PSC Procedural Statement: Travel

Contact the appropriate campus Risk Management Office.

See PPS Cash Advances.

Term for payment process used for in-program (booked by Concur/CBT) airline tickets. These charges (and any credits) become available expenses for import and reconciliation in the appropriate employee/non-employee Concur expense report.

Use of private aircraft requires prior written approval from University Risk Management. To determine if private aircraft use is allowable as a trip expense, or if it can be considered as a tax-deductible gift, contact the Director of Tax in the Office of University Controller.

Use of leased aircraft requires prior written approval from the Aircraft Section of Colorado State Patrol. At least 50% of the passengers must be members of the University’s official party. Contact the appropriate PSC Purchasing Agent for the commodity. 

All travel shall be completed using the most economical means available which will satisfactorily accomplish university business. It is the expectation that travelers/arrangers will book coach or economy class, unless an allowable exception exists and has been documented with the department. Upgrades (including extended leg-room upgrades) and Business/First Class travel are considered an exception and are allowable, with justification, for the reasons listed below.

The following exception must be approved prior to ticket issuance. In addition, the department must email a copy of the approved accommodation to the PSC (Shannon.Miller@cu.edu).

• Accommodation is required for a disability/special need. Medical disability must be certified annually in a written statement by a competent medical authority. If the disability is a lifelong condition, then a one-time certification statement is allowed. If an upgraded ticket is required based on a medical disability, contact your campus ADA office prior to booking your airfare. The ADA office will assess the request to determine if an accommodation is appropriate. Medical documentation may be requested if needed. Each campus ADA office will provide the employee and the employee’s supervisor with notice of approval (or denial) of an accommodation.
• Campus ADA office web links: Boulder, Denver / Anschutz Medical Campus, Colorado Springs, System.

The following exceptions must be approved and documented within the department prior to ticket issuance.

• Upgraded ticket is same price or less than the available coach class ticket.
• Upgraded ticket produces overall cost savings by avoiding additional lodging/other expenses, or by avoiding loss in business productivity time while awaiting coach class accommodations or due to restrictions of coach class accommodations.
• Upgraded ticket is for extended foreign travel.  A continuous scheduled flight is longer than 14 hours.
• Upgraded ticket is for foreign travel with inadequate security/sanitation/health facilities.  Coach class accommodations on an authorized/approved foreign air carrier do not provide adequate sanitation or health standards.

Note: Seat assignment fees for coach or economy class upgrades needed to fulfill an approved accommodation require only verbal department approval, if the additional cost is $50 or less (one-way). If such fees are over $50 (one-way), approval must be documented and retained on file within the department.

For domestic travel by employees:

• Domestic travel is any trip that is within the 48 contiguous United States, Alaska, and Hawaii.  Employees (including student employees, as well as regents and POIs) must request pre-approval for domestic travel. It is recommended that domestic travel be approved using Concur Request, however, the department can elect to use an internal travel pre-approval process. Please defer to your department to determine what domestic pre-approval process is appropriate for you.  

For international travel by employees:

• International travel is any trip that is outside the 48 contiguous United States, Alaska, and Hawaii.
• Employees  (including student employees, as well as regents and POIs) must request pre-approval for international travel through the Concur Travel & Expense System (using Concur Request). Concur routes the request for approval to the traveler's HR Supervisor or SpeedType Approver; the International Travel Approver/Officer for the traveler’s organizational unit; and the appropriate Chancellor/President or their delegate. This process is required whether the trip is funded by CU or by an outside entity. 
• Once the international travel request is fully approved, Concur sends an email notification to the traveler and to Christopherson Business Travel (CBT). At this point, the traveler (or their travel arranger) can proceed to book the trip through Concur (SpeedType and approved Request ID required) or through a CBT agent (SpeedType required).
• For additional information on international travel -- including the Fly America Act (flying on federal funds), insurance coverage, export control, and other issues -- see International Travel. 

For domestic or international travel by non-employees:

The sponsoring unit has three options for booking travel: Book travel on behalf of the non-employee using Concur, authorize the non-employee to book their travel through Christopherson Business Travel, or authorize the non-employee to make their own travel arrangements and request reimbursement after the trip. For detailed procedures on each of these options, see Concur Travel: Booking Non-Employee Travel.

