Most travel expenses can now be charged to University of Iowa Procurement Cards and we are encouraging campus to move in that direction. We continue to offer other payments options to supplement the PCard option. This training manual and session will cover the following UI payment options:

Q Procurement Card (expenses are charged directly to the department)

Q Direct Vendor Payments via e-Voucher

Q Travel Expense Vouchers

PROTRAV APPLICATION

The ProTrav application is where the traveler will process the following travel requests.

Q Trip setup which includes requesting a cash advance

Q Completing the Travel Expense Voucher

Q Reconciling any UI procurement card expenses

Use the following link for directions on how to complete TEV in ProTrav:

www.uiowa.edu/~fustd/travel/ProTrav.htm

Forms

The following forms are processed by the Travel Office. Procurement Card Vouchers, Travel Expense Voucher and Cash Advances are accessed via ProTrav. E-Vouchers are accessed via E-Pro.

Q Procurement Card Voucher (PCV) - used to reconcile travel expenses and non-travel low dollar purchases charged to an individual’s or department procurement card.

Q Travel Expense Voucher (TEV) - used for recovering expenses incurred while traveling on University business and for clearing any ticket or travel advances obtained prior to traveling.

Q Request for Advance form - used for qualifying individuals traveling on University business who will need a cash advance.

Q E-Vouchers - used by the Travel Office to prepay conference registrations and hotel deposits It is also used for direct billing hotel or travel agencies for non-University persons (candidates, recruits, visiting faculty and/or speakers.) University employees may NOT direct bill expenses on a Voucher and Invoice. Please Note: The e-Vouchers should be used ONLY when a payment cannot be processed on the Procurement Card.

An important rule to keep in mind is that no one may approve their own form, no matter which form it is. Even the dean or administrative officer of a department will need to obtain an approval signature from their superior, usually one of the Vice-Presidents. These processes are done via Workflow.

BEFORE THE TRIP ― Expenses/Processes

A “Trip” must always be established in order to process any travel related payment/form in ProTrav (Cash Advance, travel reimbursement or travel charge on a Pcard). The trip setup is processed in ProTrav with the “create a trip” link.

Four basic items are necessary to complete the trip set-up within ProTrav. They are:

Q Traveler’s Name or HawkID - (if non-UI traveler, home address is required.)

Q Traveler’s Destination

Q Dates of Travel

Q Purpose of Trip

AIRFARE

Allowable Class of Service

Only Coach class airfare is allowable for University of Iowa business travel. Upgrades to first class, business class, or Economy Plus are allowed only if there is no additional cost to the University (Frequent Flier or other coupons may be used to obtain free upgrades.)

Travelers are expected to obtain the lowest available fare that reasonably meets their business travel needs. To get the best price on airfare, it is important to book the flight in advance, usually 14-21 days in advance. Payment usually has to be made within 24 hours of the reservation and is normally non-refundable, except on full fare non-restricted tickets.

Airline Discounts

Q Northwest Airlines – Tickets >$599 each way are eligible for a 10% discount, $299-$599 each way are eligible for a 5% discount, <$299 each way are eligible for a 3% discount

Preferred Agencies

The University of Iowa has two preferred travel agencies to provide assistance in obtaining airline tickets, making hotel/motel reservations and securing car rentals.

Q Meacham Travel Service – 229 E Washington, Iowa City, 351-1360, 351-0710 (fax)

Q Winebrenner Red Carpet – C319 GH 384-7100, 384-7087 (fax) or 755 S. Gilbert St. 351-4510, 351-3152(fax)

The standard practice is for these agencies to issue E-tickets and to send itineraries via fax, email or mail. With E-tickets, the traveler does not have to take the passenger receipt with them to the airport, but should at least take a printed itinerary.

While use of these agencies is not mandated, it is strongly encouraged for the following reasons:

1) University airline discounts may be obtained only at these agencies.

