More Information

Account Codes for State Travel are as follows:

• 606001 - In-State Travel
• 606002 - Out-of-State Travel
• 606T01 - Chancellor's Office Reimbursement, In-State
• 606T02 - Chancellor's Office Reimbursement, Out-of-State
• 660009 - Training and Professional Development
• 660M10 - Memberships
• 660R65 - Recruitment Interviews
• 660R66 - Moving and Relocation
• 660R90 - Registration

Advances for travel are limited to:

1. Team travel with the advance being issued directly to the faculty/staff member responsible for the group;
2. Foreign travel expenses necessary to acquire travel documents and/or pre-payment of travel expense in foreign currency. (CSU, Chico does not have monetary exchange or wire transfer capability.)

To request a travel advance, obtain a travel advance form from Accounts Payable and submit completed forms with the Travel Request. Travel advances will not be issued more than 30 days prior to the travel departure date and must be cleared within 30 days from return of travel.

Blanket Travel Requests may be completed to cover a semester or fiscal year under the following circumstances:

• Recurring site visits when only mileage/parking is claimed;
• Field trips for the semester when a class roster is attached to the Travel Request;
• Unplanned trips to local vendors.

A blanket Travel Request cannot be submitted for overnight travel.

Canceling or Closing a Travel Request  If an expense is not incurred for a previously submitted Travel Request, notify Accounts Payable at accountspayable@csuchico.edu. Provide the traveler's name, destination, travel dates and reason for canceling or closing the request ( i.e., trip was canceled or no claim will be filed). 

Chartfield Corrections - may be requested by completing a Travel Expense Correction Request.

Chancellor's Office Reimbursement is subject to Campus travel guidelines and procedures. For CO reimbursement, use the following chartfield strings on all travel documents, motor vehicle CAFs, and reservations using BTA, CRBTA, or SWABIZ.

• 606T01 G1006 Dxxxxx - instate travel
• 606T02 G1006 Dxxxxx - out-of-state travel

Questions regarding individuals or events eligible for reimbursement should be directed to the Chancellor's Office. Inquiries on the status of reimbursement from the Chancellor's Office should be directed to Accounting Operations, ext. 4492.

Gas Reimbursement:

• For rental car use, gas may be reimbursed by submitting actual receipts with Travel Expense Claim;
• for private vehicle use, gas may be reimbursed upon submittal of actual receipts with Travel Expense Claim if:
  • standard mileage rate is not being claimed;
  • cost of gas is less than the standard mileage rate.

Hotel/Motel Transient Occupancy Tax Waiver form should be presented to lodging establishments to waive transient occupancy taxes. Prior to travel, complete the form to present at check-in.  In lieu of the State of California tax waiver, at check-in, a lodging establishment may require a form specific for their location/chain.  Hotel/motels may allow the exemption only when charges are paid with an American Express Government Credit Card.  Some lodging establishments will not honor the waiver, however, the potential savings to the University is worth the effort of presenting the document at check-in.  The Tax Waiver is applied to California hotels/motels only.

Hotel Pre-Payment by the University is limited to the following scenarios:

• First night's deposit required by the lodging establishment;
• Student Travel;
• Financial hardship approved by the Director of Accounting Operations.

A Travel Request and Pre-Travel Reimbursement Request must be submitted to Accounts Payable before any payment will be made to the lodging establishment on behalf of the traveler.

International/Foreign Travel

• Approval - All international travel must be approved by the campus president.  In addition, international travel to areas on the State Department's Travel Warning list requires prior written approval from the Chancellor or appropriate designee.
  

• Fringe Benefit - International travel frequently consists of both business and personal components.  When both of the following conditions occur, a pro rata portion of the airfare is a taxable fringe benefit: 
  1. The total period of the trip is longer than one week; and
  2. At least 25% of the trip is personal.

• Insurance - All employees traveling internationally on CSU business are required to use the Foreign Travel Insurance Program (FTIP) via the California State University Risk Management Authority (CSURMA) and report their trips as soon as practical.  Contact the Office of Risk Management at x6588 for information regarding this requirement.

Membership fees may be paid by Accounts Payable when paid in conjunction with registration fees. Otherwise, membership fees must be reimbursed through submittal of a purchase order to Procurement and Contract Services.

Mileage

• Mileage may be claimed from the traveler's home to the destination or from the campus to the destination, whichever is the lesser distance.  The distance may be computed from the traveler's home if travel begins or ends before or after normal work hours or on a scheduled day off.
• The standard mileage reimbursement rate is $.565 per mile for travel completed after April 1, 2013.

Multiple Fiscal Year Travel - Travel that begins before June 30 and is completed after July 1 is defined as multiple fiscal year travel.  Travel may be charged to either fiscal year.  Early registration payments and BTA charges for travel beginning after July 1 can be charged to the prior year with submission of the proper travel documents.  The actual subsistence, lodging, and other pay-as-you-go expenses (ground transportation, parking, tolls, etc.) must be charged to the new fiscal year.  Consult the fiscal schedule deadline for details. 