When working with an Independent Contractor according to the Scope of Work (SOW) process, the non-employee's travel expenses must be identified on the SOW form and covered using the same procurement method as the service payment.

CBT service fees are nonrefundable, even when ticket is not used/credited to traveler. Value of cancelled ticket will generally be preserved as long as original flight is cancelled and as long as new ticket is booked (or, for some airlines, as long as new trip is completed) within one year of original ticket issue date.

Employees who wish to purchase airlines tickets on an external website instead of through Concur or through Christopherson Business Travel must submit an internet airfare exception. 

• The fare is not available for purchase through the University Travel Program Concur/CBT (PSC pre-approval required),
• Or, there is significant demonstrated cost savings to the university (no PSC pre-approval required).
  • Significant costs savings are defined as domestic flights that are at least $50 less, and international flights that are at least $200 less, than the exact fare when purchased through the University Travel Program. 

For detailed information and procedures to follow, see Internet Airfare. 

Not allowable in general; only covered when part of an official function in accordance with APS Alcoholic Beverages Purchased for University Events and Finance Procedural Statement (FPS) Alcoholic Beverages Purchased for University Events.

Travelers must obtain appropriate approvals for all domestic and international travel prior to booking trips. See APS Travel Authorization. For sponsored project-funded travel, contact the campus sponsored projects office for additional restrictions, including the possible need for written authorization. 

• All domestic and international travel must be approved prior to booking a trip. All international travel must be approved using Concur Request and you will need to enter your Request ID to finalize your international reservation. It is recommended that domestic travel be approved using Concur Request, however, the department can elect to use an internal travel pre-approval process. Please defer to your department to determine what domestic pre-approval process is appropriate for you.    
• For domestic and international travel by non-employees, the sponsoring department should request review and approval outside the Concur system. See Booking Non-Employee Trips. Approval should be obtained in writing and then provided to CBT (if booking through an agent) or attached to the Concur expense report (for non-employee reimbursements). 

Allowable if bags are required for official university business; valid business purpose must be noted in expense report comments. Tips on curb-side baggage check-in are included in the Incidental Expenses Per Diem amount and cannot be claimed separately.

See Lodging.

For detailed information, see Vehicle Rental.

For detailed information, see Vehicle Rental.

Online system, accessed through the portal, used for pre-approval of domestic and international travel and for 24/7 travel booking (airline tickets, commuter trains, hotels, and rental cars).

Concur is used to reconcile airfare charges and Travel Card charges, and to request reimbursement for University travel/non-travel-related expenses for employees, regents, POIs, non-employees, and students. The Non-Employee Reimbursement-International -- or NRI -- paper form is used to request reimbursement for non-employees/students who are non-U.S. persons or who live at non-U.S. addresses.)

Traveler’s costs cannot be reimbursed until after the trip is completed. Receipts must be attached to the expense report/reimbursement form as noted under Receipt Requirements. Reimbursement expense reports must be submitted within the designated time period to avoid tax consequences for employees, generally 90 days (see Finance Procedural Statement: Business Expense Substantiation & Tax Implications). 

Can use Travel Card or Procurement Card. (If paying for another individual, use Procurement Card.) 

Cost of converting money is allowable when exchange rate/fees are documented (e.g., www.oanda.com/convert/classic) and included with reimbursement request. Currency calculation must be backdated to reflect actual date expense was incurred.

For personal reimbursements, the credit card statement showing a specific conversion rate may be used in lieu of the oanda.com rate.

See Concur Travel & Expense System

When traveling to another country with equipment (laptops/mobile devices) or information subject to export controls, keep in mind the law may require that you have an export license. Contact your campus export compliance officer for advice:

• CU Boulder
• UCCS
• CU Denver | Anschutz

Use Travel Card. Gasoline expenses not allowable for personal vehicles. See Mileage-Personal Vehicle.

