1. Travel & Travel Card Classroom Training BTTE03
Instructors:
Lynn Masimore
Courtney Felder

2. Course Outline Introduction to Travel at FSU
Before the Traveler leaves
When the Traveler returns
Foreign Travel
Non-Travel Reimbursements
Other Common Travel Issues

3. Legal Authority The payment of travel expenses is governed by:
Section of the Florida statutes
Chapter 3A-42 of the Florida Administrative Code
FSU Policy & Procedures

4. Mission Critical Travel
Note that policy has not changed in Concur- all travel must be critical to the mission of FSU, as evidenced by the language in certification statement.
Travelers acknowledge that expenses claimed are mission critical, true & correct when they submit an expense report.

5. FSU Travel Office Website
Bookmark this site:
FSU Foundation Expenditure Policy & Procedure can be found here. (Not in scope of this class)

6. Florida Travel Basics
Class of Travel determines eligibility for lodging, meals and/or per diem.
Class A Travel
Continuous travel of more than 24 hours away from headquarters
Class B Travel
Continuous travel of 24 hours or less involving overnight absence from headquarters
Class A & B Travel must be more than 50 miles away from headquarters to claim meals & lodging or per diem.
Class C Travel – No Meals or Per Diem ALLOWED (Since FY 02-03)
Travel for short or day trips not involving overnight stay away from headquarters

7. Pre-Travel (Before Departure)
Process travel request
Who, What, When, Where, Why of the trip
Only an estimate (limited number of expense types available)
Notifies Supervisor & encumbers funds
If travel rep is booking with their t-card on behalf of a traveler, both the travel rep and traveler need a request for the trip.
Completing a Travel Request before the traveler departs is the most important thing one can do to ensure prompt reimbursement, since a user cannot submit an expense report without an approved travel request.

8. Pre-Travel, Continued
If traveler needs a t-card, apply and complete online training/test >1 month before trip.
If traveler is a non-employee, complete Guest Traveler form.
If a traveler intends to request a cash advance, contact to have this enabled in Concur. Where possible, a t-card is preferable to a cash advance.
Travel reps may complete and submit a request on behalf of a traveler.
Obtain signed “Less than Entitled” documentation if funding will not cover entire trip or traveler chooses to accept less than entitled.

9. Pre-Travel - Less than Entitled Documentation
Traveler receive Per Diem on last day of travel unless they select a lesser amount. If meals are received instead of per diem, traveler must sign Less than Entitled form which is then retained by department.
This form applies at any time in which Traveler receives an amount “less than entitled”. (COGS grant, personal car reimbursed at rental rate, department policy, etc)
Form to be signed by traveler prior to trip.
Attach form to expense report or state that department has it on file.
Be sure to attach LTE form or maintain form in department and state on expense report, “Less than Entitled documentation is on file in the department”.

10. Cash Advance First, consider if a t-card would be a better option.
to enable the traveler to request a cash advance.
For authorized university employees, up to 100% of travel expenses. (Recommend <80%)
May be issued for group travel – signed group travel roster must accompany Expense Report
Must be for more than $200
Will not be paid out earlier than 15 calendar days prior to first day of travel
Cash Advances are disbursed in same manner as employee’s paycheck (EFT)
Approvers approve the cash advance request when they approve the travel request.
Cash Advances must be settled within 10 working days after the employee returns from the trip.
If not settled by 58 days from issuance, it will be sent to Payroll for mandatory settlement (IRS implications.
In Concur, a cash advance is settled by creating an expense report from the approved request that contained the cash advance.

11. Booking Travel
FSU has contract with World Travel Service, Inc for booking Air, Hotel & Rental Car.
Not mandatory, but using WTS through Concur means less data entry and travelers who don’t have a t-card can use Lodge Card to book air travel.
FSU Travelers should use most economical means of travel available considering all factors.
Obtain comparisons at time of booking if traveling a non-direct route, adding personal travel or upgrading class of fare.
Lodge Card is a method of payment available to all employee travelers. It is maintained by the travel agency. Paying for an airline ticket with the lodge card sends the charge to the traveler’s profile, which can potentially save a travel rep from needing a second travel request and reduce data entry.
Always obtain comparisons at time of booking (particularly for airfare, since ticket prices change frequently).

