Travel and Expense Reimbursement

Owned by Alan Middleton
Last updated: May 13, 2024 by Yudaisy Salomon Sargenton
4 min read

Physics Travel reimbursement worksheet.xlsx


Overview:

Travelers on university business typically pay for some of the expenses out of their own pocket and seek reimbursement after the trip is over.

Within 60 days after returning home, you must file an expense reimbursement request (if applicable) documenting the business purpose of the trip and the full amount of the cost. Traveler must keep record of the expenses and save all receipts.  NOTE: Any requests submitted after the 60-day period may be considered taxable income, per IRS regulations.

The traveler is the best person to provide trip expense information. They know what locations they visited, what transportation they took to get there, where they stayed, what meals they ate, etc.

New procedure to request reimbursement:

We're excited to introduce a new procedure aimed at streamlining the reimbursement process for both you and our staff. By having our team enter reimbursements on your behalf, we anticipate significant improvements in efficiency.

IMPORTANT: To facilitate this transition, we kindly request that you authorize all staff as delegates in the T&E system, to ensure adequate coverage. You can easily set this up by following the instructions outlined in the Authorize Delegates Guide.  Our NETIDs are: yssargen, peford, alturnbu, kjgarvey, and mmurph62.

While this adjustment is not mandatory, we strongly encourage you to consider it. We have found that many delays in reimbursement come from people not submitting the documentation correctly, not knowing the correct codes, and not realizing when the incorrect documents have been sent back for revision. Not only will it expedite the reimbursement turnaround time, but it will also minimize the need for extensive back-and-forth emails. Please note, if you continue to enter your own reimbursement requests, the processing time will be longer.

In the event of any discrepancies in the requested amounts via this new procedure, rest assured that we will notify you in writing via email prior to submitting your request.

Reimbursement Tips

    • Giving details to tell the story of how you spent the money will reduce the need for follow-up questions.  There is a notes section at the bottom of the form that we encourage you to use in order to clearly communicate the details of your trip, or any unusual circumstances/requests.
    • Receipts are needed for airfare, car rental, conference registration, lodging, meals, and other expenses related to your business trip.
    • Note that meals and lodging can be covered by per diem, and in that case, the receipts are not required.

Required Documentation and Receipts

    •  Receipts for airfare, lodging, conference registration, and car rental expenses regardless of amount.  Receipts for restaurants must be itemized; the credit card slip is not an acceptable receipt, as it does not show what was ordered.  Please remember only 20% of a pre-tax tip can be claimed.  Alcohol cannot be charged to sponsored projects.

            Remember, SU is a tax-exempt organization.  All purchases (excepting travel such as airfare, rental cars, hotels, taxis, etc.) should be tax exempt; sales tax might not be reimbursed and can never be charged to sponsored projects.

    • Meals can alternatively be claimed using the per diem method. Maximum limits for meals vary by location. If you are using this method, please provide:
      • The amount of the maximum daily limit is available on the US State Department's Domestic Per Diem Rates and  Foreign Per Diem Rates by Location  pages.  Please include a screenshot of your city’s rates (and appropriate dates of travel) with your receipts.
      • If you are claiming expenses on a flat per-diem rate, receipts for meals are not required, unless actual expenses exceed the maximum daily limit for the location.
    • If you are claiming mileage, please provide a google maps showing the starting and end point with the number of miles.  Your start/end point must be Syracuse University, not your home address.
    • If you traveled internationally, please convert foreign currency to US dollars.
      • Refer to your credit card statement or look up rates effective on the purchase date using the OANDA Currency Converter
      • Please be sure to attach a copy of the currency conversion page or provide the credit card statement from the website when submitting for reimbursement. Note that the credit card statement alone will not be accepted as proof of payment. The original receipt must be included.

Submitting Documentation and Receipts

    • Reimbursements cannot be approved or processed for payment until all required receipts are attached to the expense report.
    • Funding source: Please provide grant, research subsidy, or start up number.
      • Note for Faculty: We would appreciate funding numbers instead of nicknames. For reference, your individual Team sheets contain all your funding information.
      • Students and postdocs: Provide email from faculty sponsor containing funding source information/approval for reimbursement.
    • Business purpose- Clearly state how the funds were used.
      • g. for general expenses: “Purchased supplies to support my (project name) work.”
      • For a conference: Name, date, and location of conference.
      • Meals and food for events: “Food and beverage purchased for XXX event. List attendees and affiliation.” (If open invitation event list approximate number of attendees and affiliations.)
      • Memberships Dues/subscriptions: Add details about membership.
    • Scan or photograph your receipts and save PDF files to your computer. Do not use other formats.
    • Use Adobe Acrobat or Preview (Apple) to merge all documents together and submit a single file containing all receipts. Save file as LASTNAME_EVENT_DATE (ie. ROSS_MARCHMEETING_030424). This is preferred, but if you are having trouble, please send them as separate receipts when you submit your form (see below).  
    • Complete a reimbursement form located at the top of this page. Include details so that the staff make be informed choices when they insert the information into the online travel and expense system (T&E system).
    • Send the completed reimbursement form and PDF file of receipts to PHYreimbursement@syr.edu. Please use the following naming convention for the email’s subject:
      • MMDDYY- Traveler Name – LOCATION (Note that “MMDDYY” must be the last day of the trip).
      • Note that PHYreimbursement@syr.edu must only be used for submitting travel or expense report documentation and receipts.
      • Funding source. For faculty, send the chart string number, not the nickname. Students and postdocs forward email from faculty with chart string and approval.

Travel tutorial

For the travelers that wish to complete the reimbursement by themselves, the process to complete the request is posted below: 


Travel