Overview
Advance Travel Authorization
Conference and Registration Fees
Lodging
Meals
Commercial Transportation
Automobile Expense
Rental Car Insurance
Miscellaneous Expenses
Travel Advance

Overview Top

All travel expenditures must be specifically authorized in accordance with the sponsoring agency's rules and regulations. Federal agencies may require prior approval for foreign travel (excluding Canada, Mexico and U.S. territories) and prohibit flights on non-U.S. airlines. Please check with your Grant and Contract Administrator for the specific regulations that apply to your sponsored program. All travel is subject to availability of funds on the particular sponsored program.

Advance Travel Authorization

Any travel out of town for one or more nights and any travel, regardless of duration, requiring use of a rental car requires advance authorization. Information collected to assign Advance Travel Authorization (ATA) numbers is used to track travel trends and provide our insurance providers with information for risk assessment. The ATA number should be included on all paperwork related to travel expenses including Requisitions and Travel Advance/Expense Reports. Please provide your postaward grant and contract administrator (GCA) with project number, purpose of the trip, travel dates, destination, estimated total cost of trip; air, train or bus fare; travel agency, if applicable; and number of days for rental car, if any. The GCA will review this information and your project then, if appropriate, issue an ATA number.

Conference and Registration Fees Top

Conference and registration fees are allowable costs subject to the specific rules and regulations of the sponsoring agency. If you wish the Foundation to prepay the registration fees, please complete an ODU Research Foundation Requisition Form and forward it to the Foundation with the appropriate registration form at least ten (10) working days before the fee is due. The Foundation will issue a check and mail it with the registration forms no later than three (3) working days before it is due.

You may also request the registration fee as part of your travel advance. Proof of payment must be provided to be reimbursed for this expense.

Lodging Top

Reasonable lodging expenses are an allowable cost, subject to the specific rules and regulations of the sponsoring agencies. The Foundation allows a conference participant to stay in the "conference headquarters" hotel even if other, less expensive, hotels are available.

Special lodging per diems can be authorized by the sponsoring agency and/or the Foundation for unusual travel circumstances. This usually involves extended travel in areas where normal commercial lodging is not available. Lodging per diems may also be appropriate for extended foreign travel. This type of travel needs to be anticipated at the time of proposal submission.

Unless a lodging per diem is authorized by the Foundation in advance, all lodging expenses must be substantiated with an original receipt from the lodging establishment. The receipt needs to provide sufficient detail for the Foundation to determine the cost of the room and any other charges included in the bill.

The Foundation can prepay room deposits using the same procedure described for prepaying registration/conference fees above. You may also request lodging expenses as part of your travel advance. In either case, the original lodging receipt is required as part of the travel settlement.

Meals Top

Meals while on out-of-town travel (outside a 50-mile radius of traveler's normal place of business) are an allowable cost subject to the specific rules and regulations of the sponsoring agency. The traveler can either be reimbursed for the actual meal expenses, if reasonable and documented by a receipt, or can be reimbursed for meal expenses using the Foundation's per diem rate. The per diem rate is adjusted for partial travel days.

For the purposes of these policies, travel begins one hour before the scheduled departure of a commercial carrier (plane, train, etc.) or, if driving, the actual time of departure. The travel status ends, for the purpose of meal reimbursements, one hour after the commercial carrier returns the traveler to his/her home base (usually, this will be arrival at the Norfolk airport). Travel by automobile ends upon arrival at the traveler's workplace or residence.

For partial travel days, the following guidelines will be used to determine the appropriate meal per diem. The Foundation follows the Federal Code for determining meal per diem rates. The current rates range from $39-$64 per day. Please consult www.gsa.gov for the appropriate per diem rate for your destination. Travel days (for meal per diem purposes) begin at 12:01AM and end at midnight. Each day is further broken up into quarters (12:00 AM to 6:00 AM, 6:00 AM to 12:00 PM, 12:00 PM to 6:00 PM, and 6:00 PM to 12:00 AM).

As an example: if you are to board a plane at 6:30 AM, to Washington, DC (with a per diem rate of $46 per day), your travel day starts at 5:30 AM. If this trip terminates at 4:30 PM (arrival back in Norfolk), then your travel day stops at 5:30 PM. Your allowable per diem would be $34.50 (three-quarters of the per diem: 12:00 AM to 6:00 AM, 6:00 AM to 12:00 PM, and 12:00 PM to 6:00 PM portions of the day).