2) These agencies are contracted to provide quality, professional service at a reasonable cost.

3) These agencies provide valuable data to us to assist in negotiating travel discounts. The more data we collect through these agencies, the more our negotiating power.

4) Ticket copies are provided at no cost when required.

5) They provide valuable assistance when travel plans changes, when disputes or problems arise, and are a valuable resource for travel information.

If you do not use the preferred agency, it is recommended to purchase directly from the airline to avoid service fees. If using other on-line agencies, the following issues should be considered:

1) It is sometimes difficult to get an adequate receipt.

2) Replacing lost receipts is usually difficult and costly.

3) Problem resolution is up to you entirely.

4) It is sometimes time consuming to find and secure the best airfare. You must consider the personal/work time spent when evaluating actual savings.

5) You forfeit the opportunity to obtain University airline discounts.

Payment Options

Airfare may be purchased in the following ways:

Q Procurement Card – airfare may be charged directly to an individual traveler’s University of Iowa Procurement Card or to a “Department” Procurement Card. The itinerary faxed/emailed from the agency or airline must be retained and attached to your Procurement Card voucher to reconcile.

Q Personal Credit Card – original passenger receipt is required in order to be reimbursed.

HOTEL DEPOSITS

Hotel Arrangements are usually made prior to the trip by contacting hotels directly, through conference/convention housing bureaus, online through professional organization hosting the event, or online directly with the hotel property.

When advance deposits are required, they should be paid with the Procurement Card. The housing form, the online booking page or a fax/email from the hotel or professional organization, verifying the cost of the room should be attached to the Procurement Card voucher to reconcile.

When Advance deposits cannot be processed on the Procurement Card, they may be paid via an e-Voucher. The traveler’s name, destination, dates of travel must always be provided on the e-Voucher.

Hotel deposits may also be paid by the individually personally. This expense will simply be included in the total hotel cost after the trip is over and reimbursed on a TEV.

CONFERENCE REGISTRATION

Conference Registrations should be paid by Procurement Card whenever possible. This is the quickest, most efficient form of payment in order to assure that registration deadlines are met. If they cannot be paid by Procurement Card, they may be paid via an e-Voucher. Again the traveler’s Name, destination, dates of travel are required. If paid by Procurement Card or e-Voucher, the registration form, or an email/fax from the professional organization hosting the meeting must be attached to the Procurement Card Voucher or e-Voucher.

If the individual pays the conference registration, an official receipt must be obtained from the conference/professional organization in order to be reimbursed. A generic receipt (any receipt that does not have a preprinted or stamped conference/vendor name) is not sufficient as proof of payment. Expenses substantiated by a generic receipt will not be reimbursed unless accompanied by additional documentation. This may include one of the following:

1. Copy of back and front of canceled check

2. Check Carbon/Duplicate and bank statement

3. Credit card statement

4. Letter or new receipt from conference confirming payment

TRAVEL ADVANCES

Cash Advances

Cash Advances are requested via ProTrav as part of the trip set-up. Cash advances should be requested at least 10 days prior to trip depart date. Standard cash advances are limited to University employees earning $50,000 or less and students. Foreign travel, domestic travel exceeding 14 days, and team travel are exceptions. A standard cash advance is limited to $60 for the first day of travel and $20 for each additional day. Foreign travel and domestic travel exceeding 14 days are not held to these advance limits. In these cases, the amount requested should be sufficient to cover estimated expenses. If any amount other than the standard cash advance is requested, a statement of justification or explanation is required. Most Cash Advances are direct deposited unless otherwise requested.

Delinquent Advances

Delinquent advance notices are auto generated within the ProTrav application. If the Travel Office has not audit passed your voucher within two weeks of the end date of your trip, you will receive an delinquent notice. Another notice will be sent at the four week time period for advances that have not been cleared. If the advance becomes six weeks delinquent the traveler will receive an email stating that a payroll deduct will be processed to recoup the funds.

