Travel
Travel procedures at UT Austin are governed by local, state, and federal guidelines. It is imperative that those undertaking the responsibility of business travel familiarize themselves with the applicable policies for their benefit.
The Handbook of Business Procedures Part 11 outlines all travel requirements for employees and students.
In State Travel Limits
Any time you will be traveling within the state of Texas and require overnight lodging, ensure you have provided the establishment with the Texas Hotel Occupancy Tax Exemption Certificate.
You must also abide by the following daily limits based on account type:
State account (14 or 20)
Rates determined by the General Services Administration (Per Diem Lookup).
Local account (19 or 30)
Lodging: $260/day Meals: $51/day
Grant account (26)
Dependent on the grant agency. Submit a HELP! Request to identify appropriate policy.
Out of State Travel Limits
State account (14 or 20)
Rates determined by the General Services Administration (Per Diem Lookup).
Local account (19 or 30)
Lodging: $375/day Meals: $51/day
Grant account (26)
Dependent on the grant agency. Submit a HELP! Request to identify appropriate policy.
Foreign Travel Limits
State account (14 or 20)
Rates determined by the General Services Administration (Per Diem Lookup).
Local account (19 or 30)
Lodging: $425/day Meals: $51/day
Grant account (26)
Dependent on the grant agency. Submit a HELP! Request to identify appropriate policy.
Required Receipts
Airfare (if not direct-billed)
Car Rental (if not direct-billed)
Gas
Taxi, bus, or train for travel between cities
Lodging (itemized and zero balance)
Baggage fees
Registration
Global Entry/TSA Pre-Check
Inoculations
Prohibited Reimbursements
Alcohol
Gratuity (restricted on state accounts only)
Dry-cleaning
Travel Insurance
The complete list of prohibited travel reimbursements may be found here.
Any employee or student that is traveling for business purposes for more than four hours away from their designated headquarters must be authorized using the Travel Authorization Request in the Request Form system. The Business Office requires that departments within its portfolio establish internal approval protocols to ensure travel is authorized according to university policy.
Travelers should complete their requests and assign to their supervisor for review and approval to the Business Office. Once the department confirms travel is allowed, assign your requests to UC Travel group (00394) for finalization. The traveler will receive the necessary information to make reservations and request reimbursement upon completion of travel.
If you need to book airfare or rental cars using campus direct bill options available through Concur or Travel Management Services, the RTA# will be required for reservation confirmation.
Please request travel authorization at least two weeks before your travel dates to ensure your approvals are received timely.
Once travel has concluded, you may submit your Reimbursement Request using the Request Form System. Once the department approves your expenses, requests should be assigned to UC Travel group (00394) for finalization.
For timely reimbursement processing, utilize these travel reimbursement checklists to ensure your request follows the required guidelines to receive payment.
State Account Travel Checklist (14 or 20)
Local Account Travel Checklist (19 or 30)
For grant account rules, submit a HELP! Request to identify the appropriate checklist.
In State Travel Limits
Any time you will be traveling within the state of Texas and require overnight lodging, ensure you have provided the establishment with the Texas Hotel Occupancy Tax Exemption Certificate.
You must also abide by the following daily limits based on account type:
State account (14 or 20)
Rates determined by the General Services Administration (Per Diem Lookup).
Local account (19 or 30)
Lodging: $260/day Meals: $51/day
Grant account (26)
Dependent on the grant agency. Submit a HELP! Request to identify appropriate policy.
Out of State Travel Limits
State account (14 or 20)
Rates determined by the General Services Administration (Per Diem Lookup).
Local account (19 or 30)
Lodging: $375/day Meals: $51/day
Grant account (26)
Dependent on the grant agency. Submit a HELP! Request to identify appropriate policy.
Foreign Travel Limits
State account (14 or 20)
Rates determined by the General Services Administration (Per Diem Lookup).
