Travel Receipts: Reimbursement Requirements

Find out about requirements for receipts in order to be reimbursed for business travel expenses.

Keep receipts to report expenses and request reimbursement. Receipts provide proper documentation for travel expenses charged to UCSD fund sources, in compliance with UC and IRS regulations.

These expenses currently require original receipts for reimbursement, whether you are claiming expenses via MyTravel or a paper Travel Expense Voucher (TEV):

• Any dollar amount:
  • Airfare (for electronic tickets, an itinerary is acceptable)
  • Lodging* (itemized)
  • Miscellaneous items
  • Registration fees
  • Rental car

    * Receipts are required for lodging unless travel is outside the continental United States, or lasts 30 days or more, in which case per diem applies.

• Single expense of $75 or more:
  • Ground transportation
  • Any expense not listed above
• Packages including airfare and other travel expenses: For reimbursement eligibility, the receipt or itinerary must specify cost for each item. Before purchasing a package, via the Web or otherwise, make sure you will be able to obtain the required documentation. If the receipt or itinerary does not show cost for each component, get a receipt from each service provider such as the airline, hotel, and/or rental car agency.

Note: Check with your area's business office for any additional receipt requirements, such as for meals and incidentals.

Airfare receipts:

The receipt must show the form of payment used no matter how you purchased airfare.

• If you used an electronic ticket, the invoice or itinerary provided by the travel agency, booking service, or airline serves as an original receipt.
• If you purchased airfare via the Web, the faxed or mailed itinerary or invoice serves as the receipt.

  Tip: You can request a receipt for ticketless travel or a ticket purchased on the Web from the airline at the check-in gate.

When you report travel expenses after your trip, your department contact who has approval authority for travel must review your receipts before providing approval.

• If you use MyTravel, provide the original receipts to the appropriate contact in your department.
• If you need to use a paper Travel Expense Voucher (TEV), attach the original receipts and submit the TEV to UCSD Travel.

  Note: In certain travel situations, lodging, meals, and incidentals (tips) are reimbursed using a per diem rate. In those cases, UCSD Travel does not require receipts for those items.

If an original receipt is unavailable, make all reasonable efforts to supply documentation that supports the expense. If that is unavailable, request an exception to policy in one of these ways:

• If you use MyTravel, the approver will make the request as outlined in the approver's checklist.
• If you use a TEV, you can do one of the following:
  • E-mail UCSD Travel and explain why the receipt is unavailable. If approval is granted, indicate this in the Remarks section (Box 16) of the TEV.
  • Provide the explanation in the Remarks section (Box 16) of the TEV and indicate that you are requesting an exception to policy.

Notice: UCSD travel policy, as published in Blink, is decisive. It has been adapted to UCSD's organization, delegation of authority, terminology, chart of accounts, and processing applications. The source for UCSD travel policy is UC Travel Policy and Regulations.

Travel

Expenses & Reimbursements

• Per Diem
• Reporting Expenses
• Approving Reimbursements
• Receipts
• Prepaying