12. Tax Exempt Status
T-card charges made in the state of Florida are tax exempt.
Travelers must check receipts carefully to ensure tax is removed on tax-exempt purchases.
Most common tax exempt purchases are lodging and auto rental.

13. “Blanket” Request Multiple similar trips over a period of time
One request per traveler per quarter is fine.
Monthly mileage logs are most common use, but there are others.

14. Group Travel
Group Travel is only for groups of five (5) or more non-employee travelers.
A group travel roster (with signatures)must be attached to the expense report.
Employees may not be included on a group travel roster.

15. Air Travel Rules & Booking
Users may book through Concur (recommended), with a local travel agent, or online vendor.
Receipts must clearly state passenger name, total amount paid, form of payment, ticket number, destination(s), dates, times and class of fare.
Tickets should be coach class and non-refundable.
Baggage fees require receipt for reimbursement.
Trip insurance & seat selection fees are not reimbursable. If the vendor allows the purchase to go through, there is a seat on the airplane, but it might not be assigned until check-in.
Travelers should take the most direct route. Deviations from either the most direct route or travel dates (1 day pre/post for domestic, 2 days pre/post for foreign) must have a comparison attached for reimbursement.
Don’t spend money to save money. Ultra low cost carriers (Spirit, etc) and driving to a distant airport rarely save money when all factors are considered.
Travelers are allowed up to two hours before departure and after arrival to check in/leave the airport.
Do not assume 2 hours pre and post flight. Ask travelers what time their trip started (ie left for the airport) and when their trip ended (they got home or back to the office).
Several carriers structure their websites to give the appearance that seat selection fees are mandatory. They are not.

16. Rental Car Rules & Booking
Enterprise/National is contract provider. Required for domestic rentals.
Reserve through Concur or FSU Enterprise portal ONLY.
If picking up in Tallahassee, we recommend calling pickup location the day before to confirm reservation.
Compact car only unless there is justifiable upgrade.
Do not purchase any additional insurance.
Do not ask for any other (AAA, SkyMiles, AARP etc) discounts.
Business contract is XZ55622
Leisure contract is XZ5550A
Justifiable upgrades include carrying equipment and multiple passengers.
If traveler needs to rent off contract, state reason on the expense report (Enterprise didn’t have any cars, etc).

17. Enterprise/National Billing Numbers
A billing number allows a t-card holder to reserve and pay for a car on behalf of another person.
A billing number makes it easier to rent for guest travelers, staff without a t-card and travelers under 25 years old.
To obtain a billing number,
Do not share a billing number with another traveler or travel rep.

18. Rental Car Fuel
Check fuel level before leaving. Rental cars may not have a full tank at checkout.
Don’t put more fuel in vehicle than necessary. (If checked out at ¼ tank, only needs to be at ¼ tank at return)
Fuel service option included in contract. Enterprise/National will fuel vehicle at return.
Do not purchase any other/additional fuel service option.
When completing expense report, ensure proof of vehicle rental is attached or stated (Vehicle rental expense line, comment w/ other ER vehicle rental is on, scan of rental agreement)
Lack of rental agreement or reference to ER with rental is a very common reason for reports to be held up.

19. Vehicle Rental & T-Cards
Vehicles rented in Florida & on a t-card (or billing number) are tax-exempt. Check receipts carefully.
Enterprise/National reviews receipts for accuracy. It may take up to 14 days for vehicle rental transactions to appear in Available Expenses.
Tolls will appear separately and may take up to 30 days.
Due to recent issues between the state of Florida and their toll processor, toll charges have been taking longer than usual to hit travel cards. (August 2018)

20. Vehicle Rental – Continued
Per State of Florida policy, “neither size nor stature” of a traveler is a valid justification for larger class of vehicle.
If renting off-contract, traveler should purchase collision & comprehensive insurance (but not liability). Include justification in comments.
Business Contract – XZ55622
If a traveler incurs damage, they should contact the rental company and FSU Travel.

