Department of Languages, Literatures, and Cultures

Department of Languages, Literatures, and Cultures

Travel And Business Expense Reimbursement Guidelines

Note: These guidelines are intended for employees of the University – such as faculty and teaching assistants/associates – who receive funding from the Department or one of its Programs. For non-employee reimbursements, contact Leslie Hiller, Business Manager for LLC, with the specifics.

Travel Reimbursements:

If you receive funding for travel from the University, you must fill out and have signed a Pre-Travel Authorization form (which can be obtained from your Program or the Department offices) before you travel. The Pre-Travel Authorization must be signed by the Chair of the Department. You will be required to provide the original receipts for all claimed travel expenses, so be sure to save all receipts from the period of travel. All receipts should show the vendor name, date of purchase, what was purchased, and how it was paid. (For example, if you travel by air, you must have the itinerary which shows the dates of travel, times and origin/destination cities and reflects payment. If the itinerary does not show the airfare was paid, then you must also submit the boarding passes as proof of payment. For hotel stays, you should request a hotel “folio” which is a detailed receipt of charges for your hotel stay.)

You must file a travel expense reimbursement form within 30 days after you return from the trip. The reimbursement form can be obtained from your Program or the Department offices. After you complete the form, attach all original receipts along with the signed pre-travel authorization form and submit the reimbursement request to the Department office (Herter 323).

Per diem

Per diem is calculated using the actual time of departure and time of return. You may claim one day per diem for every twenty-four (24) hour period and one half day for any twelve (12) hour period. The domestic per diem rate is $46 or $71 per day dependent on the destination. Domestic locations no longer include Canada and Mexico. For travel to Canada, Mexico and US territories and possessions, the international per diem rateshould be used. You should consult with your Program office or the Department office for the appropriate rate before completing a travel reimbursement form. The international per diem rate can be found by accessing the U.S. Department of Defense at (Go to “Outside CONUS” section, select country from drop down menu and the “Exclude” military installations should be unchecked.) You must print out the international per diem pages and submit with your travel reimbursement documents.

Mileage

If you use your car for business travel purposes, you are eligible to claim mileage, currently at the rate of $0.575 per mile (1/1/15). The system will not calculate mileage for a partial mile, so you must round up or round down the mileage total. Also, you should calculate mileage based on UMass being your starting point, unless the actual mileage from your starting point is less than the distance from UMass to your destination. You must provide either one of the following to prove your mileage claim: 1) identify the beginning and ending odometer readings from your car or 2) print out the driving directions from the web – you can use MapQuest, Google, Yahoo or any similar map application and add with your receipts.

Travel and Business Expense Reimbursement Guidelines (Cont’d)

Business Expense Reimbursements:

If you receive funding from the University for business-related expenses, you must fill out a Business Expense Reimbursement Form (which can be obtained from your Program or the Department offices or on the LLC website). You will be required to provide the original receipts for all claimed expenses.All receipts should show the vendor name, date of purchase, what was purchased, and how it was paid.

You must file a business expense reimbursement form within 30 days after the expense has been incurred. After you complete the form, attach all original receipts and submit the reimbursement request to the Department office (Herter 323).

No Reimbursement of Sales Tax (Except for Business Meals)

The University will not reimburse any sales tax on items purchased – books, office supplies, etc. The only exception is the sales tax charged by food establishments for business meals.

Business Meals

If the reimbursement request is for a business meal, such as taking a guest lecturer out for dinner, then you should submit the itemized restaurant receipt (which shows how many guests and what was ordered) along with the payment receipt. You must also provide a list of attendees at the meal, and include the job title and business affiliation for each attendee. Note that all attendees at the meal should have a business purpose for being there. It is a violation of UMass Expense policy to pay for meals for spouses, unless there is a justifiable business purpose for a spouse to attend.

Purchase of software or equipment

You should not purchase software, computers or peripherals (including printers, keyboards, mice, external hard drives, etc.) directly. If you have a question about purchasing items like this, contact Leslie Hiller at .

Updated 03/2015