, you must have it reviewed by the Department Travel Facilitator. To do this, either (1) fill out the expense report in Concur on your own and then email the Department Travel Facilitator to request that they review it. Once they have confirmed the expense report is correct, you will submit it in Concur. Or (2) make an appointment with the Department Travel Facilitator so the two of you can work together to fill out the expense report. 

If you encounter any issues, the quickest way to get help is to check out the U of U Travel Department's How To videos on Creating and Submitting Expense Reports. There are several topics and each one has a 2-4 minute video and a Tip Sheet. If you are still having issues, follow the instructions for how Guests Travelers submit for reimbursement. 

Also, check out the list of Special Scenario Instructions below. Please be aware of what expenses and amounts are allowed: Schedule of Allowable Rates.

• Go int Concur and "Recall" the trip. 
• Then, to get reimbursed, use:
  • Non-Travel Reimbursement form if your expenses include travel insurance or conference/seminar registration fee.
  • Personal Auto Mileage Log if you used your own automobile. Find the Standard Mileage Rates for  reimbursement. Email the Log to Thea Hatfield  to along with the account to be charged AND a Google map showing the route taken (must show the same number of miles as listed on the mileage log).

• A U of U traveler cannot pay for the travel expenses of another U of U traveler UNLESS the trip is set up as a Group Trip (10+ travelers). 
• A U of U traveler cannot collect reimbursement directly from the other travelers, who then request reimbursement from the U of U.
• If U of U travelers share lodgings, they must each pay the vendor directly for their portion if at all possible; if not possible AND the travelers need to charge the lodgings to different accounts, work with Thea Hatfield in 383 FASB to do an eJournal transfer.
• If the lodgings is an Air BNB or such that does not bill by the room but rather is a full house rental, one traveler (ideally the Trip Leader, PI, or a Faculty Member) should pay for it all themselves and then submit for reimbursement for the full amount.

If the lodgings is an Air BNB or such that does not bill by the room but rather is a full house rental, one traveler (ideally the Trip Leader, PI, or a Faculty Member) should pay for it all themselves and then submit for reimbursement for the full amount; they cannot collect reimbursement directly from the other travelers, who then request reimbursement from the U of U.

Students with Travel Grant Funding (either from University or off-campus funds that are being routed through the University): contact our Department Travel Facilitator BEFORE you start your "Expense Report".

Purchasing & Payment Options for Expenses

Cash advances will no longer be allowed.  Travelers will need to have a debit or credit card in their name for expenses and then submit a reimbursement request after a trip.

If you are needing to pay for conference registration, please see the office and we will help you with pay those expenses with a Pcard.

Can be used for all expenses, then submit for reimbursement via an "Expense Report" in Concur. (Please note that it is cheaper to submit only one "Expense Report" after the trips is over as there is a fee for each one you do; however, you can submit as many Expense Reports as you want, including ones prior to the travel dates.)

Purchasing restrictions are detailed on the U of U Travel TCard wepage  (cannot use for airfare or per diem). 

Please do not apply for a Travel Card without first discussing it with your PI or Supervisor and the Department Accountant. Our Department only approves Individual Travel cards for faculty and staff who travel frequently and Group Arranger cards for faculty and staff who regularly take groups on trips. 

• If the vendor does not provide formal receipts, you may write/type one up. It must include the date and location of purchase, name of vendor, itemized list of expenses, method of payment, your name and signature, and the vendor's name and signature. If this is not possible, use the missing receipt form (see instructions below). 
• If you are missing a receipts AND there is not a way to get a copy of the receipt, you may be reimbursed up to $25 by submitting a missing receipt form. The form must be completed and approved by the account supervisor (either PI/faculty advisor or Deptartment Chair) and then attach to the expense report in Concur. 

If you did NOT use Concur OR if your only expenses is mileage reimbursement AND your trip was under 100 miles and did not include an overnight stay, you may submit for reimbursement of mileage costs by using the Vehicle Mileage Log. Find the Standard Mileage Rates for  reimbursement. Email the Log to Thea Hatfield  to along with the account to be charged AND a Google map showing the route taken (must show the same number of miles as listed on the mileage log).

NOTE:

• Vehicle Accidents: In the case of an accident, the U of U Vehicle Accident Form should be completed. 
• Domestic Travel Insurance (Optional): Travel protection is available for purchase to anyone participating in University of Utah sponsored and supervised travel within the U.S and its territories and possessions. This Domestic Travel Accident Insurance policy provides assistance and medical coverage if you become injured while traveling.

