Reimbursement of Expenses Related to Cancelled Travel
Cancelled or Suspended travel claims/ expense reports should be submitted via email to SBS-Payment@calpoly.edu
Requirements to submit cancelled travel claims/expense reports:
- Appropriate COV19 Travel Claim Form (paper) or Expense Report (Concur)
- All Receipts, regardless of value
- Documentation of refund request & response
- Itinerary (for international travel)
Downloads
Reimbursement of Employee/Student-Incurred Expenses
Note: The below sections apply to expenses incurred by or on behalf of employees (faculty and staff) and students for university sponsored travel.
- The travel reimbursement process via a COV19 Travel Claim Form will be used to claim costs incurred for cancelled travel including any applicable cancellation/change fees.
- Travelers must make every effort to claim a refund. Many airlines, hotels and car rental companies are refunding or crediting individuals who personally prepaid these transactions.
- Travelers should collect and maintain documentation about the refund/credit request and outcome.
- Refund requests that were denied by the travel partner are eligible for reimbursement. These reimbursement requests will require supporting documentation showing the request for refund was denied. Please submit a Travel Claim Form to Payment Services.
- Refunds granted in the form of a voucher for later use will be treated as a travel advance and tracked by the department. The traveler may immediately submit a travel reimbursement claim for the expense. If the travel advance (airline voucher, etc.) is not applied to university-related business travel before it expires, the department will be report the amount to Payroll as income subject to payroll tax withholding per IRS regulations.
- For students on a CSU IP program, as opposed to a campus program, the Chancellor’s Office (CO) will process the reimbursement per their guidelines. CSU IP students should refer to csuip@calstate.edu for assistance.
For Expenses Incurred by the Department via direct payment (Concur Travel Card, Travel Card, Procard, Direct Bill, etc.)
- Travelers/departments should make every effort to claim a refund. Many airlines, hotels and car rental companies are refunding or crediting individuals who personally prepaid these transactions.
- Proper method for University liability credit cards:
- Travel Card: use the COV19 Travel Card Claim Form to claim expenses paid via Travel Card
- Concur Travel Card: use the Expense Report in Concur to claim expenses paid via Concur Travel Card
- ProCard: use the regular ProCard reconciliation method
- Card holders should collect and maintain documentation about the refund/credit request and outcome.
- During the card reconciliation process, please attach any supporting documentation and code all COVID-19 related travel expenses with program number COV19. This will facilitate later reimbursement by the university. Credits on cards statements from travel partners should be coded the same way.
- Refunds granted in the form of a voucher for later use should be tracked by the department and used at the earliest opportunity.
- Reimbursements do not apply to club or club sport travel.
Departments should review prior card statements for costs incurred in previous months and enter an expenditure transfer to add program code COV19 to the transaction. While an extra step, it will best ensure departments receive reimbursement for costs associated with cancelled trips.
Travel Funded by External Sponsoring Agencies
In addition to guidelines stated in the CSU Travel Policy, sponsoring agencies also have their own travel guidelines. Travel funded by external sponsors must be related to project activity and must be allowable and reasonable.
In the event that travel plans must be cancelled, requests for reimbursement of travel-related expenses such as airfare, hotel, registration, and cancellation fees will be reviewed on a case by case basis. Requests must be approved by UCP or Sponsored Programs, and in some cases would also require sponsor approval.
Please reach out to your dedicated Payment Service Technician if you have any questions about this process.