Authorization: Domestic and international travel with a University business purpose must be authorized in advance by the Vice President, Dean, Department Chairperson, Director, Principal Investigator or the appropriate designee responsible for the travel budget to be used.  International Travel with a University business requires that travelers register their travel via the University Travel Registry and obtain the University’s International Health and Emergency Evacuation Insurance Coverage.  International Travel may require advanced planning and approvals.  Accordingly, travelers should review the International Travel Policy and contact the Office of Global Strategies (202) 319-4698 or cua-cge@cua.edu) well in advance of the planned travel.

While Traveling: The University requires the integrity of the traveler in following its policies in planning and conducting official University business.  Ordinary, necessary, and reasonable expenses incurred in connection with any required travel assignment are permissible if appropriate approvals are obtained first.  The University will not pay for or reimburse the traveler for any direct costs incurred for personal travel that become sequential or incidental to business travel.  The University will not reimburse the traveler for any estimated or actual amounts incurred if an alternative method of travel is taken to a destination for a business purpose in which the method of travel was chosen to complement personal travel and is not considered economically reasonable and in line with this policy.

Procurement Card - All travelers are strongly encouraged to use a University Procurement Card for travel-related expenses.  The full Procurement Card policy can be found here. 

Personal Funds - Travelers may use personal funds while on travel and seek reimbursement from the University for reasonable business expenses in line with this travel policy.  Requests for reimbursements must be submitted timely with the appropriate documentation as outlined below.

Travel Advance - If the traveler would like to request a travel advance, the request must be made at least thirty (30) business days before the first day of travel.

No matter what payment you choose, when travel is completed, all Travel Expense Reports for purchases made with and without a University Credit Card are required to be substantiated, signed and approved by a supervisor.  These reports must be submitted to Accounts Payable, along with any travel approval forms, as soon as possible but no later than twenty (20) business days after the last day of travel.  

It is the responsibility of the traveler to keep clear and complete records of expenses. To maintain efficient business processes, travel documentation that is incomplete, inaccurate or not well-organized will be returned to the traveler and will delay reimbursement processing.

Changes, Cancellations and Credits: Change fees must have a legitimate, documented business reason.

If a trip is cancelled for reasons beyond the traveler’s control (e.g. conference cancellation, or weather or emergency closings), the University will reimburse the costs expended to date which are not returned to the traveler in the form of a credit.  The traveler must disclose any credits or concessions provided by lodging or transportation vendors as result of any such cancellations.  The traveler is responsible for the cancellation of reservations for lodging and transportation and for requesting a refund or application of the unused ticket or accommodation to the next business trip. Any penalty for failure to cancel reservations will be the personal responsibility of the traveler unless for reasons beyond the traveler's control. Unused tickets or accommodations that were purchased for official University business cannot be used for the traveler’s personal benefit. The individual school or department is responsible for seeing that the value of all unused tickets is refunded to the University.

Travel advances for cancelled travel must be returned to the University within three (3) business days after the cancellation.

Lodging is limited to a standard or equivalent room only, unless accommodations are shared by more than one authorized traveler, in which case separate receipts must be obtained or only one person is allowed to claim the expense.  Only the actual expense of lodging is permissible. Private rentals (e.g. Airbnb or VRBO) are prohibited for business travel except when it is less expensive than alternative means of lodging for long term travel or travel greater than thirty (30) days only as defined in Section IX.

Travelers may accept only complimentary upgrades. Costs associated with upgrades are not permissible.  Any room upgrades using rewards/miles/credits are considered a personal expense and are not reimbursable.

Personal expenses and services (in-room movies, health club fees, etc.) are the responsibility of the traveler. Personal laundry expenses are permissible when travel exceeds five (5) days.  The charge must be incurred while on Official Travel (and not after the trip is complete).

Lodging within a 50-mile radius of the traveler's home is not permissible unless fully justified as to the compelling business purpose or extraordinary circumstances. Such circumstances should be inquired and discussed with the Office of Accounts Payable in advance of committing to the travel.

Lodging in Private Residence - Travelers who stay in a private residence at no cost to the traveler will be reimbursed for a reasonable token of appreciation (not to exceed $100 per trip) for the courtesy of staying with the host.  Proper documentation must be provided with the expense report.

For information regarding incidental expenses related to lodging, please see the travel policy. 

Individual Meals - Employee and student travelers may purchase or be reimbursed for reasonable meal expenses using one of two methods: per diem or actual expense.

The employee traveler may only use one payment/reimbursement method per trip except as noted in the Group Meals and Entertainment section below. If a traveler uses a University Credit Card for his or her meals, he or she cannot request a per diem reimbursement. By using a University Credit Card, the University is already paying the actual amount spent. Since reimbursement methods cannot be combined on one trip, the traveler must decide before travelling whether he or she wants to use the University Credit Card to pay actual meal expenses or receive a per diem reimbursement for meals. Actual expenses in excess of the per diem daily rate will not be reimbursed.

Per Diem Reimbursement Guidelines - Domestic per diem reimbursement will be based on the U.S. General Services Administration Meals and Incidental Expenses (M&IE) Rates, which are listed by location and month. Foreign per diem reimbursement will be based on the Department of State Office of Allowances Federal M&IE Rates, which are noted by area of travel and updated monthly. The traveler must use the correct rates for the month of travel from these websites as a maximum limit. The traveler can only claim 75% of the day's rate for days of transit or actual travel. Per diem rates must be reduced for any meals paid for by another party (e.g. a conference). For situations where a reduced per diem is required, the following guidelines must be used:

Breakfast 20%
Lunch 30%
Dinner 50%

Departments can internally set lower limits or restrictions for budgetary purposes, but Finance will not monitor the use of any rates other than the official rates.

Group Meals and Entertainment - In situations where an individual is conducting business with one or more guests, reasonable meals and entertainment expenses are permissible. Business meals and entertainment must be directly related to University business and must meet the required documentation standards for payment or reimbursement (refer to Documentation).

If the traveler has elected per diem reimbursement for their trip but there is an occasion on the trip where he/she is paying for someone else's meal, the traveler cannot claim per diem reimbursement for that group meal but must submit actual expenses. If the trip consists of multiple business entertainment meals, the traveler may want to use actual reimbursement for the whole trip for ease of recordkeeping.

Tips - It is reasonable to provide a tip of 15% - 20% for meals.

For information please see the travel policy. 

Travel expenses for non-University employees such as consultants, speakers, lecturers, official visitors, job applicants etc. are generally permissible in accordance with contracts for services or vendor payment procedures which must be in accordance with University policy.

Foreign Nationals - Travel expenses for visiting foreign nationals must be approved in advance in writing by the Vice President, Dean, Department Chairperson, Director, Principal Investigator or the appropriate designee responsible for the travel budget to be used; and b) the Division of Finance so that the proper tax treatment can be determined. Copies of the written approval must be submitted along with travel reimbursement request. Payment to visiting foreign nationals may be made only if the visitor holds an appropriate visa. In addition to the documentation required for all travel reimbursement, resident aliens must also submit the currently required visa documentation. Please refer to Non-Resident Alien Payments Policy for more information.

Spousal Travel - Please see the Travel Policy for guidelines.