21. Foreign & Leisure Rental
Leisure Rental (personal use; FSU employees only) Contract #XZ5550A
Do not use t-card for leisure rental.
Enterprise will place minimum $150 hold on credit card for leisure rentals.
No Contract for Foreign rentals.
Compare rates among vendors for best price, including insurance.
If renting a car during foreign travel, look for the best price on a compact rental. Be sure to include comprehensive/collision insurance. Other insurances that are required in the country visiting are reimbursable.

22. Conference Registration
Before booking, check conference website for:
Registration payment Due Dates
Early-bird Discounts
Payment types accepted
Hotel Info
Items included in registration payment
Items not included in registration/extra cost

23. Conference Reg Do’s & Don’ts
Do not pay/register more than 30 days before the early bird deadline. If no early bird price, do not pay more than 30 days before deadline or start date.
FSU can pay conference registration for employees or non-employees
Abstract fees are a non-travel expense and should use the Abstract Fee expense type.
Do not pay for t-shirts, tours, golf outings, banquets, unallowed memberships, etc on a t-card. These are not reimbursable expenses.
Registration may be paid
With a t-card (contact if card is declined)
Out of Pocket
P-card (ONLY if registration includes membership)

24. After the Trip Determine if Class A, B or C travel
Create expense report if one isn’t already started.
Were any meals provided to traveler?

25. Per Diem or Meals & Lodging?
For Class A&B travel, travelers have two options:
Per diem of $80/day
Actual lodging expense plus daily meal allowance
Travelers are entitled to per diem on last day of travel.
Travelers may not receive per diem or meals/lodging for Class C travel.

26. Determining Per Diem Amount Due
Each day is broken into 4 quarters
Traveler may receive $20.00 for each quarter of the day in which they travel
No meals or lodging are allowed if claiming $80.00 (per day) Per Diem
List a few examples.

27. Meal Allowance Determined by itinerary for employee travelers.
Guest travelers use Guest Daily Meal Allowance expense type.
Travelers are not eligible for meal allowance when on Class C travel.
Domestic Meal Rates:
Breakfast - $6 - Travel must begin before 6:00 AM and extend beyond 8:00 AM
Lunch - $11 - Travel must begin before 12:00 noon and extend beyond 2:00 PM
Dinner - $19 - Travel must begin before 6:00 PM and extend beyond 8:00 PM

28. Meal Eligibility
Meals provided by Airlines are not deducted from the Traveler’s meal allowance or per diem.
Meals provided by a Hotel (to all occupants – not just conference attendees) are not deducted from the Traveler’s meal allowance or per diem.
If hotel meal is provided to conference attendees only – the meal is not deducted.
Concur defaults to pay meals. Check box on itinerary to remove (opt-out) of a given meal.
Check conference agendas carefully for meal eligibility. If you’re not sure (ie, “lunch provided” and “lunch on your own” are obvious, but what about simply, “lunch”?) ask the traveler.

29. Meals & Conference Travel
Review conference agenda & attach portion showing schedule/meals.
If no meals were provided by conference, state that in expense report comments.
If a meal appears on agenda and doesn’t say “on your own”, state whether or not it was provided.
Traveler may not claim a meal allowance if meals were included in registration fee paid by the University; this applies even if traveler decides not to eat the meals (exception is an ADA accommodation
A continental breakfast is considered a meal
A reception is not considered a meal
What about brunch?
If between 8:30-10:30: Breakfast
If between 10:30-12:00: Lunch
Example comments, “No meals were provided by this conference.” “Lunch provided on *date*.” etc

30. Creating an Itinerary For employee travel only.
In expense report, navigate to Details -> New Itinerary
Trip start & end date/time are what determines meal/per diem eligibility at beginning & end of trip (common reason to send back reports for correction).
If it’s a foreign trip, on return, enter all legs of trip in order to ensure correct meal amounts.
Step-by-step guide to itineraries/meal allowance can be found on FSU Travel/Concur webpage.
Cut to Concur to demo creating an itinerary.