Ground Transportation (Lyft, Uber, taxi, shuttle, bus, subway, etc.)

a. Using Ground Transportation in Place of Business Mileage

• Actual costs of ground transportation are not reimbursable. Instead, intercampus/local ground transportation costs are reimbursable up to the amount that would have been reimbursed for the employee’s Business Mileage and parking for a personal vehicle. On a normal workday, this means miles driven in excess of the normal (round-trip) commute (home/primary work location/home), regardless of the type of transportation used for the normal commute. On a non-normal workday, this means actual miles driven to intercampus/local sites other than the primary work location.
• Since reimbursement for intercampus/local ground transportation is based on mileage costs, you should not use the Travel Card for ground transportation in these cases.
• See examples and guidance at Calculating Reimbursable Mileage and Ground Transportation.

b. Using Ground Transportation in Place of Travel Mileage

• Actual costs of ground transportation (1) between home or worksite and the airport, (2) between home or worksite and an in-state hotel for overnight stay, and (3) on site at the destination city, are reimbursable.
• Since reimbursement for air travel- and overnight travel-related ground transportation is based on actual costs, you can use the Travel Card for ground transportation in these cases.
• See examples and guidance at Calculating Reimbursable Mileage and Ground Transportation.

The University defines group travel as three (3) or more employees/non-employees traveling to the same location for the same official university business. Christopherson Business Travel (CBT) defines group travel for booking airline tickets as ten (10) or more employees/non-employees traveling together.

For additional information, see Group Travel.

See Meals and Meal Reimbursement.

Allowable during travel status if needed for official university business.

Allowable if business trip lasts more than 14 days. Then, actual costs are allowable up to $5/week for domestic travel, and up to $20/week for international travel. (No receipts required.)

a. Business/Commercial: Use Travel Card. Allowable to the extent of actual cost of reasonable accommodations. Department shall determine reasonable costs of the lodging based on the business needs of the traveler and the individual business trip.
Single-room occupancy rate must be indicated on lodging receipt. If e-receipts are available from the supplier, paper receipts need not be attached to the expense report.

b. Camping Fees: Allowable as lodging expenses if paid to commercial campground or State/National Park. Itemized receipts and proof of payment required if over $75. Use Travel Card.

c. Deposit: Use Travel Card to issue payment directly to vendor. When reconciling charge on the expense report, identify it as a deposit. Itemized receipt (hotel folio) required, showing both the lodging deposit and the balance of the hotel stay.

d. Staying with Friends: Travelers who arrange private lodging (staying with friends/family) can be reimbursed up to $25/day for associated costs. (No receipt required.)

a. Meals and Incidental Expenses Per Diem.

The Meals and Incidental Expenses (M&IE) Per Diem is the maximum dollar amount allowed for eligible meals (including meal tips) that the traveler needs to purchase during the course of an official university business trip. M&IE also includes an incidental amount used to offset miscellaneous trip expenses and tips (such as bellhops, porters, maids, personal telephone calls, and the like).

Meal reimbursement is not allowable if adequate meals are included with lodging, as part of conference/registration fees, or otherwise provided to traveler at no cost. Amounts in excess of meal per diem are not allowable unless part of a required official function.

If Travel Card is used for per diem meals, the traveler must identify those transactions on the expense report as "Personal Travel Charge (not reimbursable)." If Travel Card meal costs exceed per diem limits, traveler may need to reimburse CU (depending on total amount of reimbursable expenses). In this case, attach validated Cash Receipt form to expense report so that the reimbursement to the University is documented with the report.

Per diem amounts are determined by the destination. On days of actual travel, the final destination for the day determines traveler's M&IE per diem rate all day. On the day traveler returns home, however, the city from which the traveler leaves determines the per diem rate. On begin and end travel days, reimbursement cannot exceed 75% of the daily M&IE per diem rate.

No receipt required.

For M&IE rates by destination, see www.gsa.gov/travel/plan-book/per-diem-rates. 

b. Meals: Group Meals Expense type used by Athletics and other departments when a single individual is responsible for providing a team or group with cash so that team members may purchase meals. A list of group members, along with the total amount of per diem paid each day, must be attached to the group leader's expense report.

