Travel

The University of Arkansas travel policies are derived from the Internal Revenue Service, State of Arkansas Travel Regulations, University of Arkansas System Policies, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, policies, and industry best practice. The travel website at https://travel.uark.edu/ provides an overview of the travel policy and process, including allowable expenses and restrictions, airfare advance purchase requirements, and pre- and post-travel requirements. The travel process starts with the traveler notifying the department of their travel plans and once approved, the traveler will complete the pre-travel requirements as set by their department. After traveling, the traveler or department’s administrative assistant will create an Expense Report (ER).

Employees who travel on university business and at university expense may apply for a cash advance. Before requesting a cash advance, be sure to review the Travel Advance Policy.

  • Per State of Arkansas Travel Regulations, expense reports for individual trips where a cash advance has been requested are to be submitted for approval within fifteen (15) working days after the return of the trip.
  • A cash advance is a loan to the travelers and thus is considered an outstanding invoice until it is reconciled. Cash advances are a privilege and must be utilized appropriately.
  • Cash advances are only available to travelers without University Travel Cards for expenses that cannot be purchased using a university-issued credit card. Expenses such as airfare, lodging, registration fees and local car rentals are not eligible for cash advances. Allowable cash advance expenses include, but are not limited to, anticipated meals, anticipated mileage expense at the state-stipulated rate if you are using your own vehicle for travel.
  • You may request and receive a travel advance of up to 50% for domestic travel and 75% for international travel of your total authorized, estimated reimbursable travel expenses.

Expense Reports for travel should be submitted within 15 days of the trip end date with the noted State exceptions of Individual International/Group Travel (30 days) and Complex (ten participants or greater) Group Travel (60 days). Reimbursement requests submitted 60 days or more after the travel end date will not be accepted without adequate justification from the Department Chair/Director. Any exceptions to these deadlines must be approved by the Travel Office in writing before submission.

Airfare Advance Purchase Requirement

Airfare should be purchased at least 14 days in advance of the trip. Any purchase that does not meet this criterion will require adequate justification as to the reason and necessity for the purchase less than 14 days prior to travel.

T-Card Eligibility

Employees who regularly travel on university business may be eligible for a Traveler T-Card if the employee and their department elect. The employee will have the option of charging airfare, registration, hotel, car rental, meals, and other travel related expenses to their T-Card. The T-Card is not allowed to be used for non-travel related services, membership fees (unless it cannot be separated from conference registration) or local official functions (within their official station).

Credit card reconciliation not provided to the Travel Office within 60 days are subject to invoicing the credit card holder or the payee.

Meal Allowance

The State of Arkansas allows for an employee to be reimbursed for actual meal expenses incurred during travel (including 15% gratuity), but not to exceed the maximum allowance which is set by the Federal per diem limits.

Meals Included in Conference Registration

Meals provided during a conference are not eligible expenses for reimbursement or Travel Card usage. If meals are being reimbursed, deduct the appropriate amount as shown under the Meals and Incidental Expenses (M&IE) breakdown at: https://www.gsa.gov/travel-resources. A copy of the conference agenda or schedule will need to be included in the documentation provided for reimbursement.

Allowances may be made in writing to allow the traveler to claim meal reimbursement if any of the conditions below are met:

  1. The traveler is unable to consume the meal provided because of medical requirements or religious beliefs;
  2. The traveler purchased substitute meal(s) in order to satisfy their medical requirements or religious beliefs;
  3. The traveler was unable to take part in the provided meal due to the conflict of official business. If given approval, approvals should be given prior to travel or during the travel event via email.
Transportation Expenses

When a personal vehicle is used for university business, the employee will be reimbursed official mileage currently at the rate of $0.52 per mile. State regulations require use of the most economical means of travel (airfare, rental car, university vehicle, or personal vehicle).

If a traveler requires accommodation due to a specific condition, an accommodation letter from the Office of Equal Opportunity and Compliance must be attached to the Expense Report.

If a rental car is chosen as the means of travel, the State mandated contract must be used. The only exception made is in the event that one of the State contract dealers is unavailable at the destination or the type/size vehicle needed is unavailable.

Note: First class airline tickets are not allowed unless it becomes more cost effective for the university. Up to business class tickets are permitted if the trip involves travel where one leg of the journey is approximately 8 hours in duration, and business class should be purchased for the 8-hour leg only. The cost of preferred seating should not be selected by travelers unless no other seating is available and must be justified in writing with the reimbursement request. Reimbursement of bag fees is limited to one bag per trip unless documentation is made regarding the necessity of additional bags. Overweight baggage will not be reimbursed.

Required Receipts

Travelers are required to retain receipts as follows: detailed airfare itinerary, registration receipt, itemized hotel receipt, itemized car rental receipt, taxi/shuttle, parking, gas receipts, and any miscellaneous purchases.

International Travel

International Travel for employees, students, and guests funded by the University of Arkansas, is a multi-step process. The traveler must register and be approved by Hogs Abroad, as well as attach the Export Control Form to the Pre-Travel Authorization, to ensure that all necessary permissions and documentation are in place before expenses are incurred.