In the above example, if the trip should terminate at 6:00 PM, then the allowable per diem would be the full daily per diem cost as you would be traveling in a portion of all four quarters in the day.

Per diem rates are adjusted from time to time to account for changes in cost. Please consult www.gsa.gov for the current per diem rates.

When on travel status, you may use the per diem rate for meals, or be reimbursed for the actual cost. Only one system may be used for the entire trip (i.e., if you wish to be reimbursed for actual costs, you must obtain receipts for all meals for the entire trip). You will only be reimbursed up to the amount of receipts presented on your travel settlement. No per diem rates will be used if receipts are turned in for actual cost reimbursement.

Commercial Transportation Top

Commercial transportation expense is an allowable cost subject to the specific rules and regulations of the sponsoring agency. All Foundation travel should be procured at the lowest coach or tourist class services available that meets the specific needs of the traveler. First or business class rail or air service is not an allowable cost.

Please note that the Federal government requires almost all foreign travel on its sponsored programs to be conducted on U.S. airlines. This rule applies even if the cost is higher and the service less convenient. Foreign travel needs to be anticipated at the time of proposal submission.

Automobile Expense Top

The Foundation will reimburse the traveler for actual miles traveled in one's personal automobile, provided that:

the travel is an allowable cost, subject to the specific rules and regulations of the sponsoring agencies, and

actual cost does not exceed the lowest tourist or coach commercial air fare.

The Foundation may periodically revise its mileage reimbursement rate. Current rates are listed at the end of this policy. In no case will this rate exceed the mileage reimbursement rate set by the Internal Revenue Service.

Rental Car Insurance
The Research Foundation maintains an insurance policy to cover "Hired and non-Owned Autos" rented by authorized individuals for research related activities through the Research Foundation account. The policy provides for both liability and property damage (collision) coverage for vehicles valued up to $35,000. When renting cars in the United States it is not necessary to buy the additional damage waiver coverage from the rental car company.

Discounts - If reservations for an Enterprise vehicle are being booked through the on-line registration system for out of area travel, the traveler can get a discounted rate US wide by entering our corporate account number and pin number where indicated on the reservation process screens.

Corporate account number: D82361D

PIN: ODU

Miscellaneous Expenses Top

The Foundation allows the following travel expenses provided that they are reasonable and consistent with the purpose of the travel:

• taxi fares/airport limousine service,
  
  
• airport parking,
  
  
• one personal long-distance call for each night on travel status
  

Travel Advance Top

To obtain a travel advance, you must complete ODU Research Foundation's Travel Advance Form. The top portion must be completed to include beginning and ending dates and times of travel, as well as destination and purpose. Part A needs to be filled out to include all amounts required in the various expenditure categories, including any miscellaneous items, such as tips for luggage handling, etc. For an advance to be issued, the bottom left portion must be completed including the signature of the traveler as well as the principal investigator responsible for the grant being charged.

OLD DOMINION UNIVERSITY RESEARCH FOUNDATION CURRENT PER DIEM/MILEAGE RATES

The Foundation will reimburse mileage on personal automobiles at $0.585 per mile.

The Foundation will reimburse per diem meal expenses at the daily rate specified for the city of travel destination.

Rates are available on the Web at www.gsa.gov. Daily rates are prorated in quarter-day increments based on time of departure and arrival.

TRAVEL ADVANCE/EXPENSE REPORT FORM INSTRUCTIONS

ODU RESEARCH FOUNDATION GRANT I.D. NUMBER
The six-digit ODU Research Foundation project number and travel object code from budget.

CHECK IF FOREIGN TRAVEL
Check here if your travel will take you outside the continental U.S. Consult with your Grant and Contract Administrator concerning any foreign travel.

NAME OF TRAVELER
Place the name of the person who will be traveling in this space.

SSN
Place the Social Security number of the person who will be traveling in this space.

MAILING ADDRESS
Place the address of the person who will be traveling in this space. You may use either a home or a campus address. This is the address the check will be sent, unless otherwise specified.

PURPOSE OF TRAVEL
Place the reason for your travel in this space.