IRS Regulation, section 1.62-2T, states that where an advance is made to an individual, the expenses related to that advance must be substantiated to the payer within 60 days after the expense is incurred or the amount of the advance is considered taxable compensation. So it is in the best interest of the traveler to clear the advance as soon as possible.

DURING THE TRIP – Allowable Expenses/Receipts Required

TRANSPORTATION

Mileage

Any individual traveling on University business and using his/her own personal vehicle may request reimbursement of actual gasoline expenses or a flat mileage reimbursement. Gasoline may only be claimed up to the allowable mileage reimbursement. If mileage is claimed, gasoline charges may not be claimed separately as they are factored into the mileage allowance.

Mileage reimbursement at the rate of $.55/mile (effective 01/01/09) is allowed in the following circumstances only:

1. The round trip distance traveled is less than 100 miles or total trip time (travel and business included) is four hours or less

2. The round trip distance traveled is more than 100 miles or time involved is four hours or more and a motor pool vehicle is requested but is not available. In these cases, a Non-Availability voucher must be obtained from Motor Pool and attached to the TEV.

3. Travelers who do not have access to motor pool vehicles or where use of a motor pool vehicle is not reasonable or feasible (i.e. to/from airport and left in airport parking while away).

Mileage reimbursement at the rate of $.285/mile is allowed in all other circumstances.

NOTE: Anytime the mileage claim exceeds $300 or the travel time exceeds eight hours, an airfare quote from a travel agency must be attached to the TEV. The mileage claim may not exceed round trip coach class fare for business days of travel plus ground transportation to and from airports.

Taxis/Shuttles/Public Transportation

Shuttle and other Public Transportation may be charged to the University Procurement Card whenever possible. Receipts should be obtained when this payment method is used. If taxis will not accept credit cards, this expense must be paid for personally by the traveler and may be reimbursed. Receipts showing the actual cost are sometimes difficult to obtain and are therefore not required as long as the cost is reasonable.

Rental Cars

RECEIPTS — Reasonable rental car charges for standard/mid-size vehicles are allowed. Rental Car charges may be charged to University Procurement Cards or to personal Credit cards. In either case, itemized car rental receipts are required. This must be the final receipt given upon returning the vehicle. Initial rental agreements alone are not sufficient. For liability purposes whenever possible the auto rental should be made to “The University of Iowa” and signed by the individual.

PREFERRED PROVIDER—NATIONAL CAR RENTAL is the preferred car rental provider for the University of Iowa and the Big Ten. Special negotiated rates, free unlimited mileage (in most cases) and free insurance coverage is provided as a part of our agreement with National. Our discount code 5004461 must be included in every reservation in order to obtain our rates and benefits. Complete information about this program and our rates are available on our Web page at www.uiowa.edu/~fustd

Additional Charges

The Board of Regents is self-insured for comprehensive and collision damage to vehicles that are rented by University employees for University business. This means that you should no longer purchase the optional insurance for damage to the vehicle. The optional coverage is sometimes called “CDW, LDW, collision damage waiver, loss damage waiver or physical damage waiver.” (Under the University’s current agreement with National Car Rental, the CDW/LDW is provided with the basic rental.)

For University employees, CDW or LDW is NOT reimbursable.

For non-University employees, CDW or LDW is reimbursable.

Other charges:

1. Supplemental Liability (SLI, LIS) charges are not reimbursable. Most rental companies provide a basic amount of liability insurance with the rental. The University’s self-insurance would cover the University employee for any liability in excess of that provided by the rental company. If no liability insurance comes with the car, the basic amount of liability insurance is recommended and is reimbursable.

2. Personal Affects (PAI) or credit card (PEC) insurance or Health/Life Insurance charges are NOT reimbursable.

HOTELS

Payment Options - Hotel Lodging Expenses may be charged to the University Procurement Card or may be personal credit card and reimbursed on the TEV. In either case, an itemized check out folio is always required.

