Travel and Event Reimbursement

• Supervisor approval is required for all professional development and an approved Travel Request is required prior to booking any Travel arrangements. To submit a Travel Request, complete a Recreation Professional Development Request Form.

• All travel must be reconciled within 5 business days after last day of travel.

• All receipts must be itemized (cash, travel card, personal card).

• Travel packages are not eligible for reimbursement. For reimbursement eligibility, the receipt or itinerary must specify cost for each item. Before purchasing a travel package, via the Web or otherwise, make sure you will be able to obtain the required documentation. If the receipt or itinerary does not show cost for each component, you must obtain a receipt from each service provider such as the airline, hotel, and/or rental car agency.

Conference Registration

• Registration may not go on a Pcard if travel is involved. The PCard may only be used for San Diego-based or virtual/online conferences and training. If travel is involved, registration must be paid using T&E or a personal form of payment.

• For more information, see Paying for Local Conference Registration.

• Per Recreation policy, registration must be charged to your travel card.

Airfare

• Coach or economy class only.

• When flights are booked through Concur, fees for early check in, priority boarding, or seat selection are reimbursable as long as there is no change to the class of travel; these fees are not reimbursable when flights are purchased outside of Concur.

• Per UC Travel Policy G-28, comparable airfare is required when personal time is used while on business travel status. The traveler is eligible to receive reimbursement for whichever amount is lower. For more information, see Policy on Air Travel.

Car Rentals

• Per Recreation policy, rental cars require pre-approval by the Director prior to travel.

• Up to intermediate-size model only. Rental car insurance can only be reimbursed under special circumstances. Collision Damage Waivers and liability insurance are already included for rentals booked through Concur, so decline these if offered by the agency. However, if the type of travel requires a vehicle that is not covered by an agreement (such as some vans, trucks, SUVs, and some foreign destinations), then you may purchase collision damage coverage and be reimbursed after travel is over.

• Refueling expenses are only eligible for reimbursement if rental was booked through Concur.

• UC employees and students are restricted from renting 15-passenger vans for business travel due to safety concerns.

• For more information, see Renting a Car for UC San Diego Business Travel.

Personal Car Mileage Reimbursement

• Mileage is reimbursed at $0.67 per mile as of January 1, 2024. Fuel receipts are ineligible for reimbursement.

• If an employee is not on travel status and has a temporary assignment away from campus (such as a local training session), mileage may be claimed between campus and the assignment location, or home and the assignment location, whichever is less.

• For more information, see Requesting Mileage Reimbursement.

Hotels/Lodging

• Maximum rate is $333 before taxes and mandatory hotel fees. This rate is per person, per night. Travelers who are required to attend a conference where the prearranged conference lodging rate exceeds the $333 per night cap may stay at the conference hotel without exceptional approval and this must be clearly noted in the expense report. For more information, see Lodging Policy.

• Per Recreation policy, hotel/lodging expenses must be charged to your travel card and room service is not permitted if more than 1 person is staying in a hotel room.

Maximum Reimbursement Amounts

• Per Recreation policy, airport ground transportation between traveler's home and San Diego airport is not reimbursable (effective 7/1/2024)

• Per Recreation policy, alcohol is not reimbursable ($0). 

• Per UCSD policy, effective November 1, 2024 meals while on Travel Status: up to $92 per day (including tax & gratuity).  Prior to November 1, 2024, up to $79 per day (including tax & gratuity).

  • Meal purchases are for the traveler ONLY

  • Meals are not reimbursed if travel is less than 24 hrs

• Prior to making any purchases, get acquainted with Event Policy and review Alternatives to Out-Of-Pocket Expenses.

  • Per Recreation policy, all receipts must be itemized (cash, travel card, personal card).

  • Guest/participant list with full names, titles, and affiliation is required for all meetings and entertainment, but is not required for programmatic activities. For programmatic activities, provide a clear description of the attendees, e.g., "All UCSD 1st-year undergrad, grad, and transfer students."

  • Per person limits apply. For more information, see Maximum Meal Expenses.

• Submit your receipts by completing the Travel and Expense Reimbursement Request Form.

• Meetings: Infrequent, at least one employee present, and occurring on campus or during typical business hours. Meetings must have a clear agenda that is documented and uploaded with reimbursement request.

• Programmatic activities: In connection with student programs or community support.

• Standard entertainment: Involving a guest-host relationship ("hosting" occurs when hosting official guests, e.g., invited speakers)

• Special entertainment: Additional approval required by a vice chancellor or designee.

  • Employee morale events/celebration: Focus should be on celebrating milestones/projects or on team building (e.g., Team-building ropes course). Limited to once per month. Activities should be appropriate and costs within reason. If unsure, best practice is to run ideas by fiscal team.
• Non-reimbursable events: Events that are personal in nature are not reimbursable, such as: birthdays, weddings, anniversaries, farewell gatherings, and retirement (farewell/retirement is allowable if length of service is more than 5 years)