Also used when a single individual is responsible for purchasing food directly for the team or group. Attach an itemized receipt along with a list of group members to the expense report. Note that per diem limits apply to group meals, i.e., the total cost of the group meal cannot exceed the total of the individual per diem amounts for that meal.

c. Meals: Single-Day Trip If travel is wholly within a single day, meals are an allowable expense as long as the trip lasts 12 hours or more. Reimbursement cannot exceed 75% of the daily M&IE per diem rate.

On any day (normal workday or non-normal workday), mileage or other transportation expenses between the employee’s home and primary work location are non-reimbursable. Mileage is otherwise reimbursable, as outlined below, at the mileage reimbursement rates set by the State of Colorado:

• For reimbursable miles driven beginning January 1, 2025, the standard reimbursement rate is $0.63/mile. If the nature of the trip and road conditions require the use of a four-wheel-drive vehicle, the 4WD rate is $0.67/mile. 
• For reimbursable miles driven January 1-December 31, 2024, the standard reimbursement rate is $0.60/mile; the 4WD rate is $0.64/mile. 
• For reimbursable miles driven from January 1, 2023-December 31, 2023, the standard reimbursement rate is $0.59/mile. If the nature of the trip and road conditions require the use of a four-wheel-drive vehicle, the 4WD rate is $0.62/mile. 

When commuting to sites other than the primary work location, reimbursable mileage is calculated by totaling the number of miles driven that day and subtracting the total number of miles the employee would need to normally commute between home/primary work location/home.

a. Mileage-Personal Vehicle: Business Mileage 

Business Mileage is mileage related to intercampus/local travel when such travel does not involve an overnight stay.

• On a normal workday, reimbursable business miles are those driven in excess of the normal (round-trip) commute (home/primary work location/home), regardless of the type of transportation used for the normal commute. On a non-normal workday, reimbursable business miles are the actual miles driven to intercampus/local sites other than the primary work location.
• See examples and guidance at Calculating Reimbursable Mileage and Ground Transportation. 

b. Mileage-Personal Vehicle: Travel Mileage 

Travel Mileage is mileage related to air travel and to in-state overnight travel. This includes (1) travel between home or worksite and airport; (2) travel between home or worksite and in-state hotel for an overnight stay; and, (3) travel at the destination city.

• Between home or worksite and the airport or an in-state hotel: On a normal workday, reimbursable travel miles are those driven in excess of the normal (round-trip) commute (home/primary work location/home), regardless of the type of transportation used for the normal commute. On a non-normal workday, reimbursable travel miles are the actual miles driven between home or worksite and the airport or an in-state hotel. 
• Travel at the destination city: On any day, reimbursable travel miles are the actual miles driven while in the destination city.  
• See examples and guidance at Calculating Reimbursable Mileage and Ground Transportation. 

c. Mileage vs. Airfare–Required Vehicle Usage Traveler will be reimbursed for actual mileage and other allowable travel expenses if vehicle travel is required due to nature of trip, items which must be transported during trip, or because multiple travelers make vehicle travel the lowest cost.

d. Mileage vs. Airfare–Traveler’s Option Requires department approval. Requires comparison quote printed from Concur Travel. Traveler will be reimbursed for actual mileage up to actual total flight cost (transportation to/from DIA, airfare, and destination ground transportation).

e. Mileage-Courtesy Car Allowable when in travel status, using specified rate. For allowable miles driven beginning July 1, 2008, the courtesy car mileage reimbursement rate is $0.18/mile.

f. Mileage-Supplemental Salary Supplemental salary is in lieu of any automobile allowance, reimbursement, or direct payment (e.g., by Travel Card or Procurement Card) for in-state ground transportation expenses (including mileage, parking, tolls, taxis, rideshare, car service, rental car, gas). Exceptions:

• When related to an out-of-state or international air trip, ground transportation to the airport (mileage or ride service) and parking at the airport are allowable, however, valet/short-term parking at DIA is not allowable.
• When related to an out-of-state road trip (e.g., driving to Wyoming), ground transportation costs within the state are allowable.
• Direct payment by the University of executive parking permits (to enable parking at most campus lots) is allowable, as is payment by the University via master bill for parking at University events.

