Colgate University

 Travel Policies

A.             ADVANCES

     1.             Obtaining Advances

Advances for the estimated cost of a business trip are available.  All advances & reimbursements will be handled via ACH.  Amounts under $350.00 may be picked up at the cashier’s window. Amounts over $350.00 should be submitted to the Accounts Payable Department one-week in advance of the date the payment should be issued. A voucher that is submitted where the desired issue date is not listed will have the payment produced within 5 working days after receipt by the Accounts payable Department. Advances should not be requested more than 7 days prior to departure.

    2.      Clearing Advances

Upon completion of the trip a Travel Advance Summary  must be submitted to the Accounting Office for review.  Reimbursement will be made after documentation is submitted and reviewed.  All expenditures must have supporting documentation.  Please refer to the details below to determine what supporting documentation is required.  All expense receipts must be converted to U.S. funds.

It is expected that all advances should be cleared within 30 days from the date of the completion of the trip or activity.  In order to meet IRS regulations, an advance not cleared within 120 days of the due date must be considered a salary advance and the full advance amount deducted from the employee’s next scheduled check.

Travel Expense Summaries will be reviewed in a timely manner by Accounting personnel.   If a refund is due to Colgate, a check should be attached to the Travel Expense Summary Form.  When travel occurs outside of the U.S. and foreign currency is involved, please indicate the exchange rate in effect during the travel period to expedite processing.

B.             TRANSPORTATION

      1.         Air Travel

Employees must fly coach class and are required to coordinate air travel needs with one of the university preferred travel agencies:

   BTI, The Travel Consultants               OR                  AAA Western and Central New York

  (800) 472-7447  or   (315) 472-7737                                        (800) 954-7687  or  (607) 257-3557

If the use of BTI or AAA is not considered the best option, university personnel may utilize the services offered through Internet sites, such as Expedia.com or other travel agencies.  If one of these alternate travel methods is used, the following guidelines are to be followed:

• All charges for alternate travel methods are to be billed either to the University supplied Chase MasterCard travel card or personal credit cards.  Individuals choosing to use their own personal credit card should be aware that reimbursement will not take place until after the trip is completed.

• A comparable quote from BTI or AAA should be obtained.  Please be advised that most of the additional services offered through BTI or AAA are not available when using an Internet site for travel related purchases.  Neither the 24-hour emergency services nor the assistance of BTI or AAA travel professionals are available when using Internet travel providers.

• Colgate University will not be responsible for travel related problems, including monetary losses, that occur from the use of Internet ticketing.

 Monetary advances can not be taken for air travel.  Payments will not be made directly to a travel bureau other than the two above "preferred" agencies.

    2.                   Rental Car

For complete Rental Car Policy; click the following : Rental Car

    3.            Personal Car

The use of your personal car for business travel will be reimbursed at the federally approved mileage rate as communicated by the Accounting Office.  Effective January  1st, 2009 the reimbursable mileage is 55 cents per mile, in accordance with IRS guidelines.  Employees may use this new rate if sufficient funding exists within their budgets to absorb the increase.  Mileage reimbursement may never exceed the cost of alternative transportation

 It is important for employees to be aware that the vehicle owner’s insurance policy will always provide the primary liability coverage.  The University will not provide reimbursement for the deductibles associated with the primary insurance under these circumstances.  All incidents should be reported to the Treasurer’s Office for review by the University’s insurance carrier to determine whether there is secondary liability coverage under the University’s automobile liability policy.

The University’s commercial automobile policy cannot provide collision or comprehensive coverage when an employee’s vehicle is used for business travel.  The vehicle owner’s policy will provide the only coverage for these types of claims.

    4.                   Taxi, bus, subway, parking, tolls

Any individual expense exceeding $10 must be receipted.  Items under $10 should be separately listed on the Travel Expense Summary.

C.     TRAVEL RELATED EXPENSES

    1.                   Meals

A $25.00 maximum per diem allowance will be permitted for unreceipted meal charges by employees away from campus on University business.  The per meal guideline would be $4.00 for breakfast, $6.00 for lunch, and $15.00 for dinner.

With receipts, which should be attached to the Travel Expense Voucher, a $40.00 daily reimbursement is normally permitted.  The maximum for each meal is $5.00 for breakfast, $10.00 for lunch, and $25.00 for dinner.   Amounts spent in excess of the guidelines are normally paid by the individual.  Exceptions to this guideline may be granted in unusual circumstances by the division head.

If University guests are covered by the receipt, the persons for whom the meal was purchased should be named and a brief description of the meeting purpose should be given.

            Example:

                                    Who -               John Doe/Barbara Smith

                                    What -              Luncheon for 2

                                    Where -             Denver, Colorado

                                    Why -               “discuss prospective gift”

                                                            “discuss presentation at conference”

                                                            “interview candidate for position”

                                    When -              7/1/99

 NOTE:   THIS INFORMATION IS REQUIRED BY THE IRS IN ORDER TO TREAT THE PAYMENT AS A NON-TAXABLE REIMBURSEMENT OF BUSINESS EXPENSE.  FAILURE TO SUPPLY COMPLETE INFORMATION COULD CREATE TAXABLE INCOME FOR THE EMPLOYEE UPON AUDIT.

    2.                   Lodging

The University will reimburse employees the actual cost for moderately priced accommodations up to the single room rate. Arrangements can be made through BTI, The Travel Consultants or AAA Travel.  The hotel/motel billing statement must be attached to the Travel Expense Summary report.  NYS sales tax will not be reimbursed.  Sales tax exemption certificates are available at the Accounting Office and should be presented to the hotel when checking in.  Certificates are also available for New Jersey, Massachusetts, Michigan, Pennsylvania and Florida.  Please contact the Accounting Office for further information.

The University will not reimburse for any minibar charges.  The University will not reimburse charges for laundry services or in-room movies for stays less than 4 consecutive days.

When it is convenient for the employee to stay with friends or relatives, the reasonable cost of a gift or meal is reimbursable.  A receipt and an explanation on the report must support the cost of the gift or meal (up to $50.00).   In no case should the cost of the meal or gift exceed the cost of standard accommodations.  The University cannot reimburse for a “cash payment” made to the host, again due to IRS regulations.  Only one gift or meal per trip is allowable.

D.    OTHER EXPENSES

   1.                   Entertainment

Personal entertainment expense (other than meals) is not normally reimbursable.  If an employee is entertaining University guests for business purposes, names of those being entertained should be provided along with the purpose of the entertainment.  Failure to provide that information may result in the IRS treating the reimbursement as taxable income to the employee.

    2.                   Companions

Expenses for a companion are not reimbursable unless the companion is an employee of the University whose attendance is necessary for business purposes.

   3.                   Telephone

All business calls made while away from the office will be reimbursed.  Calls home will be reimbursed at the rate of one call per day (of reasonable length).  Direct long distance calls from a hotel room can be expensive and should be avoided.  Employees are encouraged to use the Qwest calling card or other phone credit card and submit the bill for reimbursement. Please contact Jeanne Kellogg at extension 7352 to request a PAETEC card if your position requires frequent travel.

     4.                   Miscellaneous

 Any necessary expense over $10, not previously described must be receipted and described.

     5.                   Non-reimbursable Expenses

 The following are items which will not be reimbursed by the University:

 Fines for parking or moving violations

Movies or other personal entertainment for stays under 4 consecutive nights.

Laundry services (for stays under 4 consecutive nights)

Lost or stolen personal property (including cash)

Costs incurred at home, such as childcare

Life, flight or baggage insurance

Companion expenses

(revised 3/00)