Travel and Business-Related Expenses

Administrative Procedure 2.601

Related Administrative Procedures:

2.401 - Purchasing 2.401

2.404 - Purchasing Card Program 2.404

3.705 - Mileage Reimbursement 3.705

5.105 - Expense Money Allowance for Candidates 5.105

General 

• The Travel and Business-Related Expenses administrative procedure applies to anyone who travels or does business on behalf of Elgin Community College (the College, college) as a college representative, and includes college employees and candidates, Board of Trustee members, and students. 
• All college funds, regardless of their source of origin, are considered public funds and expenditures must be: 
  • In accordance with college and state policy, 
  • Reasonable and necessary, and 
  • Part of a bona fide business function of the College. 
• The basic policy governing travel expenses is that an individual shall neither gain nor lose funds in the course of conducting college business. To achieve this goal, it is the responsibility of each college representative to understand and adhere to the following procedures when requesting authorization and reimbursement for travel. Traveling on behalf of the College should be treated as a responsibility and opportunity by the college representative. 
• College representatives may use their own personal funds to pay for travel or registrations; however they will not be reimbursed prior to the travel or event. 

Authorization to Travel 

• Approvals from supervisors and the appropriate budget officer(s) must be obtained prior to conducting business and travel on behalf of the College. The budget officer is responsible to ensure that funds are available in the appropriate travel budget codes to meet all travel and business related-expense commitments. If a predetermined travel budget is not present within a budget officer’s department, the Business Services office has the authorization to deny travel requests. 
• Requisitions for purchase orders should be processed for expenditures that are not being charged on a college purchasing card or a personal credit card. 

Student Travel 

For any student travel sponsored by the College, the employee is to complete the Field Trip Request Form found on the employee portal located under Forms/Teaching, Learning and Student Development Forms/Student Action Forms and obtain the approval of the Vice President of Teaching, Learning and Student Development a minimum of two weeks prior to the dates of travel. Once approved, the College’s Risk Manager shall receive a copy of the approved Field Trip Request Form. Before departure, the employee must provide the College’s Risk Manager with a list of students traveling and their emergency contact information. 

International Travel 

• Travel outside the United States must have prior approval from the College President. Written approval, utilizing the Request for Travel Form located on the employee portal under Forms/Business Services, must be completed prior to travel and submitted with the travel claim form or purchasing card statement. Unauthorized travel will be the responsibility of the traveler. 
• Because the cost-of-living varies from country to country and the rate of currency exchanges fluctuate, the following expenses will be reimbursed at the actual cost unless provisions for reimbursement of international travel are determined before the traveling occurs: 
  1. Commercial transportation 
  2. Hotel/motel accommodations 
  3. Meals, Incidentals, and Expenses (see Per Diem section) 
  4. Work-related long-distance calls 
  5. Miscellaneous expenses incurred with travel such as baggage handling and parking fees. 

Receipts for expenses should be attached to the Employee’s Travel Claim Form. 

Reservations 

After travel has been authorized, college representatives may make their own travel arrangements by utilizing their own personal credit card or college purchasing card, or the purchasing card of the employee’s department budget officer. Air travel and limousine service can be procured with a purchase order through a college approved vendor. Purchasing is also available to assist employees with vendor information for their travel arrangements. 

Reimbursement of Travel Expenses 

• The College will reimburse only those expenses incurred by/for a college representative in connection with college business that are appropriately documented by the college representative. Reimbursement is on the basis of actual and reasonable expenses incurred, subject to the limitations set forth in this policy. 
• The travel claim form must be completed in its entirety with the appropriate approvals and attached supporting documentation prior to submitting it to purchasing for reimbursement. 
• Electronic versions of the Travel Claim Form are on the employee portal located under Forms/Business Services. 

Responsibility of the Authorized Signatory 

• In most cases the authorized signer is the budget officer; however when a budget officer travels, their supervisor will be the authorized signer. 
• College representatives may not authorize reimbursement of their own travel expenses. While department coordinators or staff may help prepare travel vouchers, it is the authorized signer’s responsibility to confirm that expenses and travel claims meet the following criteria: 
  1. Only travel expenses incurred while conducting college business are included. 
  2. The information contained on the Travel Claim Form and the documentation attached is accurate and in accordance with college policy. 
  3. The travel expenses incurred meet applicable college guidelines and are fiscally responsible. Grant related expenses shall be as guided by the grant agreement. 
  4. The expenses are charged to the appropriate budget codes and that funds are available. 
  5. Original detailed receipts are submitted in accordance with this policy. 
• The purchasing department will audit Travel Claim forms for conformance with policy and procedures. The purchasing department will verify and correct addition and extension accuracy and will deny payment for reimbursable expense reports which are not in conformance with policy or procedure. Denied expenses greater than $50 will be communicated to the requestor and authorized signatory. 

Payment for Travel 

• Other than meals, travelers may use any of the below means to pay for their travel. Detailed receipts shall accompany the travel claim, as necessary. 
  1. The request for payment may be submitted through an approved requisition for purchase order. If the vendor will not accept a purchase order, a completed check request form may be submitted to the Accounts Payable Department, payable to the vendor or association. 
  2. A personal credit card may be utilized; receipt shall be submitted with travel claim. 
  3. A budget officer purchasing card may be utilized; receipt shall be submitted with purchasing card submission. 
  4. A college purchasing card may be utilized (contact the Purchasing Department); budget officer approval and budget code shall be provided by the requestor. 
• Except under extenuating circumstances, the College may not reimburse expenses due to a traveler’s failure to cancel travel arrangements. 

