Travel Information

“Travel” is defined as travel outside a 100-mile radius of a designated campus location on University business, or travel within a 100-mile radius of a designated campus location on University business for more than sixteen (16) hours.

• Example of “Travel”: Travel from UT to Springdale for an overnight conference/training event. (Springdale is less than a 100-miles from a designated campus location, but the travel includes an overnight stay of 16-hours or more.

Traveler’s Responsibilities: A traveler must ensure that Travel has a valuable business purpose, is economical, and adheres to all UT policies.

Travel Reports: All employee Travel Reports, including Travel Pre-Approval and Travel Expense Claims, must be submitted through Emburse (Formerly, Chrome River). For help navigating Emburse, consult the “Emburse User Guide.”

• Travel Pre-Approval: A completed Travel Pre-Approval is required before traveling for Utah Tech related business. A Travel Pre-Approval must be reviewed and approved within Emburse by the following Travel Approvers: Traveler’s supervisor, Traveler’s budget administrator(s), and the University’s Travel Office. If a Travel Pre-Approval was not fully approved before the Travel date(s), the Travel may be considered personal travel.
• Travel Claim: All travel-related expenses must be reported on a Travel Claim in Emburse. The Travel Claim will be linked to the Travel Pre-Approval. All Travel expenses, PCard and personal, should be reported on a Travel Claim and submitted in Emburse within 15 days from return date. A Travel Claim will be reviewed and approved by the following Travel Approvers: Traveler’s supervisor, Traveler’s budget administrator(s), and the University’s Travel Office. Once the Travel Office reviews and approves the Travel Claim, any reimbursement due to the traveler will be paid within 2-3 business days.
  • PCard Related Travel Expenses: Use of a University PCard is preferred while traveling. State Travel will accept your UT PCard when booking your trip. If you do not have a PCard, ask State Travel to charge the travel card on file. UT’s Travel Office will assign the transaction to your Emburse account, so that you can include it in your Travel Claim. All travel expense transactions made with a University PCard should be reported and submitted with a Travel Claim within 14 days from when the transactions were made.
  • Reimbursable Travel Expenses: If unable to use PCard, you can pay for the expense personally and include it on the Travel Claim for reimbursement. Travel expenses made personally will be reimbursed after the Travel occurs.

“Local Travel” is defined as travel within a 100-mile radius of a designated campus location on University business for less than sixteen (16) hours.

• Example of “Local Travel”: Same day travel from UT to SUU and back.
• Example of “Local Travel”: A remote worker who travels within a 100-mile radius of the designated worksite visiting multiple locations throughout the day.

Local-Travel Guidelines:

• Travel forms: Travel forms are not required for Local Travel.
• Per diem: Per diem is not approved for Local Travel.
• Mileage reimbursement: Local Travel mileage reimbursement may be requested in Emburse, using the “Employee Reimbursement Report.”
  • Travel mileage should begin and end at the traveler’s designated campus location (i.e., Utah Tech designated campus location, or a remote worksite address).
  • Mileage reimbursements should be logged in Emburse, which will calculate mileage based on all travel locations entered. Mileage rates are calculated based on current IRS standard mileage rates. The current rate is $0.70 per mile.
  • Vehicle rentals are not allowed for local travel. Contact Facilities about using a fleet vehicle.

“International Travel” is defined as Travel outside of the continental United States and Alaska and Hawaii. International Travel requires Vice President and President approval. This will add time to the approval process before the Travel Office receives an International Pre-Travel Approval.

• A Pre-Travel Approval for International Travel must be received by the Travel Office at least 30 days before International Travel occurs.
• An International Travel Insurance Form must be completed and sent to the Travel Office 14 days in advance of International Travel.

Please review the following information to prepare for International Travel:

• Risk management’s travel checklist
• Contact and emergency information form
• Itinerary and contact travel form
• International travel waiver

Group travel includes two or more people, with one employee (aka Group Travel Manager) accepts responsibility to manage the finances for the trip, and where only that employee will be requesting reimbursement for trip expenses.

• Examples of “Group Travel”: Student group with an employee chaperone. Student athletes with a coach.

Student Group-Travel Advance: Travel Advances are available for student group Travel only. A traveler traveling with an Academic or Athletic group of students may request a Travel Advance for part of the trip expenses. The Travel Office requires a minimum of 5 business days prior to Travel to process a Travel Advance. Instructions on how to request a Travel Advance are located in the Emburse User Guide.

Group Travel Payments to Third-Parties: There are instances where group travel may choose to use a third-party entity to arrange for some of the group travel plans. Usually, the payment required will exceed standard PCard limits. These can be paid by submitting a purchase requisition and invoice to Business Services Purchasing Office.

Full time employees and other PCard holders have access to Emburse and can process Travel reports electronically. If a non-employee or student does not have an Emburse account and will be traveling outside of group travel and will be incurring travel expenses of their own, paper forms are available. Please contact the Travel Office for forms.

• Companions may accompany employee travelers who are traveling for University business.
• The employee traveler is responsible for all additional expenses incurred from companion(s).
• Travel should remain economical and additional upgrades (i.e., larger lodging accommodations, larger vehicle, etc.) will not be reimbursed.
• Companion Travel should be purchased separately.
• Employee travelers should not use a PCard to pay for any portion of the companion’s travel (i.e., airfare), even if the intention is to pay it back to the University.
  • Such use will be treated as improper use and may result in violation strikes, suspension, and/or employee corrective action. For Utah Tech to pay for companion travel, the expense(s) need to be approved in writing by the President and must be for a bona fide business purpose (where it is deemed companion travel is beneficial for the University).

An approver must ensure that Travel has a valuable business purpose, is economical, and adheres to all UT policies. All Travel Reports require Supervisor and Budget Administrator approval.

1. Confirm that travel has a bona fide business purpose and provides value for the Utah Tech resources used.
2. Check that the Travel Reports are accurate (i.e., Travel dates are correct, amounts match receipts, and all claimed expenses are related Utah Tech business conducted by traveler).
3. Ensure the Travel Reports are complete by reviewing all expense claims and associated itemized receipts, business purpose is detailed in a way that an auditor can reasonably determine expense was for a bona fide business purpose.
4. Flag and adjust excessive expenses and ensure expenses are not for personal reasons.
5. Document approval of exceptions for extra charges (flight services or upgrades).
6. Budget Administrator also approves that sufficient funds are available in the index code(s) listed on the report and it is appropriate to use such funds for this type of travel.