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Learn something new!!!
What is the responsibility of a traveler?
Review key travel policy and procedures
Business Purpose
Explore booking options
How to get reimbursed?
Employee perks for personal travel
Q&A

Objectives

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It is the policy of the University of California, Berkeley to reimburse the traveler for reasonable and necessary expenses incurred during approved work-related travel

Travel should be approved in advance by your supervisor
Travel budget should align with units operating budget

The traveler will incur and report actual travel expenses in a responsible and ethical manner

Transportation expenses will generally be reimbursed based on the most economical and commonly used mode of conveyance taking the most direct route, unless otherwise justified

Travel expenses will be reviewed and approved or denied in accordance with university policy and campus business practices

Please refer to UC Policy G-28 for more information

Expectations

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Otherwise, it is an exception and requires a business reason and justification and exceptional approval!

Most economical and sustainable means possible….

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Provide a clear and thorough business purpose for all segments of your trip

You should always be able to explain how the university benefited from any expense it paid

A good way to explain the business purpose is to answer who, what, where, when and why

You don’t need to include confidential details, such as donor names, but you should give some specifics

Examples of “good” Business Purposes

1. Traveled to attend WACUBO conf. on 10/2 in Los Angeles for professional development

2. Traveled to attend donor meeting on 10/2 in Dallas, TX to discuss potential gifts and scholarships

Examples of “not so good” Business Purposes

1. Meeting

2. Attending a conference

Business Purpose

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Full Webpage HERE

Airfare

Tickets should be Economy or Coach Class

Only your business-related airfare can be directly charged (i.e., directly billed) to the university

(Direct Bill/ConnexUC)

Detailed receipt required (itemized with flight details, destination, time, etc.)

Car Rental & Ground Transportation

Car rental up to an intermediate size allowable

If larger than intermediate needed, MUST have business justification
Rent trough ConnexUC for negotiated rates; insurance included for business travel
Detailed receipt required

Personal Vehicle, may be reimbursed the standard per-mile rate based on most direct route

Standard Mileage rate includes fuel and wear-and-tear on the vehicle
Must be most economical means, otherwise will reimburse up to cost of most economical means of travel

Key Points of the Travel Policy

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Lodging

Traveler must be at least 40 miles from the headquarter location or home, whichever is closer, to be reimbursed for an overnight stay (some exceptions apply)
Daily lodging limits for domestic trips is $275 room rate, excluding taxes and fees

If prearranged conf lodging exceeds $275, allowable with explanation and documentation
If unable to secure lodging for $275 or less, exceptional approval is required

Detailed receipt required (room, tax, service, and any other charges listed separately)

Meals & Incidentals

Travel must be over 24 hours or include an overnight stay for meals reimbursement
When traveling within the continental U.S, daily M&I limit is $79 (NOT a per diem)
Tips for bell man, incidental toiletries, etc. are included in M&I limits
You cannot pay for another travelers meals and reimburse through the ‘Travel Reimbursement System’
M&I does not include misc. business expenses such as internet access or copy services. Reimbursable through ‘Other Reimbursement System’
Receipts needed for any single expense of $75 of more; otherwise not needed for meals
Alcohol is not eligible under travel meal reimbursement

NOTE: Some funding sources require receipts for ALL

purchases regardless of dollar amount

Key Points of the Travel Policy

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AB 1887 Travel Prohibition to Certain States Using State Funding Sources

As of 2023, there are 23 states prohibited
Check States HERE

Contact your campus travel & entertainment offices for further guidance:

travel@berkeley.edu

There are no longer prohibited travel to other states using state funding sources!

Key Points of the Travel Policy

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The university has contracts with several major airline, hotel and car rental companies to provide discounts and other benefits to travelers

(Did you know you can use these discounts for personal travel too?!)

Before the trip, you'll typically plan for transportation, lodging and working out the details of what you’re going to do once you get there.

After the trip, you’ll have to report the expenses and file a reimbursement request for any expenses paid out-of-pocket.

The better prepared you are for each step… before, during, and after…the better your travel experience will be.

Book a Trip

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The ConnexUC and Direct Bill ID systems are restricted to faculty and staff of UC Berkeley
New Direct Bill is needed for every trip. A Direct Bill can only be used once
A Direct Bill can be set up by a staff member for a visiting campus partner

For business travel, you can charge the airfare (only) directly to the university by setting up a Direct Bill ID (DBID)

To set up a Direct Bill ID, you will need to gather the following information ahead of time:

Home Dept = EAEDU (this should default when you open the form)
Department/Preferred Approver
Traveler’s name
Business purpose
Travel destination
Anticipated travel dates
Chartstring

Remember to seek pre-approval if funding requires (check with your RA/FA if applicable)

Direct Bill

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ConnexUC provides the following options for making travel arrangements:

Book online through a travel agency or Southwest SWABIZ
Work directly with a travel agent over the telephone

Please refer to the Contact page for travel services' phone numbers

Direct Bill cannot be used to purchase airfare for personal travel

Direct Bill for Moving/Relocation purposes cannot be combined with non-moving/relocation travel

A separate Direct Bill ID should be generated for each business purpose

Use ConnexUC for your personal travel and take advantage of exclusive UC negotiated pricing and many additional benefits with our travel partners!!!

