Can I Charge This Travel Expense?
It Depends...
Travel and related travel costs must meet the following criteria to be charged to a sponsored project:
- Necessity: Costs must be necessary to achieve research objectives of the project.
- Direct Benefit: Costs must directly benefit the project.
- Compliance: Expenses must comply with University, Federal, State, and Sponsor regulations, restrictions, and documentation requirements (see OCG Guidelines: Responsibility for Sponsored Projects Receipts and Supporting Documentation).
For all travel costs:
- Approval: Costs must be preapproved per University (campus and department/unit) and sponsor rules and regulations.
- Receipts: Collect receipts as required by CU Procurement Services Center (PCS) policy.
- Recordkeeping: Save documentation (forms, receipts) in Concur, Marketplace, and/or department records for six years.
Note: Items marked with an asterisk (*) pertain to sponsored projects and differ from general University travel policies.
General
ÌýÌýYES
- Travel preapproved by the sponsor and University, with travel completed before the project end date (use CCO’s Sponsored Research Travel Authorization Form*)
- Travel related to fieldwork, data collection, conferences, orÌýofficial project-related functions.
- Allowable travel costs with required receiptsÌý and justifications (follow ).
ÌýÌýMAYBE
- Travel not preapproved by the sponsor and University (best practice: obtain preapproval using CCO’s Sponsored Research Travel Authorization Form*).
ÌýÌýNO
- Prepaid travel costs for trips occurring after the project end date.
- Additional costs incurred due to illness (e.g., quarantine, extended stay due to illness).
- Travel costs disallowed by the sponsor.
- Travel lacking required documentation, approvals or justifications.
Transportation
ÌýÌýYES
- Domestic airfare (least expensive, compliant with Fly America Act).
- International airfare consistent with Fly America Act, including charter flights.*
- Baggage fees.
- Rental cars at the least expensive compact car rate.
- Mileage and parking, both local and not local, including for intra-campus meetings.
- Taxi, Uber, Lyft, or alternative transportation (e.g., snowmobiles, boats, bikes, pack animals) budget and expense as Other Direct Costs, not Travel.
ÌýÌýMAYBE
- Airfare other than the least expensive option if justifications apply (e.g., avoiding undue trip prolongation, unreasonable hours, or increased routing).
- International flights not compliant with the Fly America Act, but documented with justification (can include the Fly America Act Waiver).*
- Business- or first-class airfare if medically necessary (requires a doctor’s statement and case-by-case approval).
- Rental cars exceeding compact car rate for justified purposes (e.g., multiple travelers, medical needs, transporting equipment and/or materials).
ÌýÌýNO
- Transportation costs for retreats and interdepartmental meetings.*
Lodging
ÌýÌýYES
- Hotel or motel accommodations.
- Airbnb or VRBO at rates comparable to single-room occupancy rates of nearby hotels.
- Camping fees.
ÌýÌýMAYBE
- Lodging and meal costs for attending meetings or conferences, allowable only if required by the sponsor.*
ÌýÌýNO
- Lodging or meal costs for retreats, intra-campus, or interdepartmental meetings thatÌýdisseminate information beyond collaborators working on the same project.*
- Lodging and per diem reimbursement for local travel.
Meals
ÌýÌýYES
- Meals that follow per diem standards with receipts* for travel or day trips exceeding 12 hours.
- Meals for non-employees based in ºù«ÍÞÊÓƵ (reasonable subsistence allowance, not per diem, with receipts).
- Fair wage or wellness fees charged by restaurants within the 20% tip allowance. University 20% allowance for tips.
ÌýÌýMAYBE
- See Lodging.
ÌýÌýNO
- See Lodging.
Non-employee Travel
ÌýÌýYES
- Collaborator or consultant travel costs, consistent with all travel regulations, paid directly by the University or the collaborator or consultant.
- Participant support travel costs for conferences or training, if budgeted and documented as ÌýParticipant Support instead of Travel Costs, as required by the sponsor.*
ÌýÌýMAYBE
- N/A
ÌýÌýNO
- N/A
Dependent Care
ÌýÌýYES
- N/A
ÌýÌýMAYBE
- Travel costs for dependents for trips exceeding six months, with sponsor preapproval (limited to certain awards).
ÌýÌýNO
- Temporary dependent care (federal standards disallow unless offered to all qualified employees, which CU ºù«ÍÞÊÓƵ does not provide).
Insurance
ÌýÌýYES
- N/A
ÌýÌýMAYBE
- Rental car insurance (limited secondary coverage via CU US Bank Travel Card, country-specific compulsory insurance may be allowable).
ÌýÌýNO
- International medical/evacuation insurance for employees (covered by GeoBlue). International medical and evacuation
- Property insurance (University insurance covers leased/owned property; personal property is not covered). Student travel health insurance (costs include CU administration fees and are therefore unallowable).
Other Costs
ÌýÌýYES
- Visa fees
- Travel expenses for remote employees on sponsored projects (up to two trips/year to ºù«ÍÞÊÓƵ for required meetings).Ìý
ÌýÌýMAYBE
- N/A
ÌýÌýNO
- Alcohol.
- Passport fees or expedited processing fees.
- Travel change/cancellation fees unless allowed by award terms or federal disaster policies.*Ìý