31. Mileage
If traveler uses personal vehicle, traveler will be reimbursed for mileage at 44.5 cents per mile for miles related to University business.
FSU does not pay mileage for rental vehicle use.
Mileage – Personal Vehicle uses Google Maps tool. Origin & destination can be address, landmark, city, etc. No attachments required.
Documented Miles requires a mileage log be attached.
FDOT table, Mapquest, etc are not required.
Passengers in a car are not eligible to receive mileage.

32. Mileage at Trip Start/End
Mileage allowance is not paid for travel between traveler’s residence and their headquarters (regular work location) unless travel begins more than 1 hour before or after the traveler’s regular work hours
Travel to and from the airport is limited to 6 miles, each way, if the employee works on FSU main campus and unless travel begins more than 1 hour before or after the traveler’s regular work hours
If traveler has unusual work headquarters (ie Marine Lab, satellite campus, etc), state that in comments for clarity.
Do not use T-Card to purchase fuel for personal vehicle, even if personal vehicle is being driven for business use.
State employee headquarters location in comments if it’s not FSU Main Campus.

33. Tolls
Tolls <$25 and paid out of pocket do not require a receipt. Receipt required for all tolls paid by t-card.
If traveler (or department) owns a SunPass transponder, they may use it in a rental vehicle.
If traveler does not have a SunPass, Enterprise/National uses a plate-pass recognition system.
Tolls appear as a separate charge from vendor named Highway Toll Administration. Questions and inquiries can be directed to or (877)
Summer 2018, tolls in the state of Florida have taken a lot longer to arrive on t-cards. This is due to problems with the vendor the State of Florida chose to process tolls.

34. Attendees Needed when one user makes a purchase on behalf of another.
Located at the bottom of many, but not all expense types.
Search for the name you wish to add & click “Add to Expense”.
If name is not available (ie, for a guest), you can add it.
Useful for reporting and public records requests.
Attendees are very important and a big improvement in trip transparency.

35. Lodging
Lodging requires an itemized receipt showing charge to credit card and/or $0 balance.
Lodging may only be reimbursed for single occupancy rate; if double occupancy, state that hotel has verified single and double rates are the same in comments.
If two university travelers share a hotel room, cross-reference ER numbers in comments
Example comment, “Confirmed that single and double occupancy rate are the same” “Shared room with FSU traveler John Doe (ER 12345).” “Room rate over $150/night because this was the conference hotel/high cost of living area.”

36. Common Lodging Justifications & Comments
Justification required in comments if hotel base rate exceeds $150.00/night (before tax & fees.)
If trip type is conference/convention, state in comments if conference was presented/sponsored by a state of Florida agency, university or the judicial branch.
If it was, base rate may not exceed $150/night on funds 1xx, 2xx, 510, 520, 521, 523, 524, 530, 531, 540, 546 & 552.
State ER# of any other FSU traveler who shared room.
Missing comments related to lodging are a very common reason reports are held up or sent back.

37. Evaluating Lodging & Conference Sponsorship for Compliance
Departments are to state on Expense Reports using any 1XX, 2XX or , 546 or 552 funds that the meeting/conference/convention “was” or “was not” organized in whole or in part by a state agency, state university (including FSU) or the judicial branch.
When preparing ER ask these questions and if all answers are yes – see next slide:
Question #1 -
Is “Single Occupancy Room Rate” greater than $ USD/night, exclusive of taxes?
Question #2 -
Is “Lodging” paid with Education and General or Carry Forward funds or Funds , 546 or 552? (previous slide)
Question #3 -
Was the “meeting/conference/convention” organized “in whole or in part by a state agency, state university (including FSU) or the judicial branch”?

38. What Now?
If answers to all 3 questions on previous slide are YES then:
Seek lodging that is $150/night or less at a location nearby OR
Any amount over $ USD/night plus any taxes/fees related to that amount over must be paid using funds that are not E&G, Carry Forward (1xx, 2xx) or C&G funds , 546, 552, difference may be paid by Auxiliary, Foundation, other funds or paid by the Traveler (in which case a T-Card is not to be used when initially paying for lodging).
If paid by another fund then the ER will be “Split-funded”.
This also applies to other means of hotel payments though not often used.
Justifications for room rates over $150 will not be accepted in these cases.
Foreign Travel – regular rules still apply.
See Travel Website at controller.vpfa.fsu.edu/travel for FAQs related to update.