On-Campus Events such as conferences, workshops, meetings, etc. attended on the CSU, Chico campus are not considered "travel". These events are categorized as staff development. Payments for registration fees may be initiated with a purchase order.

Pre-Travel Reimbursement may be available prior to travel. The expense must be incurred and submitted 30 or more days before departure. For reimbursement, submit the Pre-Travel Reimbursement Request to Accounts Payable, zip 243 with the Travel Request and proof of payment. Proof of payment must verify payment has already been made.

Private Aircraft use by State Employees requires advance approval from the University. Requirements are available at the Risk Management office, ext. 6588. Private aircraft use is reimbursed at 99.5 cents per statute mile computed on shortest air route from origin to destination using airways whenever possible. Distance on the Travel Expense Claim shall be clearly marked "Air Distance". An exception to the shortest air route will be granted when alternate routing is required because of hazardous flying conditions.

Private vehicle use

• Before using a private vehicle for business, the following requirements must be met:
  • Driver must have a valid driver's license;
  • Current Defensive Driver Training;
  • Authorization to Use Privately-Owned Vehicle form must be on file in the traveler's department;
  • Driver must ensure vehicle is covered by liability/collision insurance;
  • Driver must carry evidence of current liability insurance in the vehicle;
  • Driver must ensure vehicle is in safe mechanical condition and is equipped with safety belts in operating condition.
• Private vehicle use is reimbursed as follows:
  
  • Standard mileage reimbursement rate;
  • Drivers with a physical disability who must use a specially equipped or modified vehicle may claim a rate higher than the standard mileage reimbursement. To request the higher rate the following must be submitted with the Travel Expense Claim:
    
    • A signed copy of the certification statement as follows, "I certify the operating costs for my specially equipped vehicle exceed the standard reimbursement rate".
    • A statement of the actual fixed and variable costs for operating the vehicle. The traveler should refer to IRS Form 2106, Employee Business Expenses, to obtain additional information on the calculation of actual vehicle operating costs.

Receipt Requirements - Original itemized receipts are required for reimbursement of any expense of $25.00 or more.

• Hotel Receipts - Hotel folios (receipts) must be itemized with room rate plus taxes. Lost folios should be replaced by a faxed copy from the lodging establishment.
• Itemized Receipts for meals of $25.00 or more are required. However, receipts may be requested for meals less than $25.00.
• Receipt Organization:
  
  • Receipts required in support of various expenses must be arranged in chronological order and attached to the claim;
  • Each receipt must show the date, cost, and nature of the expense;
  • All receipts or invoices smaller than letter-size must be taped to an 8" x 11" piece of paper.
• Third-Party Hotel Receipts such as Hotels.com, Orbitz.com, etc., are not acceptable receipts for lodging unless accompanied by verification of check-in and check-out from the lodging establishment. If verification from the hotel is unobtainable, a copy of the credit card statement showing the charges will be accepted. Room rates plus applicable taxes must appear on the third-party receipt.

Registration Fees

• Pre-payment of registration fees may be requested by submitting a Pre-Payment Request with the following:
  
  • Travel Request (if not previously submitted);
  • 2 copies of the vendor's invoice/registration form clearly displaying the payee (vendor) name, remit to address, and amount due; 
  • Envelope addressed to the vendor (checks will be payable to the vendor on behalf of the traveler).
•  Registration fees paid in advance by a traveler may be reimbursed prior to travel by submitting a Pre-Travel Reimbursement Request and proof of payment with the Travel Request. The request for reimbursement should be submitted 30 days or more before departure.
• Canceled Registrations - In the event a traveler is unable to attend a conference for which the University has pre-paid registration fees, every attempt should be made to obtain a refund. Send the refund check to Accounts Payable, Zip 243 along with traveler name and reference to the specific trip.

Reimbursement Checks - Every effort will be made to process reimbursement checks 5 to 7 working days from the receipt of a complete Travel Expense Claim.

Reimbursement for Non-State Employed individuals such as consultants, guest speakers, reviewers, musicians, and donors is accomplished by submitting a Requisition to Procurement and Contract Services. For reimbursements using Foundation funding, contact the Foundation at (530) 898-6811.

Supplemental Travel Expense Claims - A supplemental Travel Expense Claim (TEC) my be filed when:

• An expense was left off the original TEC. Submit a supplemental TEC with the new expense and required receipt(s). Do not include any previously paid expenses.
• The original TEC was not reimbursed in full due to a lack of funding. If additional funding becomes available, submit a copy of the original TEC with new signatures. The Reimbursement Total (box 16), should be the difference between the Travel Expense Claim Total (box 15) and amount paid on the original TEC. The Supplemental TEC should not exceed available funding.
  

Vacation or personal time taken immediately prior to or after State travel should be documented on the Travel Expense Claim to support differences in transportation dates to and from State business destinations.

Vehicle Accidents must be reported immediately to the Office of Risk Management (530) 898-6588. If an accident occurs during non-business hours, contact University Police (530) 898-5555.