Use the Mileage Calculator in the Concur Travel & Expense System to enter miles driven in a personal vehicle for a University business trip. The Mileage Calculator provides an online map to calculate business mileage and travel mileage, and facilitates the deduction of normal (round-trip) or one-way commutes. For instructions, see the Adding Mileage to Expense Reports video and procedures. For examples and guidance, see Calculating Reimbursable Mileage and Ground Transportation.

Regardless of who is paying for the trip, traveler must obtain all required approvals to travel. Traveler must reimburse the University for any travel-related expenses incurred by the University and ultimately paid by another entity.
For international trips that are no cost to the University,employee travelers must log their trip itinerary in iSOS:
Note that travel paid by an outside entity is permissible under Amendment 41 if:

• The travel is for a legitimate official purpose;
• The travel arrangements are appropriate to that purpose;
• The trip is no longer than reasonably necessary to accomplish the business which is its purpose; and,
• The employee who will be traveling is not currently, was not in the recent past, and will not in the reasonably foreseeable future, be in a position to take direct official action with respect to the donor.

Used to request travel and other reimbursements for non-employees (including non-employee students) who are not U.S. persons and/or who do not have a U.S. address. Otherwise, non-employee reimbursements are requested in the Concur Travel & Expense System. 

The traveler’s costs cannot be reimbursed until after the trip is completed. Receipts are required as noted in this table for the specific item.

Travel by affiliate fiscal staff, associates, students, and other individuals is governed by these travel rules, except:

• Non-employees cannot receive cash advances.
• Sponsoring organizational unit is encouraged to book non-employee travel through Concur or Christopherson Business Travel (CBT) – or to enable the non-employee to arrange their own travel directly with CBT by submitting CBT's Non-Employee Travel Request form. However, non-employees can make their own travel arrangements (comparison quotes from Concur are not needed) and be reimbursed after the trip. 

Note that Regents, POIs, and student employees (whether the students are traveling for their employing department or for their academic/other department) are considered employees for purposes of using the Concur Travel & Expense System. These individuals therefore follow employee rules for booking airfare (including obtaining comparison quotes for internet travel and/or combined business-personal travel) and for submitting reimbursement reports. 

The traveler’s costs cannot be reimbursed until after the trip is completed. Receipts are required as noted in this table for the specific item.

Allowable when it is a necessary part of the trip, e.g., parking at traveler’s destination, parking at the airport. Use Travel Card.

Allowable if needed to enter a foreign country. See FPS Sensitive Expenses.

Can use Travel Card or Procurement Card. (If paying for another individual, use Procurement Card.) 

See Meals and Meal Reimbursement.

The University does not cover the cost of personal travel.

Travel expenses paid through personal travel credits, reward programs, and/or any prepaid funding sources are not eligible for reimbursement. Examples of these non-reimbursable payment types include: 

- Airline miles
- Credit card points/rewards
- Merchant rebates/reward program balances
- Uber Cash and Lyft Cash
- Gift cards

Expenses incurred for traveler’s personal benefit are not allowable. Examples of personal expenses include: dependent care, pet care/fees, magazines, movie rentals, athletic club fees, entertainment. (This is not an all-inclusive list).

Requires department approval. Only business-related cost of travel is allowable.

For detailed information, see Personal Travel Combined with Business Travel.

Exclude non-business days from the M&IE per diem expenses on the Itinerary.

If air travel is involved, attach a comparison quote from the Concur Travel & Expense System (Concur) to show if extended trip resulted in higher cost. If yes, the traveler is responsible for reimbursing the University for the difference in fare. (Attach validated Cash Receipt form to expense report.)

Rail travel for employees and non-employees can be booked in the Concur Travel & Expense System or through Christopherson Business Travel (CBT).

Use Concur to book commuter train trips through the designated providers: Amtrak in the U.S., VIA Rail in Canada. You must have a University Travel Card or personal credit card identified in your Concur Profile and you must provide an approved Concur Request ID in order to complete your booking. Your rail purchase is immediate (no cancelation window).

For overnight train travel, and for travel in international locations other than Canada, contact a CBT agent for advice.