Please note: the UC Travel Insurance does not apply to personal travel and personal travel cannot be paid for using Direct Bill

Direct Bill

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“ConnexUC is a secure, award-winning web portal with access to UC’s Systemwide Travel Program comprehensive rates and benefits for all those affiliated with UC. We negotiate discounts and rewards with major airlines, lodging properties, car rental companies, rail and travel agencies on behalf of our employees.”

https://travel.ucop.edu/connexxus/

ConnexUC

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UC Travel Center – Access to all same fares you would find on other travel sites as well as exclusive UC-negotiated discounts.

Only option where you can use the Direct Bill option for Airfare (only)
UC Travel Center: (800) 235-8252
Book Online HERE

Additional Travel Booking Options- Additional booking options which can be used for both business travel and for your personal and family travel.

Only out-of-pocket; no Direct Bill option
Travel and car insurance not applicable to personal travel
Book Online HERE

ConnexUC

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Amtrak

Receive a 15% discount withing California on the Pacific Surfliner, San Joaquins and Capital Corridor
Amtrak: (800) 872-7245
Book Online HERE

UC Discount Codes

Southwest/SWABIZ- Company ID 99723724

Marriott/Bonvoy- Corp/Promo Code- UC0

Wyndham Code: 1000005337

ConnexUC

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Travel cash advances are intended to cover ground transportation, lodging, meals, incidentals, and other expenses directly related to the travel activity

Only allowable expenses may be covered by a Travel Cash Advance

Travel Cash Advance

Allowable

Lodging
Daily meals and incidental
Group transportation
Misc. local expenses related to UC Berkeley business activity

Not allowable

Airfare (use Direct Bill)
Conference Registration (BearBuy/bluCard)
Any expense not directly related to UC Berkeley business activity

Keep your receipts to reconcile the cash advance after the trip!!!

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Travel Cash Advance

To request a cash advance

Log into the Reimbursement System
Under ‘Other’ click on ‘Create New Expense Report’

A traveler may not have more than one outstanding cash advance per trip at any given time

A cash advance may not be issued more than 30 days before the start of a trip, and you will want to be sure to allow at least a week of processing. Please do not submit the request too early or too late.

Travel cash advances that are not reconciled within 120 days after the end of a trip will be charged to the campus department and reported as additional wages to the employee.

For more information about Travel Advances, visit https://travel.berkeley.edu/book-trip/travel-cash-advance

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Keep track of all business-related expenses and only claim the actual amounts spent

A Travel Expense and Reimbursement Request shall be used to account for all travel advances and expense incurred in connection with official university travel

Reimbursement requests must be submitted within 45 days of the end of a trip

Exception: recurrent local travel; aggregate and submit monthly
Travel over 90 days requires quarterly report of expenditures
Expense reports submitted late may still be paid with appropriate approvals. However, the amount of the payment may be reported as taxable income

Reporting Travel Expenses

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Lost receipt?

Attempt to obtain a duplicate from merchant
Auditors expect to see receipts to support the payment of a business expense. Otherwise, it may be disallowed for reimbursement or reported as taxable
If not possible, provide an explanation with your reimbursement request including the details of the purchase and your declaration that the amount claimed is what was paid by you

NOTE: A copy of a credit card statement can substantiate that you made the purchase but does not provide the details of what was purchased. It does not serve as a stand-alone receipt replacement

A valid receipt contains:

Payee’s name
Amount
Date
Place
Itemization of what was purchased
Proof of payment ($0 Balance, “PAID”, Payment)

Valid Receipts

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Log into the Reimbursement System HERE
The traveler is the BEST person to provide trip expense information; independent entry
File your expense report within 45 days after returning home
Students (non-employees) can now submit their own reimbursements
See the Documentation and Receipts page for more information about what receipts and back-up records you’ll need to submit
Track status of reimbursement directly in the system
A travel expense report is not required when the only expense is direct bill or third party expenses.

How to Get Reimbursed

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Business & Personal Travel combined
International Travel - Don’t forget to register your trip ahead of time!
Friends/Family coming along?
Travel Exceptions (Need a bigger car? Drive instead of fly? Etc.)
Entertaining while Traveling
Paying for others
Traveling in restricted state travel

Questions? Email BSE_BusinessOffice@Berkeley.edu

Special Considerations….

Check policy first!!

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