Expense Reporting

A properly completed Travel Expense Report must be prepared by the employee, reviewed and approved by the appropriate supervisor, and submitted to the Finance Office to obtain reimbursement.  The following procedures must be followed:

• Only the official Valparaiso University Travel Expense Report will be accepted.  Downloads of the Travel Expense Report Form are available on the Forms page.
• All sections of the Travel Expense Report must be completed.
• The Travel Expense Report must be signed by the employee requesting the reimbursement and the appropriate supervisor. By signing the report, the supervisor affirms the completeness and mathematical accuracy of the report and all necessary documentation is attached. Vice Presidents may establish the signature and spending limit requirements for their area using the Authorized Spending Limits Form.
• Due to IRS reporting regulations, if the Travel Expense Report includes meals and entertainment of a guest, the report must include the guest’s name and business purpose. In addition, refer to the Valparaiso University “Hospitality Policy” for information regarding authorized expenditures for guests and other non-travel related meal expenditures. Hospitality expense reimbursement must be submitted on the Hospitality Expenditures Reimbursement Request Form.
• Due to IRS reporting regulations, meals for one-day trips will not be reimbursed unless the workday exceeds 10 hours. Typically, the one day trip reimbursement request may include a per diem for the evening meal if the one day trip exceeds 10 hours. See the complete policy on Meals and Entertainment, including information regarding the meal per diem rates.
• Original (no photocopies) itemized receipts of non-meal expenditures must be attached to the Travel Expense Report. In the event that expenses were shared with another individual, photocopies will be acceptable if a notation is made on the Travel Expense Report. Meal reimbursements will be paid based on the per diem rates detailed in the “Meals and Incidentals” section of this policy. Hotel quick checkout receipts that do not itemize charges are not acceptable.
• Prepayments for trip expenditures such as conference fees and airline reservations are often made weeks to months prior to actual travel. Reimbursement requests for these types of expenditures must be submitted in accordance with the reimbursement policy commonly known as the “59 Day Rule” which states that the reimbursement request must be received by the Finance Office within 59 days of payment. Reimbursement requests submitted after 60 days have elapsed will be treated as compensation through Payroll as specified in the expense reimbursement policy. Reports submitted after the close of a fiscal year (occurring annually on July 15) will not be reimbursed under any circumstances.
• In order to manage cash flow and department budgets effectively, the Travel Expense Report must be submitted within 10 working days after returning from a business trip. Reports submitted after 60 days have elapsed will be reimbursed at the discretion of the supervisor and treated as compensation through Payroll as specified in the expense reimbursement policy. Reports submitted after the close of a fiscal year will not be reimbursed. The fiscal year close date, approximately 15 calendar days after June 30, is publicized annually by the Vice President for Administration and Finance.
• View a sample of a properly completed Travel Expense Report.
• Travel Expense Reports will be processed by the Finance Office in the order received. Reimbursements will be processed as timely as possible.