If you DID "Reserved a Trip" in Concur, you must either:

• • "Recall the Trip" within Concur if you (a) have no expenses and did not do a cash advance or (b) your only expenses are travel insureance and/or conference/seminar registration fee. 
  • OR Submit an "Expense Report" via Concur. Refer to Concur Expense Report (Note: This is for your convenience; this is not a document you submit.) Note: There is a fee associated with each time you submit an "Expense Report"; therefore, it is cheapest to submit only one "Expense Report" per trip, after the trip is over.

 

If you did NOT use Concur:

• Use the Non-Travel Reimbursement form if your expenses include travel insurance or conference/seminar registration fee.

Reimbursement for alcohol is only permitted for business meals, which is separate from Per Diem, and only on certain accounts (cannot be federal or state-appropriated funds, nor most endowments due to donor-set restrictions). Talk to the account PI or your supervisor prior to buying or submitting for reimbursement.

To get reimbursement for it, do a seperate line itme just for it and allocate it to a chartfield with a 00 in the “A/U” field. Also, you should you 65900 for the subcode.

Example: 01-00106 (GG)/00107(UUSS)/00102(CMES)-####(cannot be 5000)-#####-65900-00 

For more information, visit https://fbs.admin.utah.edu/ga/resources/au.

Reimbursement checks will be mailed to directly to traveler. However, it is quickest to receive reimbursements via direct deposit set up for Accounts Payable prior to your trip. To set that up, complete AP-DD-AuthForm OR - IF you already have direct deposit set up for Payroll - complete Employee-DD-AuthForm . (Note: Direct deposit must be set up for Payroll and Accounts Payable separately.) Then bring the completed paperwork to Thea Hatfield in 383 FASB.

How to allocate expenses to a chartfield on your expense report:

• Click on your expense report.
• Add all your expenses.
• On the header line click the box to select all the expenses.
• Click on the “Allocate” button that populated.
• Click on “Add” to add a chartfield.
• If you have multiple chartfields add them all here.
• You can choose to allocate by percent or amount if you have multiple chartfields.
• After you have allocated the expenses click Save.
• You can now submit the expense report.

• ADSC = Account Distribution Shortcut. This what Concur refers to where you input the U of U chartfields (basically, the bank account number). What is a chartfield? See below.
• Before you start your expense report, make sure you know the chartfields for all accounts that will be paying for your expenses. See instructions below on how to find the chartfield. If you use the wrong account, it will require a process-intense cost transfer that can take up to 90 days.
• When you do your expense report, you MUST input the chartfield that needs to be charged into the ADSC section. Concur defaults to the deptartment-level account (05470), which you are not allowed to use. If you don't change it, your expense report will not be approved.
• The first time you use any specific account, you will need to fill in all the cells and save the request or submit when you are finished in order for the system to auto-populate the ADSC with the same chartfield the next time you use it. (See below.)
• Email the Department Accountant if you need help figuring out the chartfield or have any questions.

 

What is a Chartfield

Accounting systems require a set of codes, generically known as a chart of accounts, which are used to record accounting transactions. These codes allow for organization and reporting of university funds. The University refers to these codes collectively as “The Chartfields.” Chartfields more specifically may refer to any of the following specific type of chartfield:

BU (Business Unit) (2 characters in length)

ORG (Organization) (5 characters in length)

FUND (Fund) (4 characters in length for BU 01 or 2 characters in length for BU 04)

ACTIVITY (Activity) (5 characters in length)

PROJECT (Project) (8 characters in length for Fund 5000 or 5 characters in length for Fund 70xx)

ACCOUNT (Account) (5 characters in length)

A/U (Allowable/Unallowable) (1 character in length)

Chartfields will contain an activity or project number not both. 

In Concur in the box that says ADSC, click on the down arrow next to the filter/funnel icon, and select "code". THEN, change the code from the department default (05470) to the one in the chartfield you want to charge. 

When filling out the fields in the ADSC section, there are two ways you can look up the numbers: by “Text” and “Code”.  The “Text” option allows you to look for a number associated with your chartfield by its name. This method is best used to find an activity or project chartfield that is already associated with your Concur account. The “Code” option allows you to search a fields number by the number from your chartfield. This method is best used when inputing a chartfield not previously associated with your Concur account. All unassociated chartfield numbers will show up in a selected field’s drop-down menu in regular font while associated ones will show in bold face font.