Rail vs. Airfare–Traveler’s Option Requires department approval. Requires comparison quote printed from Concur Travel. Traveler will be reimbursed for rail/per diem costs up to actual total flight cost (transportation to/from DIA, airfare, and destination ground transportation). Departments should also determine if the traveler will be required to use personal time if rail transportation extends the trip to include overnight or multiple-day travel. 

Itemized receipt and proof of payment required for any single item charge over $75 and for Official Function charges in any dollar amount. (For Travel Card expenses, proof of payment is part of the uploaded transaction information. Itemized receipt still required according to receipt requirements.)

If e-receipts are available from the supplier, paper receipts need not be attached to the expense report.

a. Costs covered by another Funding Source If not possible to separate charges and traveler needs to reimburse University for expenses covered by another entity, traveler writes a personal check payable to University of Colorado and the organizational unit deposits this in the appropriate SpeedType. Costs should be documented on the expense report; attach validated Cash Receipt form to the report.

The entity covering the trip costs can instead issue a check directly to the University of Colorado to reimburse expenses paid by the University. Attach validated Cash Receipt form to the report.

b. Costs shared by Employees Should not be combined. Each expense report should be a record of one traveler’s trip and one traveler with a Travel Card should not use that card to cover another employee’s trip expenses.

If two employees in travel status share lodging, each should pay her or his own portion of lodging and submit separate expense reports. If vendor cannot separate cost of shared lodging, one employee should pay total bill and identify the other employee in comments on the reconciling expense report, indicating whose lodging is included on that bill.

Reimbursements for meals (except during group travel) must be requested separately by each traveler.

Travel using Fund 30/31 is typically subject to additional restrictions. 

Use Procurement Card.

Can use Travel Card for incidental purchases associated with a trip.

Reimbursement of goods is limited to $5,000 and is further limited to commodities not covered by university price agreements (see Commodity and Purchasing Agent Listing) unless prompted by critical business need, i.e., unexpected/essential purchase that could not be deferred to normal business hours and business processes–this situation must be documented on the reimbursement request.

A personal payment for services, cash awards, donations, or study subject payments will not be reimbursed.

Expense report and all supporting documentation must be submitted to the traveler’s approver within designated time period to avoid having employee reimbursement reported as income. (See FPS Business Expense Reimbursement.)

For additional restrictions on expense report submission timeframes when cash advances are involved, see PPS Cash Advances.

Allowable if for official university business. When using hotel services, these charges must be itemized. For additional restrictions on use of wireless telecommunications, see FPS Personal Technology and Telecommunications.

Personal phone calls are included in the Incidental Expenses Per Diem amount and cannot be claimed separately.

For tips on ground service transportation (taxi, shuttle, Uber, Lyft, etc.), the maximum allowable amount is 20% of the total service charge (including tax/service fees), if the final bill does not already include a tip. If the final bill includes a set amount (of any percentage) for gratuity, then no additional tip may be provided. Reasonable tips are allowable on courtesy ground transportation.

For tips on meal service related to Official Functions, please refer to the Finance Procedural Statement: Sensitive Expenses.

Remember that the Meal & Incidental Expense Per Diem amount includes tips for per diem meals, maid, porter, bellhop, and curb-side baggage check-in: these cannot be claimed separately.

Allowable (if not part of daily commute).

Not allowable.

Corporate liability card used to facilitate payment of University travel-related expenses such as lodging, ground transportation, parking, and vehicle rentals.

To report a lost or stolen card, contact US Bank immediately at 1.800.344.5696 (outside U.S., call collect 1.701.461.2010).

Requires department approval.

For information on rental car insurance, see Vehicle Rental.

Allowable if needed in order to enter a foreign country or enter/re-enter the United States. (COVID vaccination/testing is allowable for travel- and non-travel-related events, if required for attendance.) Attach documentation of requirements for vaccine/medicine/medical test. Charge for doctor’s office visit is not allowable.

Can use Travel Card or Procurement Card. (If paying for another individual, use Procurement Card.) 

Allowable if needed when exiting the U.S. to enter a foreign country. Can use Travel Card or Procurement Card. (If paying for another individual, use Procurement Card.)

Please see the Finance Procedural Statement for Sensitive Expenses for fees for visas, green cards, and/or immigration fees for entry into the U.S.