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• Foreign Visitors
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• Procard
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• Empl. Moving
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Travel Tips and Reminders

Here is a list of common mistakes that are made when preparing Travel and Expense Reports.

1. Chartfield strings need to be accurate and correct.
    
2. Required original signatures must be on the form:
   • Travel preparers must initial next to your Operator ID
   • Travelers
   • Supervisor or department head
   • P.I. if a project grant is being charged
      
3. Original receipts must be supplied for all travel. If no original receipt, fill out missing affidavit form.
    
4. Per diem is $40 per day
    
5. Per diem is $50 per day for Boston, NYC, Washington D.C., Seattle, San Francisco, Baltimore, Chicago and Philadelphia.
    
6. One half the per diem rate is allowed with “no over night” stay when travel status is at least 12 consecutive hours but less than 24 hours. It is considered a Taxable Reimbursement when completing the expense report.
    
7. In a rare occasion when a cash advance is needed IE: grad student, reference the “T” number or the original cash advance number in the comments box when settling the cash advance on the expense report.
    
8. When submitting the travel paperwork, please put the Travel Authorization right behind the expense report and any additional paper work behind that. Staple the top left corner of the expense report. DO NOT USE PAPER CLIPS.
    
9. Tape down to a single sheet of 8 ½ X 11 all small receipts. You can have more than one small receipt per 8 ½ X 11 sheet. (note: tape all 4 sides).
    
10. In the description field all that is needed is the destination city and state.
    • The only exception is if its an employee reimbursement the description
      field should be ie: rmbstaples, rmbrtninediner
       
11. In the comments box, please put the departure date/time and the return date/time and any other pertinent information.
     
12. Traveler’s address changes need to be submitted to Human Resources.
     
13. Your Travel card is for YOUR travel expenses only. For other employees/students/non-employees use the department corporate card or have the person pay out of pocket and they will get reimbursed when they return from the travel.
     
14. When submitting travel expenses that are more than 120 days late (from return date) Travel Preparer is required to submit these expenses as “Taxable Reimbursement”.
     
15. Foreign Travel Authorization has to be specific to the trip.
     
16. Exceptions can be made to allow "Pre-Trip Reimbursements" for employees that are DENIED UMass travel cards. This will allow employees to submit requests for reimbursements immediately after incurring an expense instead of having to wait until the trip is completed, i.e. airfare, conference registration.

Please be aware that the above are required for certification. If found in post audit review that errors are continuously being made, decertification may result.