Completing a Travel Expense Form (TEF)

• Group travel
• Travel including business-related entertainment
• Moves/ transfers
• Employee candidate interviews
• Specific travel situations that can't be entered in MyTravel

• Travel to be reported using MyTravel.
• Entertainment only when no travel is involved. Instead, follow entertainment payment/ reimbursement guidelines.
• Mileage or mileage/ parking fees only. Instead, follow requesting reimbursement for mileage guidelines.

• Review the claimed expenses for policy compliance.
• For moves/ transfers, collect the following items:
  • Itemized receipt(s) for any moving expense(s) eligible for reimbursement
  • A copy of the moving van company's invoice for transportation of household goods as approved by the department
  • A copy of the signed move approval form
  • A copy of the exception to policy approval, if applicable
  • If any advances exceed the total expenses, a personal check from the traveler made payable to: University of California Regents
• If an expense is not eligible for reimbursement, contact UCSD Travel for guidance.

• If the traveler is not enrolled, follow How to Enroll in Disbursements Direct Deposit, then complete the TEF.

• Note: If the traveler is not a UCSD employee or student, Disbursements can issue a one-time reimbursement by paper check.

• For guidance, click the ? symbols.
• Note: The per diem total and grand total (if multiple destinations) automatically calculates once the user enters the daily per diem rate(s), duration, and any adjustments.

Note: Save your file in case you need to make changes later. By saving the TEF as a data file, your entries are preserved. If you don't save your file and go directly to downloading as a PDF, you aren't able to make changes.

• Traveler - Certifies the expenses are accurate and all required receipts were submitted
  • If the traveler is a UCSD employee or student, the signature is required.
  • If the traveler is not a UCSD employee or student, and the signature cannot be obtained by reasonable means, the travel approver must initial, indicate "Not available," and state why the traveler's signature cannot be obtained.
• Travel approver - Approves travel funding at the department level
• Entertainment approver - Approves official business entertainment expenses if incurred concurrently with the travel

• Does the TEF have both the authorizing and the traveler signatures?
• Are expenses for meals claimed correctly? Make sure that expenses for meals and incidentals (M&IE) are NOT claimed as per diem for travel that is not eligible for per diem, such as travel in the continental U.S. of 29 days or fewer.
  Note: M&IE may be claimed for only the actual amount up to the maximum.
• Do the prepayments match what has been processed? Make sure that all prepaid expenses and/ or cash advances, as listed in the View Event Summary screen in TravelLink, are included on the TEF.
• Are the required receipts attached to the TEF? Make sure original receipts are included for:
  • Airfare
    Note: An itinerary is only acceptable in lieu of receipt if an electronic ticket was used and remarks on the TEF indicates this along with form of payment used.
  • Lodging
  • Car rental
  • Registration
    Note: UC travel policy does not require receipts for meals or incidentals, or for ground transportation such as taxi/ shuttle if the expense is under $75.
• Is supplemental insurance claimed for car rental? Expenses for Collision Damage Waiver (CDW) and Supplemental Liability Insurance (SLI) are generally NOT reimbursable. Waivers for CDW and SLI are provided to UCSD employees through University agreements with rental agencies and CDW is provided through use of the UCSD Travel Card.

  For more information, see:

  • Rental car coverage
  • Car rental agencies with University agreements
  • Exceptions for reimbursement request of SLI and/ or CDW