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Per University of Colorado , effective January 21, 2014, travel related receipts are required only when an individual expense exceeds $75.��

Reference the Campus Controller’s Office Guidelines: Responsibility for Sponsored Projects Receipts and Supporting Documentation.��

Government funded travel on grants and contracts at CU where the “Fly America Act” is in effect stipulates that air transportation must be performed by or under a code-sharing arrangement with a United States flag air carrier if service provided by such a carrier is available, regardless of cost or convenience.​

For more information, consult OCG’s International Travel and Fly America Act webpages, as well as .

For Fly America Act compliance, “United States” includes the 50 states, the District of Columbia, and U.S. territories and possessions.

Yes. Travel on federal awards must comply with federal regulations, including:

• Booking the lowest economy airfare
• Complying with the Fly America Act

For non-federal awards, Fly America Act compliance is not required unless it is stipulated by the sponsor. However, still applies. See the page for additional information.

Yes.

• Departmental pre-approval is required for all travel (see University of Colorado APS 4024).Sponsor pre-approval may also be necessary, even if the travel was included in the proposal budget.
  • Some sponsors (e.g. DOE, DPA, ARO) have more restrictive terms that require pre-approval.
  • Changes in travel due to a change in the statement of work require that the statement of work change be approved by the sponsor.

For questions, contact your Grant or Contract Officer. Note that the most restrictive terms of an award apply.

Per , travel authorization should be obtained before the trip. Post-trip authorization is at the discretion of the approver. Reimbursement depends on:

• Allowability per policies.
• Sponsor terms and conditions.
• Whether the travel occurred during the period of performance.

For final determination, consult the Campus Controller’s Office (CCO).

The most restrictive policy must be followed. For example, passport fees are not allowable on sponsored projects because they have a general benefit not specific to a project.

At the height of the pandemic, the federal government expanded flexiblities for costs related to COVID-19 to help recipients of federal research funding cope with the impacts of the COVID-19 crisis (see M-20-17, M-20-20, M-20-26). Most of the flexibilities, including those related to travel, ended in 2020. Following is the current guidance on costs related to COVID-related quaratine costs while on university travel.

1. Travelers are advised that there is an inherent risk with university-related travel and COVID is no longer considered an unforeseen event. Travelers are responsible for assuming costs associated with COVID (i.e. quarantine related extension of hotel stay, meals, etc.).

• Travelers can elect to obtain University Risk Management (URM) insurance.�� The only covers Covid quarantine costs if the person is medically mandated by a doctor to quarantine in a hospital under their supervision.
• URM has updated its travel website to reflect the increased risk while on university-related travel.Some airlines and lodging companies offer travel insurance, which is not an allowable cost on sponsored projects.

2. Campus departments may choose to cover these costs from their own funding.

• If departments decide to provide financial coverage for these expenses, it is preferred that non-general fund speedtypes are utilized.

3. COVID-related quarantine costs associated with travel continue to be unallowable on sponsored awards.

For additional information related to making determinations for the typical process of vaccination fees, etc., related to travel, reference the .

No. Concur is mandatory for all travel, regardless of funding source. CCO’s Travel Authorization Form is an additional tool for sponsored project travel.

Yes. Costs considered travel-related such as airfare, lodging, per diem, ground transportation, and conference registration may still be allowable even if not chargeable to a travel card.

No. Even if the research is related, conference attendance after the POP cannot demonstrate benefit to the project.

No. Some sponsors allow dissemination costs post-POP, however conference registration is classified as travel, not dissemination costs, therefore may not be charged to that project after the POP.

If a trip is cancelled due to no fault of the traveler, the cost��can generally remain on the award. Departments are responsible for tracking flight credits. If credits are used later to benefit another project, then costs must be moved to the appropriate funding source. If credits expire or no future trips occur, costs should be moved to a non-sponsored funding source.

This depends on the circumstances. For example, if the conference is cancelled but the traveler chose non-refundable lodging, these costs may not be allowable. Travelers should follow CU guidance, including pre-approval for trips, to minimize risk.

No. Travel insurance should not be charged to sponsored awards. The University of Colorado provides travel insurance (see ) for international university business. For domestic travel, insurance should be paid by the traveler.

