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UM System

Finance/Budget Forms - Travel Form Instructions

General
  • Systemwide policies on travel are contained in the Business Policy Manual, Chapter 500. The BPM can be viewed at https://umsystem.edu/ums/policies/.
  • Campuses may have additional guidance on preparing and processing travel forms. Check the web site at your campus:
  • Request reimbursement for travel expenses on either a Travel-Trip Expense Detail UM 11 or a Travel- Daily Expense Detail UM 11A.
  • Use the most current version of the form approved by Records Management at https://umsystem.edu/ums/fa/management/records/forms/finance/.
  • The form information is at the bottom left of the form and consists of the form number, major revision date and minor revision date, e.g., UM 11 (APR 08) 4/11/08. The form you use should be the most current, based on major revision date, in this example, this would be APR 08. Minor revisions are usually small edits that do not affect the form's functionality. An example is updating the form for the new IRS mileage rate for a calendar year.
  • Cells with a shaded background are for data entry as indicated below. Cells with a white background contain descriptive information or formulas. These are protected so they cannot be changed.
  • Many of the cells on the form have notes (red triangle in upper right corner) to guide you in completing the form.
  • Complete the form electronically and then print a copy to submit as your reimbursement request. A legible handwritten form in blue/black ink is acceptable but may take longer to process.
  • Ensure the form clearly demonstrates the business purpose of the travel expenses and that necessary documentation to support the expenses claimed is attached. The form with documentation should "stand on its own."
  • Itemize expenses by day (the form calculates daily totals for each line where there is a dollar entry.
  • If the form does not provide sufficient space to fully document/explain your expenses, complete and attach Additional Comments page and/or other attachments.
  • If expenses are included for an additional person(s), provide the person's name, title, address and connection to the University (i.e., why the University is paying that person's expenses).
  • If more than one trip is included on a travel form, show destination and purpose for each trip.
  • If you require more than one travel form to account for all of your expenses, record those expenses on an additional form(s) and bring the total for each form to a single line on the primary travel form.
  • If the traveler is not available for signature for a significant reason (e.g., out of the country, in the hospital, unavailable for an extended period) attach an explanation to the form as to why the traveler is unable to sign and obtain the signature of the dean, director, or department chair. (If the traveler sends a signed letter stating the expenses attached are the expenses they incurred on their travel, this letter should be attached to the form but is not a substitute for approval by the dean, director, or department chair).
  • For lodging and for expenses of $75 or more, attach an original receipt and documentation of payment. If an original receipt is not available, provide an explanation as to why it is not available. Examples of documentation of payment include a copy of the canceled check (front and back), copy of the picture page from a bank statement, credit card receipt, or copy of credit card statement with date, vendor and amount.
  • Note: If your campus requires receipts under $75, they must be attached to the travel form. If your department requires receipts under $75, they should be retained by the department and not sent with the form to the campus accounting office.
  • Receipts should be in the name of the traveler. If not, explain why the receipt is in someone else's name and provide documentation of payment from the traveler to the person named on the receipt. This documentation can be a receipt acknowledging payment from the traveler or other documentation of payment.

