WWU Get Approved Travel video

1. Get Approved!
How to Avoid Common Errors
In Travel Documents

2. Types of Travel Documents
oTA = Travel authorization
oTV = Travel advance
oTR = Travel reimbursement
(expense report)

3. Approval Process
Approvals flow automatically from one approver to the next.
TA’s go through three stages of approval:
1) Travel Services: Ensures no violations of travel policy
2) Supervisory: Approves the travel (travel status)
3) Budget authority: Approves estimated expenses
TR’s go through two stages of approval:
1) Travel Services: Ensures no violations of travel policy
2) Budget authority: Approves actual expenses
Approver listings available here: www.wwu.edu/bs/travel/tem/reports.shtml

4. Always Enter a Reimbursable Expense
• PROBLEM: TEM is designed to encumber funds for your trip. If there are
no reimbursable expenses, the program gets confused. If a document is
completely approved with no reimbursable expenses, it will not show
‘Approved’. Instead, it will show ‘Error’.
• SOLUTION: To get a document approved with no real expenses, please add
a ‘Miscellaneous’ expense for $0 and note that you are not expecting to be
reimbursed.

5. Be Clear About The
Business Need
• PROBLEM: Sometimes this information is left out because it was included
on inter-departmental forms sometimes acronyms are not
explained. Imagine a state auditor looking at your authorization. Will they
know why you needed to travel?
• SOLUTION: Include a brief explanation in the comments section to justify
the travel expense. If you have a pre-authorization form that already
includes this information, please copy and paste the information into the
comments. You may also add documents in Nolijweb.

6. Include Airfare Funding
• PROBLEM: Airfare booked through a travel agent is released by Travel
Services, who assigns billing at that time. If there is no funding in the
description for the airfare, this can delay the release of your ticket or cause
the ticket to be billed to the wrong fund. The traveler would then need to
process a Journal Voucher to correct the billing.
• SOLUTION: Please include your airfare funding in the description in the
non-reimbursable expense. If you are paying with a department travel card,
please just note that.

7. Make Sure Your Funding is Correct
• PROBLEM: Budget authorities are the last to approve the Travel
Authorizations/Reimbursements. A change in funding means the document
will need to go through the entire approval process again, doubling the time
to get your document approved.
• SOLUTION: Please check with your department to ensure you have the
correct funding before you submit your document.

8. Know Your Transportation
Expense Types
Common errors are putting mileage under “Ground Transportation” or “Gas”. Recent changes
have been made to “Ground Transportation” vs. “Miscellaneous” expenses.
TRANSPORTATION EXPENSE TYPES:
• Gas: Available for refueling rental vehicles. Requires a receipt.
• Mileage: Available when using a personal vehicle for your travel. Please use the Washington State
Mileage rate $.56, enter the miles in the “Unit” field, and enter a brief description to explain the
mileage calculation. (Such as Bellingham to Seattle Round Trip.)
• Ground Transportation: Buses, trains, rental cars require receipts. Taxis & shuttles do not
require a receipt.
• Miscellaneous: Ferries, boat transportation (plus other non-transportation related miscellaneous
expenses.) Requires receipts over $50 per item per day.
• Airfare: Flight costs, including change fees. Requires receipt and itinerary.

9. Enter US Currencies
• PROBLEM: Western does not reimburse travelers in foreign currencies.
• SOLUTION: Please use the OANDA converter. (The exchange rate is not
calculated until the bell rings the next day at the trade center so to get the rate you
need please enter in the day after).
• You may also post a credit card statement showing what rate your bank used.
• Please note: To better align with other state institutions, Foreign currency
exchange/conversion/transaction, and or ATM fees are now considered incidental
expenses which are included in the daily meal per diem allowance; these fees cannot
be claimed as a separate travel expense.

10. Make Sure Your TA Is Approved
Before Requesting Reimbursement
• PROBLEM: All Reimbursements require a Travel
Authorization. Sometimes this step is forgotten,
sometimes it is not connected to the reimbursement.
• SOLUTION: Please generate your Expense Report directly
from your approved TA.

11. Day Trip Meals are Taxable
• PROBLEM: Day Trip meals are often listed as “Per Diem”.
• SOLUTION: Please use the “Day Trip Meals – Taxable” for
your Day Trips and note which meals you are claiming if not a
full day.
• Please Note: You are eligible to be reimbursed for meals on day
trips if your travel exceeds your normal shift by 3 hours. For
example, if you work an 8 hour day normally, you will be
eligible for meal reimbursements if you are traveling for 11
hrs. You will be eligible for the same per diem meals without
receipts for day trips.

12. Per Diem vs. Actual - Meals
• Per Diem means “For the Day” in Latin. If you
claim Meals per Diem you do not need receipts.
This includes Incidental Expenses.
• “Actual” meals claimed require detailed receipts and
may not exceed per diem rates.

13. Per Diem vs. Actual vs. Exceeds Per Diem-
Lodging
• Per Diem rates for lodging do not include tax. If you are unsure of the lodging rate
or it will meet per diem when completing your TA, please choose “Per Diem”.
• Please adjust your TR to “Actual” to reflect at or under per diem rates + tax.
• If your room rate is higher than per diem and a state-approved exception applies,
please use “Exceeds Per Diem” and request an exception with a lodging exception
memo.
• If your room rate is higher than per diem and no exception applies, please request
“Actual” lodging for the per diem rate + tax.

14. Questions? Please contact:
Samantha Zimmerman
Samantha.Zimmerman@wwu.edu
x3341
Travel.Services@wwu.edu