1. Travel Policy Highlights
Becky Lappin, Associate Controller – x2531
Travel Coordinators:
Sally Shaff – x6207
Feli Alvarado – x2535
October 2017

2. 2017 Travel Policy Changes
Mileage rate for business travel occurring on or after 1/1/17 is 53.5 cents per mile. Mileage reimbursement rates will be adjusted annually by the Chancellors Office.
CSU Travel Restrictions – Assembly Bill (AB) 1887
Alabama, Kansas, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee and Texas are states subject to California’s ban on state-funded and sponsored travel. A complete list of affected states will be maintained on the California State Attorney General’s website.
The effective date for the ban is retroactive to January 1, 2017 regardless of when the state is added to the list.
Travelers and approvers are required to verify the website for the current list before planning out of state travel.
Refer to the campus wide communication sent July 3, 2017 for exceptions and details.
No Stateside funds may used for travel to the banned states
October 2017

3. Travel Reminders
● Detailed, original itemized receipts are required for expenses of $25.00 or more. Tape on 8 ½ x 11 inch paper.
● Meals should not be included on hotel bills. If a hotel meal ends up on a hotel bill, a detailed receipt is required. (Don’t sign for meals at your hotel. Use your personal credit card or cash.) Room service is not reimbursable.
● Alcohol can’t be purchased on state funds. If a detailed meal receipt is not available (to verify no alcohol was purchased), the employee should write “no alcohol” on the receipt and sign it.
● The CSU does not pay for meals on a per diem basis. Even international travel and travel to Alaska, Hawaii, or the U.S. possessions reimburses actual expenses up to the per diem rate listed on for that location.
● Without a receipt, employees may claim the amount paid for a meal or $24.99, whichever is lower.
● Amount paid for meals is reimbursable up to $55.00 per day. The amount claimed should be the amount spent on food or $55.00, whichever is lower.
● Water is not reimbursable unless it’s on the same receipt as a meal, and is the only drink purchased. (One drink per meal is allowed.) All other water is included in the daily $7 “incidentals” expense.
● Before renting a car, request a quote from one of our preferred providers (Enterprise or Jim Burke Ford/Certified), then submit an approved Charge Request Form. Be sure to sign the vehicle agreement at the top of the form.
● Before reserving airfare, request a quote from Uniglobe and attach a copy to the completed Charge Request form and submit it to Payment Services. Don’t fax charge requests to us; only original forms are accepted.
October 2017

4. Travel Reminders – continued
● The nightly lodging limit is $ per night, not including tax. If an employee will be staying at a hotel that charges above that limit, an approved form with justification and appropriate approvals is required before travel:
Anyone who reports to the Provost should complete the Lodging Justification Form;
All others should complete the Travel Authorization Request Form.
● Parking: Only self-parking will be reimbursed unless valet parking is pre-approved by Travel. Please submit an to Travel before your trip for valet pre-approval, including the reason valet assistance is necessary and your manager’s approval.
● If you are hosting people at hotels in Bakersfield, use our recommended hotels and submit an approved Charge Request Form (one per room). Use the name of the person staying in the room.
● Conferences/training: A ProCard should be used to pay for conferences/classes only. Associated travel costs (hotels, food, local transportation) may not be charged on ProCards. Employees should pay for travel costs and submit a Travel Claim Form for reimbursement within 30 days of return.
● Expenses that the University pays for directly (car rentals, airline flights) should not be included in the “Net Reimbursement” total on the Travel Claim Form.
● All advances (conference fee or hotel hardship) should be included on the claim and the total amount entered in the box “Less Travel Advances”.
●Reference all related Charge Request and Travel Advance numbers in the “Remarks” section.
October 2017

5. Travel Claim Reminder Deduct any advances paid Amount to pay traveler
The “Net Reimbursement” box on a Travel Claim Form should be the total amount to be refunded to the traveler. Do not include car rentals, airline tickets, or conferences/training that CSUB has paid or will pay directly to the vendor.
Deduct any advances paid
Amount to pay traveler
October 2017

6. Travel Reminders – continued
● For international travel, contact Safety and Risk Management at x2066 regarding additional requirements. All forms must be approved by the Provost and Campus President or designee.
● For Alaska, Hawaii, and international trips, we will reimburse actual meal and lodging expenses up to the government rate for the destination. Receipts for expenses $25 and over are required.
● If the Traveler paid for the airfare or hotel in advance, they can be reimbursed 30 days before the trip starts. If the expenses were incurred less than 30 days before travel, the traveler must wait to submit a travel claim to be reimbursed.
● A traveler can only have one outstanding advance at a time.
● If a trip is cancelled, postponed, or employment ceases, the advance must be returned immediately.
● Travelers are expected to travel to the business destination no earlier than the day before the conference/meeting begins and travel back to Bakersfield no later than the day after the conference/meeting ends. Any travel earlier or later than that may be considered personal travel. Travelers may alter travel for personal convenience only if there is no additional cost to the University or loss of productivity. Proof is required that there is no additional cost for both directions of the trip. Include an airfare quote or screenshot of airfare quote for each direction. (See an example on the next page.)
The complete CSUB Travel Policy is located on the forms website.
October 2017

