Booking UW Travel and Requesting Reimbursement

It is the responsibility of the traveler to adhere to UW policies and to be aware of the reimbursement limitations. ECE follows UW travel policies outlined on the UW Travel website.

1. Request Approval to Travel – Required

Obtain authorization to travel out of state* from your PI or from Department Head (ECE Chair or ECE Administrator) before you travel. This can be done via email and combined with the funding approval authorization outlined below.
Obtain authorization to use UW funds from your PI or from Department Head (ECE Chair or ECE Administrator) before you travel. This can be done via email and combined with the request to travel out of state as described above.

*There is a blanket approval on file for faculty to travel out of state so this typically only applies to students or staff traveling.

2. Book your Flights & Lodging

Please see this page for more information and policies regarding reimbursing airfare at UW
Please refer to the “How to pay for travel” table below for details on how to book airfare and lodging

3. Review UW Travel Policies and prepare for your trip

UW Travel Policies must be followed
Itemized receipts in PDF format (see below for receipt requirements and allowable expense reimbursements)

4. Organize your documentation and request reimbursement

Travel Reimbursement requests can be submitted by logging into UW Connect with your UW NetID and searching for “Travel Spend Authorization & Travel Reimbursement Request”
- Provide a PDF copy of the approval to travel and charge UW funds
- Provide all receipts and required documentation from your trip in PDF format
- Review UW Travel policies if you have questions about what can or cannot be reimbursed
- Only request reimbursement for the amount approved by your PI / Unit Head
Once the UW Connect form has been submitted, it will route to the Engineering Shared Environment for processing
Please reach out to your PI or Grant Manager for UW Worktag information if it was not provided in your request to use UW funds to travel. The ESE does not provide worktag information for travelers.

Pre-trip Reimbursement

It is allowable to reimburse travel expenses prior to the trip as long as it meets all other travel compliance requirements. The most common expenses include airfare, registration, and lodging.

How to pay for travel

Category	Purchase Options	Comments
Airfare – domestic (see Personal Time)	Out-of-Pocket / submit for Reimbursement February 2024 – Christopherson Business Travel is currently unavailable, ECE Department is working on an alternative for pre-booking flight options.	Select most economical/reasonable option First class, business class, coach upgrade and seat fees are not reimbursable unless you have appropriate justification Flights purchased using rewards programs are not reimbursable On rare occasions (department funded travel) the department can request approval to charge lodging on the department travel card (CTA). Please contact the ECE Administrator, Aleesha Wiest for approval.
Airfare – foreign (see Personal Time)	Out-of-Pocket / submit for Reimbursement February 2024 – Christopherson Business Travel is currently unavailable, ECE Department is working on an alternative for pre-booking flight options.	Fly America Act (for federally funded travel). See flowchart for exceptions. Flights purchased using rewards programs are not reimbursable On rare occasions (department funded travel) the department can request approval to charge lodging on the department travel card (CTA). Please contact the ECE Administrator, Aleesha Wiest for approval.
Lodging / hotel	Out-of-Pocket / submit for reimbursement	On rare occasions, such as student trips and visitors, the department can request approval to charge lodging on the department travel card (Central Travel Account)
Non-traditional lodging / hotel (e.g. AirBnB)	Out-of-pocket / submit for reimbursement	Reimbursable with itemized receipt (including names of guests) Indicate UW or non-UW employee
Meals	Out-of-pocket / submit for reimbursement	Reimbursable at the per diem rate Provide airfare/train/car rental itinerary or indicate time of departure if using personal vehicle Indicate if meals were provided (e.g. conference, host)
Other transportation (privately owned vehicle, taxi, public transportation)	Out-of-pocket / submit for reimbursement	Reimbursable with itemized receipt Map for mileage (privately owned vehicle) required Taxi/Uber – full receipt is required Tips are reimbursable Rounding up for donations are not reimbursable
Car rental	Out-of-pocket / submit for reimbursement	UW employees only (drivers); if non-UW employee is listed (e.g. spouse, friend), the expense is void, and NOT reimbursable. When possible, use Enterprise and National UW Contract rates Decline all additional coverage Reimbursable with itemized receipt
Train / rail	Christopherson Business Travel (charges directly to your budget) Out-of-Pocket / reimbursement	Reimbursable with itemized receipt

Additional travel information

Per diem rates

Current Domestic Per Diem Rates
Current Domestic Non-Contiguous Per Diem Rates (Alaska, Hawaii and other U.S. territories)
Current International Per Diem Rates

Travel packages

Travel packages are only reimbursable as a travel expense if components of the travel package can be itemized (airfare, airfare tax, lodging room rate per night, lodging tax per night, etc.)

If package deals are reimbursed without detail, it is not an allowable travel expense, and the reimbursement counts as taxable income for the traveler and is taxed through payroll.

Visit UW’s policy on package deals.

Meals

Travelers must indicate if meals were provided by other sources. For example, if you are attending a conference and lunch is included. Your conference itinerary must be included in your reimbursement request.

Meal per diem starts when you are in travel status. Documentation examples include airfare itinerary, train reservation confirmation, or POV departure time.

You will not be reimbursed for alcohol. For additional information on meals and/or alcohol during travel, please see UW’s policy on meals.

Lodging per diem

Before you book, verify lodging per diem rate for your travel destination. Reimbursement is limited to per diem rate unless an exception exists.

Exceptions in which lodging costs in excess of the per diem rate is allowable include:

Hotel is adjacent to conference listed in program – limitations apply
Lower cost overall to stay in more expensive hotel (vs. combined cost of staying in cheaper hotel and taking a taxi to conference or renting a car) – limitations apply
Concerns for health and safety
Special event or disaster

For additional information on lodging, please see UW’s policy on lodging.

Personal time

If taking personal time, you will need to provide documentation comparing airfare costs showing your personal time did not incur additional costs.

Comparison airfare

If you are taking personal time off, comparison airfare is the airfare you would have booked if you only stayed for the allowable business days. For example, a conference is Monday-Thursday, and you want to take personal time from Thursday-Sunday. You will need to provide comparison airfare for the Monday-Thursday dates, along with the airfare you purchased with personal time. If the purchased airfare exceeds the comparison cost, you will only be reimbursed the lesser of the two.

For additional information on comparison airfare, see UW’s policy on comparison airfare.

Mileage for long distances

If requesting mileage for long distances, you will need to provide other transportation comparisons to show what the cost would have been if taking other means of transportation (e.g. train, airfare, bus, etc.). For example, if you were traveling from Seattle to Portland, you will need to provide documentation on cost of airfare, mileage, and/or other means of transportation (e.g. bus or train).

Car rental

Compact or sedan (5-person car) is the standard allowable car rental. Upgrades are allowable with appropriate justification. For example, requesting a van to transport supplies and equipment necessary to complete field work is an appropriate justification.

For additional information on car rental or other transportation, see UW’s policy on car, insurance, mileage and other transportation.

Mileage rates for privately owned vehicle

All mileage starts from the university campus on weekdays, during work hours 8am- 5pm. If travel begins outside of work hours, you may use your home as your starting point for mileage. You cannot claim reimbursement for BOTH mileage and gas. The mileage rate accounts for gas and wear and tear.

Travel Policies