11.7 Guidelines for Expense Type – Other Travel-Related Expenses

11.7.1 Passports and Visas

Fees related to visas are reimbursable when:

• Required by the country the traveler is visiting on Rutgers business-related travel

• Required by the U.S. or foreign country as a result of Rutgers employment or work assignment location

Reimbursements for fees related to passports are allowable when they are a specific and necessary condition of fulfilling a work assignment on behalf of Rutgers University. Travelers should access the visa and passport provider the University is CIBT Visas, using the Rutgers account. Travelers should access the Passport and visa requirements at Travel.State.Gov.

11.7.2 Customs

The university and the employee will comply with all international and local laws on customs declaration restrictions and prohibited articles. The employee is responsible for any seizures or penalties arising from fraudulently declared or undeclared articles. Any items imported to any country and subject to duty in that country are the responsibility of the employee, except for company property.

11.7.3 Foreign Currency Conversion

The university will reimburse an employee for foreign currency conversion and associated fees if supported by evidence of the exchange rate. Acceptable evidence includes:

• The amount as detailed on a credit card statement, blocking out any personal account information or receipt

• A copy of a foreign currency converter webpage that provides the amount based on date of transaction (for example, OANDA.com)

Foreign currency transactions and their associated fees should be submitted on the same expense report to ensure full accounting of the entire expense.

11.7.4 Sales Tax

Employees must inform all suppliers that the university is tax exempt when making purchases. When placing an order online, the employee should ensure that sales tax is not applied to the final purchase amount and if required should place the order over the phone to request a new invoice. When sales tax is charged on a purchase, the supplier should be contacted to request a credit for the sales tax. Any credit given for sales tax should be included when submitting the original expenditure on an expense report.

11.7.5 Business Expenses

Requests for reimbursement of other expenses (room rentals, storage space, etc.) must be accompanied by a detailed explanation. Prior approval must be obtained from the traveler’s unit head whenever possible. The preferred method of payment is a check request.

11.7.6 Credit Card Restrictions

The purchase of personal items on a university purchasing card (PCard) is strictly prohibited. For personal charges made on the PCard, accidental or otherwise, the employee must contact University Procurement Services to inform them of the incident and request instructions to reimburse the university. Timely repayment to the university for personal expenses charged to a PCard is required with the submission of a personal check or offset of monies owed for out-of-pocket expenses submitted on an expense report. Intentional or excessive accidental purchases of personal items may result in the suspension and/or revocation of the employee’s PCard. Any employee who intentionally commits fraud using a university credit card for personal gain will be subject to disciplinary action up to and including termination.

11.7.7 Reimbursement Restrictions

An employee must use good judgment and prudence to ensure that all expenses submitted for reimbursement are reasonable and appropriate. Non-reimbursable expenses include, but are not limited to, the following list of items that may or may not have been covered in previous sections:

• Unexplained or unsupported expenses

• Purchase of Luggage

• Household expenses while away from home

• Childcare

• Traffic citations

• Car washes for personal vehicles

• Annual fees for personal credit cards

• Personal credit card delinquency fees/finance charges

11.7.8 Travel Advances

A travel advance is an advance payment made before a trip, also known as a cash advance, to cover business-related expenses for travel such as lodging, meals, and incidentals when needed. It is provided when the use of the departmental purchasing card (PCard) or employee travel card (TCard) may not be accepted or available to the traveler. The university discourages the use of travel advances; however, travel advances may be approved in extenuating circumstances for staff and faculty when alternate prepayment options are not available. Travel advance requests are created before expenses have been incurred and are submitted for approval within Concur:

• Delegates cannot request a cash advance on behalf of someone else.

• The amount of the advance requested should be the minimum necessary to cover anticipated out-of-pocket expenses.

• Cash advances cannot be used to cover the cost of items that can be purchased with a PCard or TCard.

• Travel advances cannot be used for reimbursement for expenses already incurred.

• Travel advance requests must be submitted 4-6 weeks prior to the departure date.

• Travel advances will be paid out two weeks before the trip begin date. Travel advance settlement reports should be submitted immediately upon return of travel.

• Travel advances for completed trips must be settled before subsequent advances will be issued.

11.7.8.1 Travel advances for faculty-led group travel:

• Recipients (including students) must sign a log acknowledging they received per diem funds. They are not required to provide receipts showing how the per diem was spent.

• Per diem is not permitted when eating together as a group, grocery and/or restaurant purchases. Itemized receipts are required when settling expenses.

• Group meal guidelines:

• Should be a reasonable amount and include a valid business purpose.
• Should not exceed daily per person per diem limits.

11.7.8.2 Travel Advance Settlement

A reconciliation of a travel advance tracks the disbursements of funds for accountability and tax reporting purposes. The employee is personally liable for the total amount advanced and is responsible for submitting their expenses in Concur immediately upon return from travel to account for all monies used. The employee is required to repay the university for any unused portion of the advance. Only one expense report can be applied to one travel advance. Travel advance requests for per diem amounts also require settlement through Concur.

Travel advances will not be issued to an employee who has not fully accounted for an earlier advance, except when the individual must leave for another trip immediately following their return from the earlier travel. A travel advance that is not reconciled may result in an employee not permitted to receive future advances. Travel advances not settled in accordance with the travel policy may be reported as income to the employee and be taxable. Once a travel advance has been reported as income, it cannot be reversed, and the employee will no longer be permitted to request a travel advance in the future.

11.7.8.3 Excess Travel Advances - Return of Funds

Any excess advance funds not used for a trip must be returned to Rutgers University immediately following the settlement of expenses in Concur. A personal check or money order payable to Rutgers University for the exact amount of the excess funds not used should be sent to:

University Controller’s Office, Attn: Travel Advance Return
33 Knightsbridge Rd. 2nd Floor West
Piscataway, NJ 08854

11.7.8.3 Travel Advance Recipient Responsibility

The travel advance recipient is personally responsible for safeguarding travel advance funds and should not allow the funds to be improperly used. If the travel advance recipient fails to safeguard the advance or allows it to be improperly used, the recipient must repay the money. If the loss was beyond the recipient’s control, it may remain expensed to the unit. In the event a travel advance is stolen, university police or local law enforcement should be contacted.

11.7.8.4 Creating and Editing a Travel Advance

Travelers should refer to the available job aids and “how to” videos to create a travel advance request.