7. Sample Backup – Personal Time Taken During a Business Trip
“My conference in Orlando started on 11/9/17 and ended at 6pm on 11/11/17. I am including the comparison quote I received from Uniglobe, if I had traveled straight to and from Orlando. It would have been $565.”
“I added a personal day at the end of my trip (11/12/17), and flew back on 11/13/17. Below is the Uniglobe receipt for my flights. The price is $494.60, lower than if I had flown home directly after the conference ended.”
NOTE: We reimburse the actual amount paid. It’s not allowable for travelers to overspend in another area (such as meals, which are payable only on business days) because they feel they saved CSUB money. Travelers should keep in mind that these are public funds and our campus is audited regularly. Taking personal time during a business trip doesn’t increase the total amount reimbursed.
October 2017

8. Meal Reimbursements Trip of less than 12 hours:
Breakfast – Reimbursable if travel begins 2+ hours before regular work hours (reportable as income).
Lunch – Not reimbursable.
Dinner – Reimbursable if travel ends 2+ hours after regular work hours (reportable as income).
Less than 24 hours with overnight stay:
Breakfast – Reimbursable (2nd day only)
Lunch – Reimbursable
Dinner – Reimbursable
More than 24 hours:
Departure day: Breakfast is reimbursable if travel begins 2+ hours before regular work hours.
Last day of travel: Dinner is reimbursable if purchased 2+ hours after regular work ends.
No meals purchased in Bakersfield are reimbursable as part of a travel claim.
October 2017

9. Travel Credit Card
The US Bank Visa Personal Liability Travel Credit Card is an individual liability credit card for employees who travel on behalf of the University. A CSUB faculty or staff member is eligible to apply for a US Bank Visa personal liability travel credit card by meeting all of the following criteria:
A part-time or full-time CSUB employee.
Travels on University business at least twice a year.
The card has been authorized by their department’s MPP.
The individual has completed an application and agreed to the US Bank’s Cardholder Responsibilities Agreement.
The cardholder will be billed directly by US Bank for all expenses charged to the credit card. The cardholder is personally responsible for paying all charges on the card by the statement due date, regardless of the status of any travel claims, in order to keep the card current and available for University business use.
The application and instructions are located on the Travel forms site.
October 2017

10. 2017 Relocation Policy
● Mileage driven for moving purposes on or after 1/1/17 will be reimbursed at 17 cents per mile.
● Must follow the CSU Relocation Policy
● If there are any unusual expenses, contact Travel before relocation, to request pre-approval. Expenses may not be reimbursed if they fall outside of the CSU Relocation Policy.
● Reimbursement of travel-related expenses must be in line with the CSUB Travel Policy.
● Submit on a travel claim form.
○ Original receipts required, taped on 8 ½ x 11 inch paper.
○ Copy of offer letter required, with details of moving allowance and appropriate signature(s).
○ Incomplete claims will be returned to the department.
October 2017

11. To ensure you are accessing the newest forms, use forms from the Campus Forms web site; don’t download to your computer.
October 2017

12. October 2017

13. October 2017

14. Coming Soon – Concur Travel System
A new, integrated online travel system is coming in Highlights include:
● No more lost paperwork since everything will be done online, including approvals.
● Travelers can assign other employees to act as their “proxy” – to request travel, make reservations, and compile their travel claim online. Note: only the traveler themselves can submit the final claim for approval/payment.
● Travel requests will be done in Concur, and once they’re approved, the traveler can click on a “book” button that will allow them to make airline, car rental and hotel reservations with our travel partners. (You may also make the reservations on the phone, which is recommended for trips with multiple destinations or special requirements.)
● After travel is completed, the traveler (or their proxy) can click on the “expense” link in their request and the system will auto-fill much of the information into their travel claim. Once users learn the new system, getting requests and reimbursement claims fully approved will be faster than the current system.
● Attach receipts right in the system.
● You can see where your request or expense transaction is in the approval process, real time.
October 2017

15. Here’s a sample travel request in Concur
Here’s a sample travel request in Concur. You will enter estimated expenses and submit for approval.
October 2017

16. The expense claim looks very similar to the request.
Once your travel request is fully approved, you can book your airline, car rental, etc. by choosing “book with Concur Travel” from within the request.
Once you’ve completed travel, you go back into your request and choose “create expense report”.
The expense claim looks very similar to the request.
We are currently participating in the development and testing of the system with 6 other CSU campuses. The plan is for the system to be available in spring, 2017.
October 2017

17. Payment Services - Travel
Questions? Contact us.
Payment Services - Travel
Becky Lappin, Associate Controller – x2531
Travel Coordinators:
Sally Shaff – x6207
Feli Alvarado – x2535
10/20/17
October 2017