Travel Reimbursement
To be reimbursed for travel expenses, employees submit an Expense Report via Concur. Delegates may help travelers enter information, but travelers remain responsible for the content, accuracy and timeliness of their travel documents.
If your travel did not go as originally planned, please add comments and make adjustments on your Expense Report.
Travel Reimbursement Questions
When should I submit my Expense Report?
It's recommended to submit your expense report within the month after your trip. Reimbursements submitted 60 days or more after your trip are taxable.
How can I get my reimbursement paid by direct deposit?
Follow these directions to enable direct deposit for Accounts Payable.
What types of travel costs cannot be reimbursed with Chart 1 (Taxpayer) Funds?
- Cost of the regular commute between the traveler’s home and official workstation
- Parking at the official workstation
- Valet parking, unless it's the only option or for safety reasons
- Airline class or seat upgrades, unless an accommodation has been approved by HR Disability Services. If seat selection is not included in the base coach/economy fare, it is allowable to reimburse economy class seat selection fees.
- Business/First Class airfare
- Room service; claim meals per diem instead
- Tips to hotel staff, porters, and others for personal services. An allowance for incidental expenses is included with meals per diem.
- Alcoholic beverages
- Personal expenses including but not limited to:
- Costs of trip insurance such as cancellation, interruption and trip delay
- Medical and hospital services
- Spouse/dependent expenses
- Itinerary change/cancellation fees for personal reasons
- Entertainment expenses
- Transportation costs to or from places of entertainment and other non-state business locations including dinner at conferences.
- Out of pocket charges for vehicle service calls caused by the negligence of the traveler.
- Any tips or gratuities associated with personal expenses.
- Tolls associated with the use of high occupancy toll (HOT) lanes.
- Fines from appropriate jurisdictions for all parking tickets, citations or infractions received while operating a vehicle on state business (privately owned vehicle, rental vehicle or state owned vehicle).
Are Airbnbs allowed?
Please refer to: STN-U5348.10F Using Peer to Peer Rental Property
Can I use air miles, points or companion fares and receive reimbursement?
WWU will reimburse you for actual dollars spent on your airfare. If you use air miles you will not be reimbursed for them.
If a companion (lower cost) fare is listed for the employee passenger's name, that is the amount that can be reimbursed to the employee.
What if my trip is cancelled?
Note on 60+ Day Approval
If you submit your request after 60 days, please choose the “Taxable Reimbursement – Over 60 Days” expense type for each expense and note what each expense is for in the description.
Mileage
For Mileage you may select the “Mileage” expense type to get the system calculations, note the calculations in the description, and save the expense. Finally, change the expense type to the “Taxable” expense type.
Contact Travel Services, 360-650-3341 if you have a questions.
Approval Process
Concur Travel Documents flow automatically through approvals:
- Travel Services
- Supervisor(s)
- Budget Authorities
Approver/Proxy List
How do I pay back a travel expense?
If you need to pay back a travel expense, please ensure you have the correct budget information and make your payment for free by electronic check or by credit card with a small fee here: Travel Expense Repayment Site.
If you have questions please contact Travel.Services@wwu.edu.