Local account (19 or 30)
Lodging: $425/day Meals: $51/day
Grant account (26)
Dependent on the grant agency. Submit a HELP! Request to identify appropriate policy.
Required Receipts
Airfare (if not direct-billed)
Car Rental (if not direct-billed)
Gas
Taxi, bus, or train for travel between cities
Lodging (itemized and zero balance)
Baggage fees
Registration
Global Entry/TSA Pre-Check
Inoculations
Prohibited Reimbursements
Alcohol
Gratuity (restricted on state accounts only)
Dry-cleaning
Travel Insurance
The complete list of prohibited travel reimbursements may be found here.
Not all changes require a modified travel authorization. Updated approvals are only required for the following scenarios:
Adding destinations
Increasing or modifying the dates of travel
Modifying the end date to be less than previously authorized does not require update
Updating the funding
Adding any additional group/organization meetings for travel to Washington DC
If you are in need of changes to an approved Travel Authorization, submit a HELP! Request.
Undergraduate College utilizes the Travel Cash Advance Request PowerForm for advanced travel funds. This form will route directly to the Cash Advance office for processing, and you will receive confirmation once it is processed. To receive funds, you will need to sign a promissory note (view sample promissory note). This must be signed by the university employee before the cash advance direct deposit or check is released. The promissory note indicates the traveler’s acceptance of the travel cash advance terms, which include providing the following documentation in a timely manner to the Cash Advance Section upon completion of travel:
a complete reconciliation of the funds used
required receipts for all expenses incurred, according to travel rules
repayment of unused funds upon the completion of the trip
If promissory note terms are not met, the traveler will be subject to refusal for future travel cash advances.
Read the university's cash advance policies in more detail here.
Within 30 days of return, a reconciliation of the travel cash advance is required to identify how the funds were used, and to determine the amount of excess money to be returned by the traveler or the amount of the excess expenses to be refunded to the traveler. The traveler must complete one of two Travel Cash Advance Reconciliation Forms: less than a week (view sample) or more than a week (view sample).
Submit the .pdf packet including the reconciliation form, original cash advance request form, and receipts to oa.cashadvances@autin.utexas.edu following these guidelines:
All receipts must be provided, by category of expense, in date order.
For trips that last more than one week, the following guidelines apply if the reconciliation summary does not fit on one page:
All receipts must be numbered.
The documentation submitted must include an Excel spreadsheet summarizing each expense category: description of the expense, the receipt number, and the date and amount of each receipt within that category. Note: In lieu of an Excel spreadsheet, an adding machine tape may be submitted for each expense category. Each line item on the tape must be numbered with the number on the corresponding receipt, and a description of each item on the receipt must be provided.
Receipts in foreign languages must be translated to English.
One rate of conversion must be chosen for the entire cash advance. Add the total of all foreign receipts and then convert the foreign total to U.S. dollars. Use the OANDA Currency Converter to choose a conversion rate. Include printed documentation of the currency conversion rate used and the rationale for determining the rate. Options for choosing the rate of conversion include:
Actual credit card rate of conversion
Actual bank rate of conversion
The date the currency was actually exchanged in the foreign country
The date the currency was deposited into a foreign bank account
The period average rate calculated in the OANDA Historical Exchange Rates table
Any date in OANDA that falls within the trip begin and end dates
Note: A daily conversion rate may be used if the department provides justification. Some reasons for justification include:
Conversion rates fluctuate wildly
Actual conversions were performed several times
Daily conversion rate is required by the department
If the traveler needs to return unspent funds, bring a check or money order to MAI 4. Administrative Services will issue a receipt of payment to document the return.
If delivery of the unused funds to MAI 4 is not possible, please send a check or money order payable to The University of Texas at Austin for the amount of the unused cash advances via US Mail to:
The University of Texas at Austin
Office of Accounting, Main 4
ATTN: Marti Vallee
110 Inner Campus Drive, Stop K5300
Austin, TX 78712-1669