Travel Information
TRAVEL POLICIES AND PROCEDURES
PURPOSE
The purpose of this travel policy is to inform all campuses and
individuals of the procedures for any and all travel associated
with their assigned duties at South Plains College.
APPROVAL
All travel must be approved through the online Travel Requisition
process in the DPS system.
GENERAL PROCEDURES
1. Travel Request
The purpose of the online Travel Requisition (TR) is:
1. Seek approval for travel in advance.
2. Initiate arrangements for coverage of
classes/duties during absence.
3. Scheduling of college vehicles.
4. Verify that students are absent from classes
while representing the college.
5. Provide information regarding itinerary and
place of stay in case of emergencies.
6. Prepare cash advance when travel involves
students.
The online TR should be entered into the DPS system as soon as you
determine that you would like to travel. The online TR takes the
place of the “green” travel request form. All
information about the travel is entered into one
TR. You will need to enter “notes” on
the TR to cover items that you have been sending by memo.
This includes lists of students and SPC vehicle requests.
The online TR will go through all approvals and the purchasing
office will issue PO’s to the various vendors from this
document to cover your registration, lodging, personal
reimbursements, etc. A copy of the PO’s will be forwarded to
the Accounting Clerk, located in the Business Office. The
Accounting Clerk will provide the Dean of Students with the list of
students that will be traveling and notify the Physical Plant
Director of the need for an SPC vehicle.
When you are ready to travel, you will check out credit cards from
the Accounting Clerk and upon your return the
Travel Expense form supporting documents and receipts will be
returned to her.
2. Payment of Registration Fees.
Registration fees can be processed 90 days in advance or earlier if
payment discount applies. This should be included in the TR which
you have entered into the DPS system for initial travel approval
and the original registration form forwarded to the purchasing
office for payment processing.
3. Travel by rented or public
conveyance
Air
Airline reservations can be made through an approved travel agency
90 days in advance. This expense should be included in the TR
which you have entered into the DPS system. The purchase order
number will be called to the travel agency within 24 hours.
If an employee should prefer to pay for their own airline
reservations, they can be reimbursed this cost after the travel has
occurred. The college will reimburse an employee for the actual
cost of commercial airfare. The amount of reimbursement shall
not exceed the lowest available airfare, considering all relevant
circumstances.
Rented Vehicles
The college will reimburse an employee for the actual cost of
renting a motor vehicle. Reimbursement costs include applicable
taxes, and similar mandatory charges. Charges for collision
damage waiver charges, liability insurance supplements, personal
accident insurance, safe trip insurance and personal effects
insurance are not reimbursable. The college carries this type
of insurance.
Travel by Mass Transit, Taxi or Limousine
The college will reimburse an employee for the actual cost of
transportation by these modes of travel. The fares must be
itemized on the
Travel Expense Form and receipts attached.
4. Travel by College Vehicles
Request for College Vehicles
Vehicles reservations should be entered in the online TR as
described earlier. In emergencies vehicles may be reserved by
calling the Director of Physical Plant. Note that to insure
getting a vehicle, requests should be made well in advance.
Expenses
When using a college vehicle, credit cards are issued for fuel,
oil, etc. These credit cards are the property of the college
and may be used only for the operation of a college vehicle.
Parking expenses shall be itemized on the
Travel Expense Form and receipts attached.
5. Travel by Personal Vehicle
The college will reimburse an employee for the mileage incurred during their use of a personally owned vehicle for college business. With the exception of parking expenses, a mileage reimbursement is inclusive of all expenses associate with the operation of the vehicle. The mileage guides are found at www.mapquest.com and www.randmcnally.com. The employee must reference on their Travel Expense Form which of the allowable online mapping sites they used to calculate their mileage. The college’s current mileage reimbursement rate is $.40 per mile.
Rules for personal auto mileage reimbursement can be found in the
Mileage Reimbursement Memo.
Mileage reimbursements should be submitted through the travel
requisition process. For reimbursement, a
Travel Expense Form should be completed, a itemized
mileage report attached and forwarded to the
Accounting Clerk for payment processing.
Coordination of Travel
Coordination of travel should occur when two to four college
employees are traveling to the same destination, at
the same time, in a personally owned vehicle. In such
instances, the college will reimburse only one of the
employees for mileage.
6. Lodging Expenses
South Plains College will reimburse an employee
who travels with overnight stays for lodging expenses not to exceed
the authorized travel reimbursement amounts set by the State
Comptroller for both in-state and out of state travel. These
reimbursement amounts can be found on this link:
http://www.window.state.tx.us/fm/travel/index.html
The present reimbursement limit for instate lodging is $85 per
night. If lodging is arranged through the conference/seminar
provider, SPC will pay the conference/seminar rate per night per
person. regardless of the reimbursement limits published by the
State Comptroller’s office.
When two or more employees’ share lodging, the college will
pay each employee’s share of the actual lodging
expense. Each employee must submit a Travel Expense Form in
order to be reimbursed...
When necessary an employee may reduce his meal
expenses/reimbursement rate and use that reduction to increase his
lodging rate.
Most hotels will exempt college employees state sales tax provided
a tax exemption certificate is provided. Hotel Tax Exemption
Forms are available from the purchasing website under shared
documents. All efforts must be made to make sure SPC is not charged
sales tax. It is the responsibility of the employee to
contact the hotel if tax is charged and provide them the necessary
documentation to remove the charge.
