Reimbursement for Travel Expenses - Employees

All Travelers seeking reimbursement for travel expenses incurred for the performance of official duties must seek reimbursement via Georgia Tech’s financial management system. Travelers must obtain authorization to travel, via Spend Authorization, prior to traveling on behalf of Georgia Tech. Learn more about Authorization of Travel requirements here.

Expense Report
Travelers are required to submit an expense report via Georgia Tech’s financial management system and to attest to the accuracy and completeness of their claim for travel reimbursement. Travelers must exclude any personal or outside professional activities. A Spend Authorization must be associated with the expense report in Georgia Tech’s financial management system to facilitate reimbursement for out of state travel.

The Traveler’s manager, cost center manager (or their delegate) and driver worktag manager(s) must review and approve or deny all expense reports. Travelers may not process or approve their own expense report. Approval of the expense report indicates that the travel expense was authorized, reasonable, allowable, and that the claim is complete and accurate. In no case is a subordinate authorized to approve an expense report for their supervisor or manager.

Travelers can only be reimbursed for their travel expenses and cannot be reimbursed for other Traveler’s expenses. State reporting of travel expenses requires that reimbursement to an Traveler covers only those expenses pertaining to that specific and individual employee's expenses.  

Receipts and Supporting Documentation

• An official or formal written agenda which includes session times must be submitted with expense reports for conferences and seminars. 

Itemized receipts are required for the following:  

• Air, lodging, and rental cars  
• Visa/Passport fees  
• Conference registration fees (6.11: Conference Registration)
• All single expenditures of $25 or greater  
  • Receipts are not required for meals (see policy 6.4: Meals and Incidental Travel Expenses)
  • Itemized receipts are not required for the following expenses, if individual amounts are less than $25:  
• Gasoline purchased for rental vehicles  
• Parking  
• Highway tolls  
• Mass Transit tickets  
• Taxi fares  
• Airport vans  
   

A copy of a redacted bank statement may be required if sufficient document for a credit card payment is not provided. Travelers should remove or block any sensitive information (social security number, all but the last four digits of a credit card, etc.) on receipts and supporting documentation. Approvers should also review the documentation at the time of approval to ensure that all sensitive information is removed or blocked out. 

Attestation
Travelers must attest that they are eligible for the requested reimbursement for performance of official business on behalf of Georgia Tech, and have not received nor will seek reimbursement from any other source for any of the expenses claimed. Approval of expense requests attests to the necessity of the travel and ensures that travel expenses are reasonable in nature and amount.

Expense Reimbursement Submission Timeliness
Travelers should submit all expenses for reimbursement and reconciliation within 10 days of the completion of the event or trip but no later than 45 calendar days. Expenses submitted more than 60 calendar days after completion of the trip or event, if reimbursed, may be considered taxable income. See IRS publication 5137 for further details.  Expense reports submitted in excess of one calendar year after the date of travel may not be reimbursed. 

Travelers with small dollar reimbursement requests should wait to submit an expense request until the amount reaches $10. 

Travelers should consolidate expense claims for local parking, mileage, telecom and supply purchases into a monthly claim reimbursement.  

Travelers with Physical and/or Medical Conditions

The impact of travelers with physical and/or medical conditions, while on Georgia Tech travel, should be considered on a case-by-case basis. Georgia Tech requires full compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Each department has the authority to provide reasonable accommodations for travelers with disabilities.  

All Travelers are to be afforded equal opportunity to perform travel for official business even if the travel costs for Travelers with disabilities will exceed what would normally be most economical to Georgia Tech. Examples include, but are not limited to: 

• When a Traveler uses a wheelchair, it may be necessary for the Traveler to fly on a larger airplane that accommodates the wheelchair. In this case, there may be an increase in the cost of the airline ticket.  
• When a traveler has hearing or vision impairments, there may be a cost of providing auxiliary aids and services to enable the traveler to successfully accomplish the purpose of the travel.  

The extra travel costs required to comply with ADA shall be documented and kept on file by the approver.