Travel
Travel Approval
Prior approval is required for all business travel (whether or not it is funded) when a faculty or staff member will be absent from campus for half a day (4 hours) or more during normal working periods.
For faculty, this applies from August 16 to May 15. If you hold a summer teaching or administrative appointment, it applies to those dates as well.
Additionally, faculty must submit a Request to Travel Authorization (RTA) whenever they will miss a class, regardless of the reason for absence (business travel, personal travel, medical leave, etc.). The purpose is to document a disposition of duties plan. If personal travel does not affect any classes, an RTA is not required.
Travelers should submit an RTA at least 10 business days before departure for domestic travel and non-restricted foreign travel.
Travel Term Glossary
Term | Details |
|---|---|
Request for Travel Authorization (RTA) | To receive reimbursement for travel expenses, you must have an RTA on file. Even with pre-approved university travel (such as a residency), you must submit an RTA to get reimbursed for any travel expenses. |
Restricted Regions Travel | Travel to Restricted Regions requires university approval before the trip. Your RTA will not be approved until your Restricted Regions paperwork is approved by Texas Global. |
Reimbursement Submission | Submit all travel reimbursements to the AAH Processing Box. Submit reimbursement requests immediately after the trip, no later than 45 days. |
Receipts | Submit all receipts for a trip together. Reimbursement will not process until all receipts are received. |
Maximum Daily Lodging Per Diem | For lodging and meals: $375 nationally and $425 internationally. |
Maximum Daily Meal Per Diem | $51 |
Personal Vehicle Reimbursement | If you drive your own vehicle, reimbursement is at the current university mileage rate. For out-of-state travel, reimbursement is limited to the lower of average coach airfare plus related expenses or mileage plus allowable meals and lodging. |
Airfare and Transportation
Travel must originate from UT Austin, TX. If a traveler will be temporarily based at another location for business purposes at the start of the trip, this should be documented in the RTA. If the traveler will be temporarily based at another location for personal reasons, they should obtain cost comparison quotes for transportation originating from Austin, TX through one of the university's contracted travel agencies or online booking tools such as Expedia or Orbitz.
All locations that a traveler will visit or have expenses from should be listed on the RTA.
Airfare
It is recommended to book through Anthony Travel, rather than paying out of pocket for later reimbursement. This ensures the fare is acceptable and reimbursable based on university standards.
First class, business class, or any other premium class seating and upgrade fees will not be approved without a pre-approved exception request.
Airfare tickets purchased online must be the best value for the university and meet all university standards.
EarlyBird Check-In and airline club fees are not reimbursable.
Baggage fees are only reimbursable with a business reason.
Airfare tickets purchased as a ticket exchange will require proof of purchase for the original flight.
Airfare cancellation or change fees are reimbursable only if incurred for a business-related reason or a reason listed on the Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts' Textravel page:
https://fmx.cpa.state.tx.us/fmx/travel/textravel/except/unrelated/index.php
Ground Transportation
Personal Car
Using a personal car for in-state business travel is allowable. The traveler must submit a point-to-point Google Maps route to calculate mileage. See the current UT mileage reimbursement rate. The rate is automatically calculated by the university during processing and cannot be changed.
Rental Car
Rental reservations must be made through one of the five contracted car vendors (Avis, Budget, Enterprise, National, or Hertz). The TMS Rental Car site can provide more information on direct billing for other vendors and overall policies and fees.
Cars rented through other services will require additional approval from the university and may delay reimbursement.
Gas expenses can only be reimbursed for rental cars.