FROM/DATE
This is the date you will be departing on your travel.

FROM/TIME
This is the time you will be departing on your travel.

TO/DATE
This is the date you will be returning from your travel.

TO/TIME
This is the time you will be returning from your travel

NOTE: Times must be filled in to determine per diem rates.

DESTINATION
The place to which you will be traveling.

PART A. ADVANCE

COMMON CARRIER
To be used for airplane, train, or bus tickets. These items should be prepaid. Obtain an ATA number from your Grant and Contract Administrator.

MILEAGE
Estimate the number of miles to be driven times the current rate per mile if you are using a personal vehicle. Consult with ODU Research Foundation Accounts Receivable for applicable per mile rate.

LODGING
Enter costs based on price quote from the hotel or per diem rate will be used for lodging. Hotel rooms can be prepaid. Submit ODU Research Foundation Requisition Form 109.

MEALS
Estimate the cost of meals during your travel. Consult with ODU Research Foundation Accounts Receivable for applicable per diem rate.

TOLLS/PARKING
Estimate the cost of tolls or parking fees you may incur during your travel.

TAXI/BUS
Estimate the cost of taxi or bus fares you may incur during your travel. Do not include any bus fare for which an ATA number was issued.

REGISTRATIONS
All registration fees to conferences, seminars, etc. should be prepaid. Submit an ODU Research Foundation Requisition to Purchase form for fees (ODU Research Foundation Form 109).

OTHER EXPENSES
Estimate the cost of any other expenses for which there is not a specific line on this form that you may incur during your travel.

ADVANCE REQUESTED
Total of all amounts listed above.

PART B. TRAVEL EXPENSES (ATTACH ALL RECEIPTS)

RECEIPT OR TICKET REQUIRED

Use this line if you used a common carrier and no ATA number was issued. A copy of a paid receipt must accompany this form.
___ #MI@ ___/#MI

Multiply actual total miles driven by per mile rate. Consult with ODU Research Foundation Accounts Receivable for per-mile rate.

HOTEL RECEIPTS REQUIRED
Attach all itemized hotel receipts received during your travel, even if per diem rate for lodging was initially used to obtain advance.
# MEALS _______ RECEIPTS REQUIRED

Attach all meal receipts received during your travel if per diem rate was not used. If the per diem rate was used, no receipts are required. Indicate the per diem amount that is justified based on actual time of departure and actual time of return.

TOLLS / PARKING - RECEIPTS ATTACHED
Attach all other receipts pertaining to tolls/parking expenses.

TAXI / BUS - RECEIPTS ATTACHED
Attach all other receipts pertaining to taxi/bus expenses.

REGISTRATIONS - RECEIPTS ATTACHED
Attach all other receipts pertaining to registrations paid while on travel.

OTHER EXPENSES - RECEIPTS REQUIRED
Any additional expenditures listed as "other" must be verified with paid receipts.

TOTAL TRAVEL EXPENSES
Total amount of all items listed above.

PART C. TRAVEL SETTLEMENT SECTION

TOTAL TRAVEL EXPENSES
Total of Part B.

ADVANCE REQUESTED
Total of Part A.

BALANCE FOR SETTLEMENT
Difference between total advance and total expenses.

DUE ODU RESEARCH FOUNDATION
If the amount of your advance is greater than your total expenses, place that amount here. This is the amount you will return to ODU Research Foundation at the time you settle your advance

DUE TRAVELER
If the amount of your total expenses is greater than your advance, place that amount here. This is the amount you will be refunded by ODU Research Foundation.

Do not use the areas in the right half of this section. They are for ODU Research Foundation USE ONLY!

ADVANCE APPROVAL AND SETTLEMENT

SIGNATURE OF TRAVELER
The person who actually will be traveling must sign the left-hand side at the time an advance is requested. The right-hand side must be signed at the time the advance is settled.

SIGNATURE OF PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
The signature of the principal investigator in charge of the project to which travel will be charged. Principal investigators traveling under their own projects need only sign under APPROVALS. Again, only sign the left side for an advance, the right side to settle.

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

This signature is required only for travel by ODU Research Foundation core staff.

NOTE:
All travel advances are to be settled within 10 days of return date. No new advance will be issued until all outstanding advances are settled.

Home | Accounting/Procurement