Per Diem (for domestic and international travel) 

• For domestic travel, meal expenses will be reimbursed at a flat per diem rate. The per diem will cover all daily meals, tips, and sundries. Receipts and confirmation of conference meals provided are not needed for reimbursement of an employee’s daily per diem. The per diem for travel for all overnight stays is $65 per day, including first and last day of travel. 
• The per diem for one day travel local is $20. A one-day travel event is defined as a meeting that requires an employee to be away from the office for five hours or more (meeting time and travel time) for college business. 
• For international travel, the college reimburses meals and incidental expenses (M&IE) at the foreign per diem rate established by the Office of Allowances and the U.S. Department of State. The per diem rates can be found in the link below in the “meals and incidentals” column. These rates are in U.S. dollars. Please select the city closest to the one you are traveling to from the website. If traveling to multiple cities in one country, select the city that you will be spending the most amount of time in when traveling. 

https://aoprals.state.gov/web920/per_diem.asp 

When traveling internationally, please input on the travel claim form the US dollar amount in the “meals and incidentals” column on the website. Please note that the M&IE portion is intended to substantially cover the cost of meals and incidental travel expenses such as laundry, gratuities, and dry cleaning. Therefore, these incidental expenses should not be included on the travel claim form. Please include a copy of the rate from the website with your travel claim. 

The per diem for all travel with an overnight stay will be at the M&EI rate per day, including first and last day of travel. 

Transportation and Lodging Guidelines 

• Air Travel Guidelines: 
  1. Fares shall be economy class only and the traveler must be aware of extra fees and penalties associated with seats. 
  2. One standard bag each way will be reimbursed and the traveler must be aware of extra baggage fees and associated penalties, especially for carry-on bags, which may be based on the ticket type or tier that is booked. 
  3. Every attempt should be made to book flights 30 days in advance of the event. 
  4. Additional charges (insurance, seating charges, extra bags, etc.) shall be pre approved/declined at the discretion of the budget officer in an equitable manner. The College will reimburse for carry-on bags, carry-on fees or penalties as long as the airline ticket was booked appropriately. 
• Air Travel vs. Driving Guidelines: 
  • The budget officer will work with the traveler to evaluate the cost variance between flying and driving and will determine which method is appropriate for the situation. 
• Ground Transportation Guidelines: 
  1. For the employee’s use of their personal vehicles to destinations other than the employee’s primary place of work, the employee shall comply with Administrative Procedure 3.705 - Mileage Reimbursement. A driver authorization form shall be on file in Human Resources prior to driving for College business. 
  2. The traveler will be reimbursed for the round trip distance between their primary place of work and the meeting destination or second work site; a printed copy of an internet mileage calculator to the travel claim form in support of the expense will be submitted with the travel claim. 
  3. Mileage reimbursement will be calculated at the prevailing IRS rate; all costs associated with the use of the vehicle are included in this mileage rate. 
• Car Rental Guidelines: 
  • Car rentals are strongly discouraged by the College and should only be used when it makes economic sense. Travelers shall utilize hotel shuttles, taxis, limousines, or ridesharing companies whenever possible. It is up to the discretion of the budget officer as to whether a car rental should be allowed/reimbursed. Car rentals for personal use shall not be reimbursed. 
• Lodging Guidelines: 
  • Whenever possible, the employee/College representative shall stay at the same hotel as the conference or event to avoid unnecessary transportation costs. 
  • It is the responsibility of the budget officer to determine as to whether or not travel, including Chicagoland events, warrants an overnight stay at a hotel and the number of nights that is appropriate for the event. 

Business Meals and Refreshments 

Expenditures for food must demonstrate prudence in the utilization and be: 

• Reasonable and necessary; 
• Part of a bona fide business function of the College; and 
• Clearly demonstrate benefit to the institution and its students. 

It MAY BE appropriate to utilize college funds for business meals or refreshments in the following circumstances: 

• Pre-approved special department committee meetings or functions such as a once a semester retreat to discuss setting goals (not routine departmental meetings). 
• College-hosted events with invited guests from outside the college. 
• Refreshment breaks at college hosted events that foster community partner collaboration or advance the goals/mission of the college. 
• For all instances, approval is required by the appropriate budget officer/supervisor. 

It is NOT appropriate to utilize college funds for business meals or refreshments in the following circumstances, including but not limited to: 

• Lunches or refreshments for department staff not in accordance with allowable food purchases. 
• Regular food purchases that only benefit a select few employees. • Social events (baby showers, retirement parties, etc.). 
• Training sessions, workshops, or meetings for employees if the length of event does not necessitate food for participants. 
• Alcohol is never an appropriate expenditure of college funds. 

Consequences for Inappropriate Use 

Employees who spend college funds inappropriately as defined in this procedure will either not be reimbursed or will reimburse the college for any funds expended. In addition, the employee may be subject to disciplinary action up to termination for misappropriation of college funds.

This policy was last reviewed on 04/10/2024.