It depends. The travel must directly benefit the research objectives of the project. If the student is not supported by or providing a service to the project, it may not be allowable.

The per diem allowance covers meals and personal expenses (e.g., personal phone calls, laundry, entertainment). The incidentals allowance covers tips and small fees (e.g., baggage handlers, hotel staff).

Typical travel documentation is required, along with additional back-up documentation specific to participant support. See CCO’s��Participant Support FAQs for details.

If the trip directly benefits the project, you can charge mileage and parking. However, meals or lodging would not qualify for reimbursement unless travel status applies.

No. Overnight lodging must be necessary to complete the trip’s purpose and directly support the project. Personal convenience would not qualify.

Generally, not, unless allowed under specific exceptions in the federal regulations and .

No, these are considered fees. Tips are allowable up to 20% of the final bill, which includes tax, service charges, and other fees. For more information, review the Office of University Controller’s .

How allowable and allocable travel for an external party (regardless of whether their salary is paid or not paid on the project) is purchased and paid for is at the discretion of the CU department and project needs. Travel costs for an external party can be paid for directly by CU or paid for by the external party and reimbursed through PSC or a subaward, dependent on subaward or vendor determination, and as it works best for the project and the CU department. In all cases, travel must be allowable and allocable and follow relevant travel policies and regulations.

• Remote employees: Do not deduct commute miles, as their normal commute is zero. Note: Remote employees continue to be subject to HR’s Work Modalities & Schedule guidance that eligible travel for meetings and events is reimbursed no more than 1-2 times/year.
• Hybrid employees: Must deduct their normal commute miles per PSC’s travel procedural statement: “When commuting to sites other than the primary work location, reimbursable mileage is calculated by totaling the number of miles driven that day and subtracting the total number of miles the employee would need to normally commute between home/primary work location/home.” Reimbursement for normal commute miles is considered personal and taxable.

It depends on the agreement and statement of work (SOW). Travel costs must align with how they were agreed upon (as reimbursed or fixed-price) in the SOW submitted to PSC. Review .

Yes, as long as travel arrangements follow PSC guidance and are included in the SOW. Review .

Project personnel who are not independent contractors may have travel paid for by the university following non-employee travel processes ().

"International travel" definitions vary by context:

• University of Colorado Procurement Services Center (PSC): Travel outside the 48 contiguous states, Alaska, Hawaii, and the District of Columbia.
• Fly America Act/Federal Sponsors: Includes U.S. territories and possessions as domestic travel. Some federal agencies treat Canada and Mexico as domestic travel for award budgetary purposes.

Follow CU ��«����Ƶ policies:

• Travel within the 50 states is considered as domestic travel.
• Travel to all other destinations, including U.S. territories and possessions, is considered international travel.

A U.S. air carrier holding a certificate under 49 U.S.C. 41102 See the website.

Review OCG’s Fly America Act webpage for guidance. The Fly America Act Waiver form can be used to document exceptions.

No. You must use a U.S. air carrier regardless of cost on a project funded by the DOD or by a department of the U.S. Military.

Document the reason for using a non-U.S. air carrier. This can be done using OCG’s Fly America Act Waiver form.

No. The form requires signatures from the traveler and the Principal Investigator (if not the traveler). The completed form should be attached to the other trip records (e.g., travel authorization, expense report) and retained with the award records in the department.

No. If the grant or contract requires compliance with the “Fly America Act”, then a foreign air carrier service may not be used solely based on the cost or convenience.

• Traveler: Must follow Fly America Act requirements and document exceptions when applicable.
• Department: Ensures compliance through guidance and record-keeping.
• Christopherson Business Travel (CBT): Provides ticketing services but does not guarantee compliance.

Exceptions must be documented by the traveler and retained by the department. The Fly America Act Waiver form can be used for this purpose but is not required. The OCG Compliance Team or your grant/contract accountant in CCO can assist with questions.

Yes. Use the Fly America Act Decision Guide to confirm compliance with all requirements. Note: City-Pair Agreements may override Open Skies Agreements depending on travel specifics.