Allowable Expense

The actual cost of a standard single room is allowed under any of the following circumstances:

Q The base room rate is less than or equal to the UI maximum allowance (200% of the Federal Government rate). See www.uiowa.edu/~fustd/travel/Domestic Travel/domestic_travel.htm for current rates.

Q The hotel is the conference site or headquarters hotel. Verification may be sent with the voucher or the department may check the appropriate box on the voucher and retain the documentation for 7 years.

Q The room rate is equal to or less than the room rate at the headquarters or conference hotel.

Q The hotel requested was not available and the conference or housing bureau assigned an alternate hotel. The housing request form or a memo from the housing bureau must be sent as verification.

Business phone calls, faxes and copies, hotel parking, etc. are also considered allowable business expenses. If paid by Procurement Card, these expenses may also be charged to the Procurement Card. If the hotel bill is paid by personal credit, these expenses may be charged as well, but these expenses should be claimed as miscellaneous expenses on the travel voucher and should not be included with in the room charges.

When claiming hotel expense on the TEV each days lodging should be recorded as base room rate plus tax multiplied by the number of days. Any food or room service charges should be listed separately under the appropriate meal expense. Movie charges, spa/health club fees and personal phone calls are not reimbursable and should not be claimed. An itemized checkout folio must be provided in order for hotel expenses to be reimbursed. A credit card or hotel receipt showing only the total charge is not acceptable. If lodging was a package deal offered by the conference or travel agent, documentation showing cost breakdown and receipt of payment must be provided. For apartment or condominium rentals, a receipt from the owner showing payment and weekly or monthly rate is required.

Shared Hotel

If each person is paying his/her own share, it should be noted that the amount claimed is for that person only. When one individual pays for other person(s) sharing the room, the individual paying should claim the full amount and split that expense on the TEV by supplying the additional travelers HawkID. The person not paying should claim no hotel expense. When the room is shared with a colleague from another institution, that person’s name and affiliation should be noted in the comments section. If the room was shared with someone not on University business that should be noted as well. The traveler may then claim the single room rate if verification is attached or 75% of the double room rate.

MEAL GUIDELINES

Meal claims should reflect actual/reasonable expense not to exceed the maximum daily allowance. Meal tips should be included in the meal claim. Attach a receipt for any individual meal claim of $75 or more. The amounts may be distributed among the meals in any manner as long as the daily total does not exceed the maximum and there is a receipt for any single claim of $75 or greater

Allowances

§ Actual meal expenses should be claimed and may not exceed the daily allowance for each destination.

§ Meal tips should be included in the meal claim and may not be claimed as a separate expense.

§ Claims up to the full maximum are allowed on full days of travel

§ On partial days of travel, allowances are prorated based upon departure and return times as defined below, allowing 20 % of the daily allowance for breakfast, 30% for lunch, and 50% for dinner. These individual allotments are defined for the purpose of determining the correct daily allowance only. Individual meal claims do not have to fall within these specific meal parameters. Actual costs can be distributed among the meals in any manner as long as the total claim for each day does not exceed the maximum allowance for that day.

§ Meal costs over the maximum allowance are at the traveler’s expense.

§ Alcohol is not a reimbursable travel expense.

§ Attach a receipt for any individual meal claim of $75 or more.

	On Date of Departure Must Leave Prior To	On Date of Return Must Arrive After	% of Daily Allowance Allocated for each meal
Breakfast	6:00 am	8:00am	20%
Lunch	11:00 am	1:00 pm	30%
Dinner	5:30 pm	7:30 pm	50%

Travel status is defined as the time the traveler leaves their home or office until the time the traveler arrives at their home or office (not flight times).

For international travel, the federal government maximum for the specific destination applies. These rates are available on the Travel web page or by contacting the Travel Office. For partial days of travel, meal allowances should be prorated based on the time of arrival in or departure from the foreign country, allowing 20% of the meal allowance for breakfast, 30% for lunch and 50% for dinner.

