Travel Instructions


As Early as Possible Before You Travel

Click here for instructions from Statewide Campuses admin about doing Travel Authorizations and Travel Reimbursements.
  1. Figure out where you are going, how you are getting there, costs, etc.  Ideally, do this part at least two weeks before you travel.
    • YOU DON'T NEED A PRE-APPROVAL EMAIL unless you are using UB campus funds for the travel.  If you are using your own grant funds that you are the PI for, go straight to the TA step.  If you are using grant funds managed by someone else, make sure that person is aware of and approving of your travel before you do the TA.
    • IF you are using UB campus funds to pay for the travel (for example, if you are research faculty using the $2,250 allotted to you each year for travel, paid by UB campus), you need to send an email to BreeAnn before you fill out the TA.  BreeAnn will get approval for the travel from Dave.  The following is an example of what the email could include.  Please follow this example in your approval email.  Costs can be approximate at this stage:
      • Total amount requested: $1,015
      • Airfare: SLC to LAX $450
      • Hotel: 2 nights @ $150 = $300
      • Conference Registration: $100
      • Per Diem: 3 days at $55 a day
      • Purpose: I am presenting a paper on xxxxxxx and have been invited to be on a panel discussing yyyyyyy at the National Conference of ZZZZZ.
  2. Next, create the travel authorization request. Go to https://usu.service-now.com and click Login, then log in with your A number and password.  Once you are logged in, click Service Portal>Business Services>Travel Forms>New Travel Authorization. 
  3. Fill out and submit the Travel Authorization form.  Attach a PDF of the email approval to the form, if needed.  Make sure the department listed for the TA is DPVAIR. Get the TA approved.
    1. When you travel by air, the TA form will require you to input an index for the carbon offset fund.  Use this index every time for the carbon offset:  A59826.  You can't use a grant index for the carbon offset.  you must use A59826. 
  4. Now you can book your travel.

After You Return From Travel

  • Go to the same website as before, but select New Travel Reimbursement, and fill out that form. 
  • All travel receipts, whether or not you paid out of pocket or USU paid with a travel card, need to be uploaded to the TR request.  UPLOAD THEM AS A SINGLE PDF FILE.
  • Also, you are required to attach the agenda of the conference if you traveled for a conference, and you should remove meals provided by the conference from your per diem reimbursement.
  • If two or more people share an expense, check "group travel" on the TR form.
  • Attach a google map or mileage log if you are requesting a mileage reimbursement.

Travel Policies

  • Remember that you can't use an ordinary University P-card to make travel purchases (hotel, flights, taxi, etc.).  These can only be done with your own personal card or with a travel P-card or an all-card.  If you don't have a travel card or all card and you don't want to pay for it yourself, talk to Seth and he or someone else can make the purchases for you. 
  • If you are flying, you can either book your flights through Christopherson Travel, ask someone to book the flights for you with that person's Travel card, you can get your own Travel card, or you can pay with your personal card and get reimbursed. 
  • For meals and per diem, you can either accept the standard per diem rate the University offers, or you can get reimbursed for actual costs.  Most of the time everyone goes with the per diem rate, because if you do that you don't have to save your meal and incidental receipts.  If you opt for actual costs, you will only get reimbursed for the receipts you turn in, and they may give you a hard time if there are really expensive meals, etc. 

Current Reimbursement Rates

Mileage and per diem reimbursement rates, and policies pertaining thereto, are available at https://www.usu.edu/travel/procedures. 

More Info

For information about all of USU's travel policies, go to http://travel.usu.edu/.  

For information about what counts as work during travel and what doesn't, go to https://www.usu.edu/policies/382/.  (This only applies to hourlies and non-exempt salaried employees)