7. Meal Expenses
South Plains College will reimburse an employee for meal expenses,
on a per diem basis not to exceed thirty dollars ($30) per day for
in-state travel and the State of Texas meal rate for out-of-state
travel. To qualify for per diem reimbursement, the employee must be
away from the campus over night on college business. If meals are
included as part of any conference or seminar fee, the meal
expenses are fully payable or reimbursable, notwithstanding any
maximum reimbursement limits established elsewhere. Meals included
in conference/seminar fees are not chargeable against the $30 per
diem allowance.
The $30 per diem allowance is allocated based on the time the
employee leaves campus.
• If departure from the city limits or
airport is before 8:00 AM or return is after 8:00 AM you may claim
20% of the daily meal allowance for breakfast, or $6.00. For out of
state meals, use 20% of the allowed expense.
• If departure from the city limits or
airport is before noon or return is after 1:00 PM. you may claim
30% of the daily meal allowance for lunch or $9.00. For out
of state meals, use 30% of the allowed expense
• If departure from the city limits or
airport is before 5:00 PM or return is after 7:00 PM you may claim
50% of the daily meal allowance or $15.00. For out of state meals,
use 50% of the allowed expense.
Meals should be paid by the employee and reimbursed upon
return. Meals may not be put on a SPC travel credit card.
Reimbursement limits do not carry over from one day to
another.
Employees may also be reimbursed for meals incurred during travel
on college business that does not require an overnight stay. The
per diem rate per meal may be used ($6 for breakfast, $9 for lunch,
$15 for dinner) in lieu of receipts for actual meal expenses
incurred. Otherwise, actual meal receipts must be furnished in
order for reimbursement to be made to the employee.
The college is aware that, in extraordinary circumstances, actual
daily meal expense incurred by the employee may exceed the maximum
daily allowable expense as previously set forth. Should that
situation arise, meal receipts must be furnished and reimbursement
approved by both the appropriate department head/director and the
appropriate vice president/provost. In addition, those
reimbursements may be subject to review by executive
administration.
All employees must submit a Travel Expense Form to claim
reimbursement for meal expense. Employees may elect per diem
reimbursement in lieu of submitting actual meal expense
receipts.
8. Parking Expenses
The college will reimburse an employee for parking expenses
incurred when traveling in a personally owned or rented vehicle.
The parking expenses must be itemized and receipts attached to the
Travel Expense Form.
PAYMENT METHODS
1. Travel Card
South Plains College provides travel credit cards for use during
job related travel. These cards are to be used for
hotel, car rental, parking and other miscellaneous expenses
incurred during your time away from the college. Rules for
use of this card can be found in the
Travel Card Guide.
If use of the college travel card is requested, this should be
included in the TR entered into the DPS system when initial travel
is approved. Cards will not be checked out without prior approval.
These cards are held by the Director of Purchasing and can be
checked out from the Accounting Clerk in the Business Office. The
cards cannot be picked up by student workers, but can be picked up
by department secretaries or the actual card user. See Attachment
#4 for travel card rules.
These expenses should be itemized on the Travel Expense Form,
receipts attached and submitted to the Accounting Clerk in the
Business Office.
2. Travel Advances
The college does not provide cash advances for meal expenses except
when accompanying student groups. The cash advance will be for the
anticipated cost of faculty/student meals only. This expense should
be included on the TR and a note attached with the date funds are
needed.
3. Travel Reimbursements
Personal Funds
If an employee chooses to use personal funds while traveling on
college business, they will be reimbursed their expenses after
travel has occurred.
These expenses should be included in the online TR entered into the
DPS system for initial travel approval. A travel expense form must
be completed for personal expenses. This form must be
forwarded, with supporting documentation, to the Accounting Clerk
in the Business Office.
TRAVEL EXPENSE FORM REQUIREMENTS:
Complete documentation must accompany all Travel Expense
Forms. This includes seminar itineraries, airline ticket
receipts, lodging receipts, and receipts for other expenses,
excluding meals. All forms must include reason for travel,
the dates, times and places traveled and supporting
documentation.
Incomplete forms will be returned to the employee.
TRAVEL INVOLVING STUDENT GROUPS
Student Groups
The college will reimburse student groups and their sponsors for
travel when representing the college (such as judging teams,
athletic teams, cheerleaders, music groups, etc.), provided
specific budgetary funds have been approved.
MISCELLANEOUS SITUATIONS
Prospective Employees
The college will reimburse prospective employees for travel
expenses related to employment interviews. Travel expenses
will be paid at the same rate as for college employees. Note
that travel expenses will not be reimbursed for prospective
employees who are offered employment, but do not accept.
Incidental Expenses
The following is a partial list of reimbursable and
non-reimbursable incidental expenses:
1. Reimbursable Expense - (The following expenses
are reimbursable if they are incurred for official college business
reasons.)
a. Hotel occupancy and similar taxes that a
college employee is not exempt from paying.
b. Telephone calls.
c. Gasoline and toll charges when rented vehicles
are used.
d. Repair charges when college owned vehicles are
used. NOTE - If charges are substantial, approval must be
received from the Director of Physical Plant and/or Division
Dean.
e. Copying charges.
f. Admittance fees to events related to purpose
of travel.
g. Postage.
h. Emergency medical or health costs incurred on
students while traveling.
i. Tips and gratuities (Federal grant accounts do
not allow this expenditure)
2. Non-Reimbursable Expenses -
a. Expenses that do not relate to official
college business.
b. Any expenses, with the exception of parking
expenses that are related to the operation of a personally owned
vehicle.
c. Personal expenses such as the rental or
purchase of videotapes for personal entertainment, alcoholic
beverages, and dry cleaning.