39. Hotels & T-Cards Book through Concur
Hotels’ publicly available rates, including state/government rates are included in Concur’s travel booking module. FSU ID needed at check-in if using a gov’t rate.
If a conference rate is available and cheaper, book directly with the hotel.
Travelers should add their t-card to Concur profile so travel rep can book on their behalf if desired.
Lodge card will reserve a room, but traveler will need to provide t-card or personal card at check-in.
Booking Directly with Hotel
If other items are to be charged during hotel stay such as meals, etc. – upon check-in give clerk a personal card for these items
Upon departure – review bill for accuracy
If in Florida, make sure state sales taxes are not charged when using TCard
Booking online - using Third Party websites (Orbitz, Hotwire, Priceline)
Save confirmation . It will be only receipt in most cases
Entire lodging amount is prepaid
All taxes are paid when booking through these sites
Difficult to change or cancel these reservations
FSU Travel does not recommend booking online using 3rd Party websites. These sites are not geared towards the documentation requirements of business/government travelers.
Concur can only provide publicly available rates. If department has negotiated a rate directly with a hotel, or there is a conference rate, book directly with the hotel.

40. Itemizing the Hotel Bill in Concur
If charge is actually a deposit, change expense type to “Lodging – Advanced Deposit”. You don’t need to itemize that.
Expense line should look like the bill.
Base rate must be separated from tax (Don’t just take total and divide by number of days!)
For hotels where rate varies by day, complete itemization wizard as if all days are the same, then change amounts of “child” lines.
Concur can handle negative amounts (use minus sign).
Detailed instructions can be found here.
Personal charges (room service, etc) should be itemized with the expense type “Personal – Non Reimbursable” and either netted out or paid back to university. Instructions can be found here.

41. Incidental Expenses
All T-card charges except agency/booking fee & currency conversion fee require receipt.
Tolls, taxi, & parking do not require a receipt when paid out of pocket and <$25 per occurrence.
Portage & mandatory valet do not require a receipt when $1 per bag or parking instance, per occurrence.
When mandatory valet fees show up on a hotel bill and are >$1, be sure to state in comments that “Valet parking was mandatory at hotel”.

42. Incidental Expenses Receipt Required
Internet/wifi fees – for business use only.
Registration fees – include receipt & agenda. Note any meals provided.
Baggage fees – Use expense type “Airline Fees”
Passport, Visa, Mandatory Vaccines – for business purposes only.
Laundry – For >7 consecutive days of travel only. Include itemized receipt.
Taxi, parking, tolls if >$25.
When submitting receipts for mandatory vaccines, state in comments that vaccines are mandatory for entry into the country. Be careful to not attach anything that contains personal medical information.

43. Tipping FSU reimburses a maximum of 15% for taxi tips.
If expense is on t-card, itemize amount over 15% as expense type “Personal – Non-reimbursable”.
If expense is out-of-pocket, reduce the amount to 15% maximum tip.
State in comments that you’ve reduced the tip to 15%.

44. Travelers with Disabilities
When a traveler with a disability incurs travel expenses in excess of those ordinarily authorized, and the excess travel expenses were incurred to permit the safe travel of that disabled traveler, those excess expenses will be reimbursed to the extent that the expenses were reasonable and necessary to the safe travel of that individual.
Individual must have documented disability with Travel Office by way of Human Resources.
FSU Travel only needs the document from HR stating the reasonable accommodations. Do not attach anything with personal medical information.

45. Foreign Travel
Travel Request must be in place before trip! In addition, travelers should:
Verify country is not on List of State Sponsors of Terrorism (Iran, Sudan, Syria, North Korea)
Download Concur Mobile & TripIt Pro
Review Travel Warnings, Alerts & Tabs:
Your US Passport
Before You Go
Country Information
While Abroad
Emergencies
TripIt Pro is particularly helpful for foreign travel. Both Concur Connected Apps work anywhere there’s wifi.