Any meal cost over domestic or international limits will be at the traveler's expense.

Shared Meals

If one person paid for meals for another individual(s) these expenses should be claimed on the travel voucher of the individual who paid. The person who did not pay should not claim an expense for that specific meal on their voucher. If the other individual(s) is a University of Iowa employee, “split” that expense on the travel voucher and provide each person’s HawkID and amount of their claim/meal. If not a UI employee, provide their name and affiliation in the comments box of the travel voucher.

Taxable Meals

Meal costs reimbursed to faculty and staff for non-overnight trips are subject to withholding and reported as taxable income in accordance with Internal Revenue Service regulations.

Business meals while in travel status

When the primary purpose of a meal is for conducting University business and other individuals are included, the names, business affiliations, and purpose of the meeting/meal must be provided. These meal claims are subject to the Food and Beverage policy guidelines at www.uiowa.edu/~our/opmanual/v/11.htm#1125, rather than individual travel meal limits. An itemized receipt must be attached.

PAYMENT OPTIONS

PROCUREMENT CARD

The UI Procurement Card may now be used for the purchase of travel expenses. For travelers, this means that you can now charge most of your travel expenses directly to your departmental procurement card rather than using a personal charge card and submitting your expenses for reimbursement. For departmental expeditors, this means you can now pay travel expenses directly for UI visitors (faculty recruits, guest speakers, etc) rather than submitting a Voucher and Invoice for payment or reimbursing the traveler after the trip. Please remember that your card should NEVER be given to another individual to take on a trip and charge his/her travel expenses.

This tool is provided for convenience, but also comes with a high level of personal responsibility. Although your department will be now paying these expenses directly for you, it does not diminish the need for you to keep good records and to retain the required receipts in order to reconcile your expenses. Please review the information provided below regarding appropriate use of your new procurement card for travel expenses and reconciliation of those charges.

Allowable Expense	Receipt/Documentation Required
Conference/Workshop Registrations Social events (golf outings, tours, etc) held in conjunction with conferences and/or spousal/guest registrations should be paid for personally and should NOT be charged to the Procurement card.	Registration form or other conference materials that verify the amount charged to the procurement card and specify what is included in the registration/workshop fee.
Airfare Including exchange fees and travel agency service fees.	Itinerary provided by the travel agency at the time of booking that shows routing, dates, and class of service.
Hotel Deposits	Housing form, email or other documentation from the hotel or housing bureau that verifies the amount of deposit required and charged.
Lodging Including room charges, taxes (out of state only), business phone/faxes, local or phone access charges. Please note that personal expenses such as movie, personal phone calls, bar or spa charges should be paid for personally upon check out and should NOT be charged to the procurement card.	Final Check out folio, showing an itemization of all nightly room charges, taxes and other business related expenses. Please check our web page for maximum hotel allowances. If your hotel is over the allowable limit, but is the conference hotel, please attach housing form or other verification.
Rental Cars and gas for rental car Please note that additional/optional insurance coverage (CDW, LDW, SLI, PAI, etc) are NOT allowable charges.	Final itemized receipt given upon return of car, showing an itemization of all charges, including daily/weekly rate, refueling charges, taxes, etc. The rental agreement given at the time of rental is not sufficient.
Other Ground Transportation Rail, shuttle service, etc.	Rail—itinerary or receipt given by travel agency at time of booking. Shuttle service—receipt given at time service is provided (unless charge is posted in advance of service).

Please refer to the Procurement Card Web page www.uiowa.edu/~purchase/PCard for detailed information about the general guidelines and reconciliation process associated with the University of Iowa Procurement Card. The Web Application for reconciling the Procurement Card is available at https://pcard.bo.uiowa.edu

In general, all travel related expenses charged to the Procurement Card must be reconciled with all other monthly charges within the month they post. You will not wait until a trip is over to reconcile these charges. As such you may have expenses for one trip reconciled within multiple billing cycles. Airfare, registrations, hotel deposits, etc will be reconciled usually several months in advance. Expenses incurred while traveling such as rental car, hotel, etc will then be reconciled after the trip is complete.

