Travel Regulations

Introduction

Georgia College adheres to the Georgia Statewide Travel Regulations on travel related business.  In addition, the Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia publishes travel regulations in Section 4 of its Business Procedures Manual. Georgia College may implement other guidelines if they are not more lenient than those established by these governing bodies.  This guide is intended for the faculty, staff and student community who are authorized to travel on behalf of the university. It also applies to guest/candidate travel.

Accounting Services

Accounting Services must receive a properly completed and approved Travel Expense Statement substantiating the amount, dates, time, business purpose and proof of payment ideally within 10 days, but no later than 45 calendar days after completion of the trip. (If the traveler received a cash advance or hotel prepayment, the expense statement must be submitted within 10 business days of return.) A 45 Day Exception Form for overdue travel must be completed for travel submitted after 45 days to determine if it will be paid. Expenses submitted in excess of 60 calendar days may not be reimbursed, but if reimbursed, will be included in the traveler’s IRS Form W-2 as taxable income.

Web Resources

U.S. General Services Administration

In-state and out-of-state travel per diem rates in PeopleSoft only include the cost of meal expenses and not incidental expenses. Incidental expenses may be reimbursed separately as they are excluded from the per diem rate and include fees and tips given to porters, baggage carriers, bellhops, hotel housekeeping, stewards/stewardesses, and hotel staff.

GSA per diem rates address:  www.gsa.gov/perdiem  (for all states except Georgia)

Breakdown of per diem amounts: www.gsa.gov/mie

Per diem for rates for Georgia: https://sao.georgia.gov/document/document/meal-diem-75pdf/download

Foreign Travel per diem rates: https://aoprals.state.gov/content.asp?content_id=184&menu_id=78_

Maps for mileage backup: www.mapquest.com or https://www.google.com/maps

    State of Georgia Travel Policy: https://sao.georgia.gov/travel/state-travel-policy

Board of Regents Travel Policy:  www.usg.edu/business_procedures_manual/section4/

Candidate or other Non-Employee Travel Reimbursement: https://www.usg.edu/business_procedures_manual/section19/C1571

Travel Forms

• Travel Advance and Year End Encumbrance Form (late June travel)
• State of Georgia Certificate of Exemption of Local Hotel/Motel Excise Tax
• Hotel Prepayment Request Form
• 45 Day Exception Form for overdue travel
• International Travel Authorization

Travel Guidelines

Travel Authorizations are required when:

• Travel is international. The International Travel Authorization found on GC Signatures must be completed and fully approved before any international travel arrangements are made.
• Requesting reimbursement for business class airfare for International travel or travel to Alaska or Hawaii which are over 10 hours long providing funds are available when authorized by the budget manager in advance.
• When lodging/food is required for travel within a 50-mile radius of the primary work site and/or residence or the employee is away for less than 12 hours.
• When requested by department chair, dean, vice president or other administrative personnel.

Funding of Travel Expenses

This section covers the various funding methods available to meet the cost of travel and other expenses.

1. Prepaid Expenses
   Charges for transportation and lodging may be paid in advance of a travel engagement. 
   1. Registrations
      Payments for registration may be paid in advance. The traveler should submit the registration in the PeopleSoft Online Payment Request System along with the Registration Form for payment. It is the practice of Georgia College to mail the registration payment directly to the supplier unless other instructions are provided.
   2. Hotel Costs

      Complete and submit the Hotel Prepayment Request Form at least 2 weeks in advance to receive a check for hotel costs in advance.

2. Cash Advances
   A cash advance is prepayment for travel expenses incurred for a scheduled future trip. The traveler will need to complete the Online Cash Advance in PeopleSoft and show reservations for anticipated expenses. Travel advances are available only to an employee whose current annual salary is $50,000 or less or to any employee (regardless of salary) traveling internationally.

Lodging

• When Georgia College directly pays for in-state lodging, Georgia College is exempt from taxation when the tax exemption forms are presented upon arrival. This exemption includes state, local and occupancy tax, but not the $5 per night tax. When a traveler pays a hotel or motel directly using their own funds, they should present the establishment with the State of Georgia Certificate of Exemption of Local Hotel/Motel Excise Tax Form upon arrival. This form exempts the traveler from paying local and/or occupancy tax only. Note: Travelers are required to pay and will be reimbursed for state taxes and the $5 nightly tax when self-paying.

Transportation

• Travelers staying in state may choose between driving their own vehicle and being reimbursed at the Tier 1 rate or renting a vehicle on the state contract from Enterprise or Hertz. If traveling out of state, the traveler should take a rental car if it is more cost effective. If the traveler takes their own vehicle when not most cost effective, reimbursement will be at the Tier 2 rate. If requesting mileage reimbursement, the reimbursement cannot exceed the cost of the lowest available airfare to the destination.
• It is expected that airport vans or independent shuttles will be utilized when available and practical and when they are the lowest cost alternative. The traveler is expected to use taxis, subways, trains, etc. instead of a rental car when the destination is in the same general vicinity as the airport and the costs of such transportation would be less than renting a car and paying for parking costs. Hertz holds the out of state car rental contract and must be used when renting vehicles while flying to an out of state location. For assistance in renting vehicles through the state contract, please contact Accounting Services at x1178.

Travel Procedures Checklist

Before you Travel:

• Request Cash Advance if applicable (make $50,000 or less or are traveling internationally)
• Purchase airline tickets 2-4 weeks in advance of trip if applicable.
• Submit a request for registration in the PeopleSoft Online Payment Request module.
• Submit a request for hotel expenses with confirmation from the hotel and the hotel’s W-9 form on the Hotel Prepayment Request Form two weeks in advance to Accounting Services, Campus Box 033 if a prepaid hotel check is being requested.