Travel Reimbursements

Travel Reimbursements

The University Travel Card (TCard) is the preferred method of payment for any qualified travel-related purchase; airfare, hotel rooms, car rental, bus and rail, etc.

Employees can also pay for travel expenses with a personal credit card and then request reimbursement after travel is completed.

Reimbursement Requests Must Be Submitted Promptly

All requests for the reimbursement of expenses for approved University of Illinois System business expenses must be submitted as soon as possible, but no later than 60 days after the expense is incurred.

If the reimbursement ER is not submitted within 60 days of the expenditure, the reimbursement is considered taxable income to the employee unless a reasonable justification for an exception is requested in the Chrome River system and approved by OBFS.

Taxable amounts will be submitted to University Payroll and tax of approximately 30% will be withheld from the employee's paycheck. These amounts will be included on the employees' Form W-2.

Per Diem for Domestic Travel

Per diem is provided based on your travel dates/times so you do not need detailed meal receipts unless you attend a business meal with external guests such as an external research collaborator or donor.

Per Diem Rates and Incidental Expenses

The word "per diem" means "per day," or "for each day." Per diem is a daily allowance for meal expenses while in travel status that includes an overnight stay. Per diem is not given for same-day travel. Per diem supplements the cost of meals. Receipts are not required to receive this per diem allowance.

Meal Per Diem Reimbursement for Domestic Travel

Per diem is based on the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) rates.

Additional Travel Reimbursement Information

• Travel must be by the most direct route using the most economical mode of transportation. Campus will reimburse the cost of a coach/economy flight.
  • Coach/Economy class
  • CMI, ORD, BMI are all acceptable
  • No travel insurance
  • No flight/trip cancellation insurance
• All travel expense requests must include a detailed business purpose stating the benefit to the university.
• The university has contracts with National and Enterprise car rental agencies. The discount code is provided in the link located at Car Rental (login required).
• When using Uber or Lyft, please use the basic options, others such as UberXL, Uber Black, Uber SUV, etc will not be reimbursed even if there were no basic services available at the time.
  • Reservation fees to book an Uber in advance are unallowable
  • Wait time charges are unallowable
• Please justify any lodging rate overages when submitting the Chrome River expense report:
  • Hotel was conference hotel-a printout of the conference website showing the conference hotels is required
  • Hotel was the least costly in the area
  • Hotel was closest to the meeting location
• If you choose to stay at an Airbnb, the university will only reimburse up to the daily maximum for the area of travel based on the GSA website. There are no exceptions like the hotel justifications above.

     GSA Website

International Travel Reimbursement/Per Diem

Depending on the internal policies of their unit, international travelers may be reimbursed for lodging expenses using either actual receipts or the U.S. Department of State lodging rates. For meals and incidentals, travelers must use the U.S. Department of State Meals and Incidental Expenses (M&IE) rates.

Whichever reimbursement method is chosen for lodging must be used for the entire trip.