Any out of pocket expenses will still be claimed on the TEV. The travel office is working on enhancing the Web Reconciliation Tool to allow all expenses, those charged to the Procurement Card and those paid out of pocket to be reconciled within one process. For now, please be sure that expenses charged to the Procurement Card are claimed only on the Procurement Card Voucher. Only those expenses paid by the traveler and/or any cash/ticket advances should be claimed on the Travel Voucher.

FOREIGN TRAVEL

Basic requirements for foreign travel are the same as those for Domestic travel.

Registration fees and Hotel deposits should be charged to the Procurement Card whenever possible. This is the fastest and most efficient way to pay a vendor in foreign currency. These expenses can be prepaid in foreign currency on a Voucher and Invoice if necessary. There is a $10 bank fee for such a transaction. Name of traveler, destination, and dates of travel are always required.

When completing the TEV all expenditures must be converted and expressed in US Dollars. Exchange rates may be obtained from the internet or by calling US Bank International Department. The currency exchange rate used should be noted on the travel voucher along with its source. (EX: $1 Canadian = .7358 Us per First National Bank). Individual receipts for hotels, trains, registrations, etc. should be converted and the US equivalent noted on the receipt and on the voucher. Please identify each expense on the receipt.

Hotel and Meal guidelines are based on the Federal Per Diem Rates. These vary for each country/city and are different than those for domestic travel. These rates may be accessed through the “Foreign Per Diem Rates” link on the UI Travel Home Page. NOTE: These “per diem” rates are simply maximum allowances for each city. Actual expenditures should be claimed rather than claiming straight per diem rates.

Travelers must submit receipts for airfare, trains, buses, hotels, and registration fees for any single item that exceeds $75. Individual meal and taxi receipts are often difficult to obtain, but are usually not essential as long as the expense is reasonable and within the maximum meal limit.

Proof of Payment/actual cost must be provided anytime an airline ticket for foreign travel is purchased from a ticket consolidator or an agency outside Iowa City. Actual cost for these tickets is often less than the preprinted price on the ticket therefore verification is required.

TRAVEL OFFICE DIRECTORY

Please send all forms and correspondence relating to travel to:

Travel Office
202 PCO

If the correspondence or documentation is being sent at one of our auditor’s request, please send it to his/her attention.

For general questions about Travel Expenses, please contact our Travel Main Line at 335-0114.

Travel Expense Vouchers or Procurement Card Transactions for Travel Related payments, please call:

Angie Smith	5-2202	angela-k-smith@uiowa.edu
Ashley Michalec	5-1047	ashley-michalec@uiowa.edu
Brenda Bell	4-3324	brenda-j-bell@uiowa.edu
John Hillesland	5-0489	john-hillesland@uiowa.edu
Jeffrey Humpleby	3-2580	jeffrey-humpleby@uiowa.edu
Jessica Janeck	5-1440	jessica-janeck@uiowa.edu
Tara Hausafus	5-1816	tara-hausafus@uiowa.edu
Mary Ciha	5-1908	mary-ciha@uiowa.edu
Violet Wardeh	5-2208	violet-wardeh@uiowa.edu

For questions about overdue cash or to speak to the Audit Team Leader:

Ben Barreras 5-3256 benjamin-barreras@uiowa.edu

For questions about Travel Policy, Travel related contracts/discounts, or other Travel Management Issues:

Becky Schaffner 5-0113 becky-schaffner@uiowa.edu

Travel Fax Number: 3-2064

For information on Preferred Travel Agencies, Hotel Limits, Regulations, Currency Exchange Rates, Discounts and more visit our web site at: www.uiowa.edu/~fustd