46. Foreign Travel
Know foreign lodging rates when booking hotel. (Book through Concur or check Department of State Website)
Concur calculates currency conversions based on location and transaction date.
FSU pays actual incidental amounts for both domestic and foreign travel
Meal rates are loaded into Concur, and are determined based on locations given in itinerary.
Receipt rules and requirements apply to foreign lodging receipts. Be sure receipt is correct at checkout. Working out a refund/correction is extremely difficult once traveler leaves.
If paying per diem instead of meals & lodging, per diem rate is same as domestic ($80/day).
If meal rates appear incorrect, first check city spelling. If still incorrect, please

47. Currency Conversion
Concur determines currency conversion based on transaction location and date.
If a transaction was made in USD in a foreign country, user can change currency type to USD on that expense line.
If amount charged to credit card differs from Concur-determined amount, change the amount on expense line and attach (redacted) credit card statement for backup.

48. A Note on Foreign Meals
Foreign meal allowance is paid based on “where traveler lays their head at night”.
At takeoff, traveler is on foreign meals.
At takeoff upon return, traveler is back on domestic meals (or per diem for last day of travel).
Be sure to include first landing stop in USA to itinerary in order to change back to domestic meal rates.
*Particularly important for Foundation reimbursements, since Foundation doesn’t pay per diem on last day of travel.

49. Non-Travel Expenses
Can be mixed in with travel expenses. Change trip type on the non-travel expense line to “Non-Travel Only”.
If entire expense report is non-travel expenses, no request is necessary. Be sure to choose “Non-Travel” for Trip Type, Report/Trip Purpose and Benefit to University fields.
Reimbursement Justification Form is no longer required. Replaced by “Reason for Not Using Other Procurement Method” field.
A single expense report can contain t-card, out of pocket travel and non-travel expenses. If all lines are on the same traveler’s profile for the same trip, they can go on one report.

50. Split Funding (Allocations)
Only allocate the request if absolutely necessary. It’s always better to keep requests simple.
Enter all expense lines and then allocate. Split funding should be the last step.
Can allocate by percentage or dollar amount, but dollar amounts will convert to percentages upon clicking “Save”.
Approvers can add, change or remove allocations. If an approver adds an allocation that they are not the budget manager for, the report will go to that budget manager for approval.

51. Missing Receipt Affidavit
Available for all expense types except Lodging (all types), Rental Car & Airfare.
Traveler must create the affidavit in Concur. Travel rep may not create it on their behalf.
In the expense report, navigate to Receipts -> Missing Receipt Affidavit to create.
Detailed instructions on page 6 of Receipt Management User Guide

52. Order of Operations
Obtain Guest Traveler ID Number (for guest travel only!)
Travel Request
Book trip (flight, hotel, car, conference reg, etc)
Start expense report as charges arrive
Go on trip, return home.
Create itinerary for meals, add per diem, incidental expenses.
Ensure all receipts are correct & comments added.
Traveler submits expense report.
This is ideal, but sometimes multiple reports are necessary.

53. Comments Comments are especially important on expense reports.
Spell out conference name
Meals provided/not provided by conference
Lodging justification
Rental car justification
Anything that deviates from the norm. State what you/the traveler did and why.
Every expense line has a comment field.
Comments made on a travel request do not pull over into the expense report. Remember to keep requests simple & save details for the expense report.

54. Before the Traveler Submits
Ensure trip start/end dates & times are correct.
Ensure meals are correct.
Hotel itemization matches receipt
Receipts contain all required information
Comments & Justifications are present.
Agenda is attached if Conference/Convention
Charges are allowable on a given fund (Remember, FSU Foundation’s rules are slightly different).

55. When a Report is Sent Back for Revision
Fixing the ER for traveler to resubmit is top priority.
Read comments and make requested changes or add documentation.
Contact the auditor who sent it back for clarification if needed.
Contact traveler for additional information or documentation.
Communication is key for getting expense reports resubmitted and approved in a timely manner.
is the preferred method of contact.

56. Further Assistance FSU Travel Website
One-on-One Concur User Training (calendar on FSU Travel Website)
Detailed Concur User Guides
Call
Use all the resources available to you. We are happy to help!