Information on Form

  • Payee: Enter the name of the person/entity that incurred the expenses and to whom payment will be made.
  • Payee address (Required) - Use a campus address, if applicable.
  • Vendor Number/EMPLID: Use EMPLID if the payee is a University employee. Otherwise, use the payee's vendor number. If the payee does not have a vendor number, request one from the campus accounting office using the Outlook request form.
  • Date Submitted: This is the date traveler submitted the information and documents necessary to complete travel form. See DATE SUBMITTED below.
  • Purpose of Trip: Clearly explain the business purpose of the travel. Spell out the names of organizations and programs, even well known ones. Do not use acronyms.
  • Payment Description: This information should be entered in the Invoice field when the non-PO voucher is created in PeopleSoft. This appears on the remittance advice (paper attached to check if paid by check or in an e-mail notice if paid by ACH) so use something descriptive for the payee (i.e. Travel Destination and dates of travel). The Invoice field has a maximum of 30 characters that will appear on the remittance advice. An additional fourteen characters can be entered in the PeopleSoft description field and they also will appear on the remittance advice.
  • Date: Enter the date on each line for which you claim expenses (this should correspond with amounts that appear in the Total for the Day column). Enter the date in the box above the dotted line.
  • Time: On the day the trip begins, enter the time of departure in the box below the dotted line. On the day the trip ends, enter the time of return in the box below the dotted line. Enter time as HH:MM a/p, where HH is the hour, MM is the minute and a /p indicates a.m. or p.m. For example, enter 12:00 p for noon. There must be a space between the minutes and the a/p.
  • Destination: Enter the city traveled from and the city traveled to.
  • Breakfast/Lunch/Dinner: Enter the amount for which you actually paid (meal plus tip). If you paid more than the amount for which you are eligible, enter only the eligible amount. Enter P if a meal was provided as part of the event or was paid by someone else. Enter E if you were eligible to claim the meal but have combined the amount allowed with another meal.
  • Lodging: Enter the amount you paid for lodging, including tax. Please request that sales tax be excluded when the lodging is in Missouri. Provide the tax exempt certification to the hotel as proof that tax should be waived: see https://sharepoint.umsystem.edu/sites/uminfopoint/media/fa/management/travel/letter.gif. If the vendor refuses your request, note that in the Comments or on the lodging receipt.
  • Other: For each eligible expense enter a description and the amount claimed. If the expense is $75 or more, attach supporting documentation.
  • Total for the Day: This is automatically calculated for each line as a total of meals, lodging and other.
  • Trip- Related Expenses Previously Paid or Direct Billed –Enter description and amount for other expenses previously paid that relate to this trip, e.g., airfare, registration, etc.
  • Comments: Use this area to provide additional explanation.
  • Used Official Car Number: Enter the license plate number.
  • Used Personal Vehicle: Enter the number of miles. The total mileage allowance is automatically calculated. The current form contains the mileage rate for the current calendar year. If you have mileage from a prior calendar year, change the rate to the rate allowed for that year. If you have mileage for more than one calendar year, use a separate form for each year using the correct mileage rate. If your department reimburses at a lower rate, enter that rate. The mileage for each day should be from where you started the trip to where you ended it. However, when you leave from home, or return directly home, the mileage should be the lesser of the mileage from home or the office. On the Daily Expense Detail, mileage should be for each day. On the Trip Expense Detail, it should be for the entire trip.
  • Department(s) Charged: Optional. You can enter MoCode description or other information that identifies who is being charged this expense.
  • Total Amount: Automatically calculated as the total of all lines above plus mileage.
  • Contact with Congressional Member, Their Staff, or a Federal Agency: If traveler has contact with senators, representatives, their staffs or members of the executive branch of the federal government on behalf of the University of Missouri, check the "Yes" checkbox and provide the date contact was made, the name of person and agency contacted, purpose of contact and the total expenses associated with contact. For more information on the reporting requirements, a list of federal agencies and departments, and frequently asked questions, see the UM System Government Relations website at https://umsystem.edu/ums/ur/disclosure/. If no contact was made by the traveler, check the "No" checkbox and skip the rest of this section.
    • o Note: The traveler must answer "Yes" or "No" to the contact question and complete the rest of this section if the answer is "Yes".
  • Certification and Payee Signature: The payee must initial each of the three lines and then sign, where indicated. University employees should enter their title. Non-employees should enter their relationship to University, e.g., candidate. The payee signature signifies attestation by the traveler of the accuracy of information included above including information in "Contact with Congressional Member, Their Staff, or a Federal Agency".
  • Approved for Payment: Obtain the printed name and signature of an individual who is an authorized signer for the ChartField(s) charged and of the administrative superior of the payee, if the payee is a University employee. If the same person can sign as both an authorized signer and an administrative superior, they should print their name and sign in the administrative superior box (campus accounting can verify that this person is also an authorized signer). The printed name must always accompany the signature.
    • o Note: the traveler is responsible for attestation of the accuracy of the information included in "Contact with Congressional Member, Their Staff, or a Federal Agency." The authorized signer for the chartfield(s) charged and the administrative superior are not authorizing the accuracy of this information.
  • Approved (Acctg): For use by campus accounting office only
  • PS Non-PO Voucher Number (Required): Enter the Non-PO voucher number assigned by PeopleSoft when the non-PO voucher is created to pay the travel expenses
  • Amount and PeopleSoft ChartFields: To charge the expense to more than one set of ChartFields, enter the amount and the MoCode/ChartFields, as needed. In the cell two cells to the right of the Form Number/Version, is a formula that compares total of amounts entered with the amount in Total Amount. If these do not equal, a message in red appears indicating split amounts do not equal total to be paid.

Date Submitted

There are two requirements for timely accounting for expenses:

  • The traveler must return any excess reimbursement or expense advance when due but no later than 120 days after the expense is paid or incurred. Failure to repay an advance may result in the amount being deducted from the traveler's payroll earnings.
  • The traveler must properly account for trip expenses within 60 days after the end of the trip on which the expenses are paid or incurred.

 

Properly account for trip expenses means:

 

  1. The traveler must sign the appropriate University form, usually a Travel-Trip Expense Detail (UM 11) or a Travel-Daily Expense Detail (UM 11A).
  2. The travel form must be properly completed and all necessary supporting documentation must be attached.
  3. The date submitted is the day the employee provides a properly completed and signed travel form to an individual in the employee's department who is designated to process these forms. This date should be entered in the date submitted section of the travel form.

 

 

 

Note: A number of actions are taken after submission, for example, entering a non-PO voucher in PeopleSoft, obtaining approvals and processing by campus accounting. These actions are separate and apart from the employee's responsibility to properly account for expenses. However, they may be a part of the process for validating whether the employee properly accounted for expenses and for validating the date submitted.

 

When the timeliness requirement is not met:

  • The traveler must document the reason for the delay on the travel form so campus accounting can verify that the form was not timely submitted.
  • The department should prepare an Additional Pay Form, attach the completed travel form and attachments and send it to campus accounting.
  • Reimbursement is subject to the availability of funds and the department responsible for funding has the discretion to deny reimbursement.
  • The department and approvers have the primary responsibility to make this timeliness determination subject to review by campus accounting.

 

When another entity is reimbursing part of the expenses paid, the traveler must document that reimbursement was requested from the entity within 60 days of the end of the trip. In these situations, the reimbursement request to MU must include:

  • Name, address and phone number of the other entity.
  • An explanation of the arrangement with the other entity and why MU and the other entity are each paying a portion.
  • The expenses submitted to the other entity for reimbursement and when. This should include copies of supporting documentation.
  • Documentation of what was reimbursed by the other entity and when it was received.

 

Note: If the other entity is reimbursing all of the travel expenses, the travel expenses should not be charged to the university. The cost of airfare and other travel expenses should be borne by the traveler and the traveler reimbursed directly from the organization.

Reviewed 2023-07-14