Approval Process
Our primary regulation is that all University business travel must be pre-approved. Prior travel approval insures the traveler’s supervisor and/or department head approves of the activity, funds are available for reimbursement of expenses, travel is allowable on the funds, and traveler is covered under workman’s compensation insurance.
The Form 17, Request for Authority to Travel on University Business, is the University document that communicates the need to be in travel status when traveling outside Indiana. (Exception: See In-State Travel and Blanket Travel) The Form 17 should be approved two weeks prior to travel.
An individual is in travel status when traveling on official business for Purdue whether or not expenses will be reimbursed by the University.
Business travel is defined as duties that require the traveler (Purdue employee) to be away from their regular place of business or post of duty (official station), regardless of where the family home is located. It includes the entire city or general area in which the official station is located. Travel between official station and family home is not a reimbursable expense.
Travel expense reimbursement is limited to the lesser of expenses incurred from the departure point or from the "official station". The official station is defined as the location of the permanent office. The official station is defined as the location of the permanent office including the entire city or general area in which the 'official station' is located.
If the traveler is departing from some place other than their permanent office, a comparison must be attached to the Form 25, Request for Reimbursement, indicating expenses are the lesser of the two.
Approval Delegation for Source of Fund
In accordance with Executive Vice President and Treasurer Memorandum A-35, Delegation of source of funds fiscal approval for travel has been revised as follows:
- Authority to grant source of funds approval for domestic travel on all sources of funds is delegated to the business office.
- Authority to grant source of funds approval for foreign travel on non-SPS funds is delegated to the business office.
- Authority to grant source of funds approval for foreign travel on NIH, NSF, and Voluntary Support administered by SPS projects is delegated to the business office.
- Authority to grant source of funds approval for foreign travel on SPS funds other than NIH, NSF, and Voluntary Support administered by SPS projects remains with SPS.
- Authority to grant source of funds approval for foreign travel when funding is split with SPS funds other than NIH, NSF, and Voluntary Support administered by SPS projects remains with SPS.
Delegations to individual business officers is determined by the level of each person's existing Comptroller authorization.
When reviewing the travel request, business office staff should verify:
- The allowability and reasonableness of the travel
- The availability of funds for the trip
- The trip falls within the intent of the funds being used
- University Travel Policy is followed
The source of fund delegation does not replace the programmatic approval delegated to the deans, vice presidents and their designees.
Programmatic Approval
The Form 17 is approved at varying administrative levels of the university. The role of these individuals is to determine whether the trip is necessary, if it will truly benefit the work of the individual traveling, and other issues related to the administration of the department.
The process has been modified for requests involving countries with travel warnings or alerts/announcements as posted by the U.S. State Department. These requests should now be routed through the Office of International Programs for review prior to final approval. See Line 19 of Form 17, Request for Authority to Travel on University Business.
Please contact your business office for additional information on signature delegation.
Domestic Travel
Domestic travel includes travel within and between any of the 50 States of the United States and its possessions and territories and also includes travel between the United States and Canada and within Canada, and between the United States and Mexico and within Mexico. For travelers who live outside the United States and it possessions, domestic travel is that travel performed within the travelers' own country.
In-State Travel
In-State travel covers all travel within the State of Indiana.
The authorization of in-state travel is delegated to the Department Head.
Each department must establish written policies describing their own internal operating procedures for authorizing in-state travel. In the academic departments, the Business Office is responsible for assuring the department has a written policy and that the department is adhering to that policy. Departments without a Business Office must develop, maintain, and assure adherence to their own in-state travel authorization policies.
Reimbursement for in-state travel must be requested on the Form 25, Request for Travel Reimbursement. For academic departments, the Business Office signature on the Form 25 attests to the fact that the travel adheres to the department's in-state travel authorization policies.
Blanket Travel
Blanket travel is frequent travel by Statewide Technology or Cooperative Extension Service travelers to contiguous counties in states surrounding Indiana. Blanket travel may also be defined as special circumstances requiring frequent travel (12 or more trips a year) to the same location outside the State of Indiana for the same business reason.
The authorization of blanket travel is delegated to the Department Head.
Each department must establish written policies describing their own internal operating procedures for authorizing blanket travel. In the academic departments, the Business Office is responsible for assuring the department has written policy and that the department is adhering to that policy. Departments without a Business Office must develop, maintain, and assure adherence to their own blanket travel authorization policies.
Reimbursement for blanket travel must be requested on the Form 25, Request for Travel Reimbursement. For academic departments, the Business Office signature on the Form 25 attests that the travel adheres to the department's blanket travel policies.
If blanket travel approval has been granted by the department head, the Blanket Travel box must be checked on the Form 25, Travel Reimbursement Request.
Minimum Departmental Policies for In-State and Blanket Travel
The policy can be as simple as a list of staff or position titles that would be traveling in the State of Indiana on business. Anyone who travels in the State of Indiana must be on the list (by name or position title) or reimbursement will not be guaranteed.
If the travel is blanket travel, best practice is to state the reason as well as location of business. Any trips to that location other than the stated reason would require an approved Form 17 unless the travel meets in-state travel requirements.
Certainly, policies may more restrictive than stated above. These are very basic policies that provide little travel management, but offer some control on staff traveling in-state or on blanket travel.
In the case a department has not established written policies for approving in-state or blanket travel, a Form 17 is required for approval to travel.
Out-of-State Travel
Out-of-state travel is all domestic travel except in-state travel.
The University President has delegated to each of the Deans and/or Vice Presidents the authority to further delegate domestic travel approvals to department heads/directors.
In schools or divisions where this approval authority delegation has been made, the dean/vice president reviews all Department Head/Director travel requests. The Department Head/Director's business office will complete their review prior to forwarding the Form 17 to the dean/vice president.
In schools or divisions where the Dean and/or Vice President has not delegated Department Head/Director authority, domestic Form 17's must be routed for the Dean and/or Vice President's review and approval.
When a Dean or Department Head is traveling, the Form 17 will be approved by the next higher administrative level to complete the academic review of the travel.
Foreign Travel Requests
All foreign travel will be reimbursed using the federal foreign travel reimbursement rates unless the source of funds requires the use of State travel reimbursement rates. The use of gift funds and general funds no longer require an exception.
- Gift funds may be used for foreign travel as long as the purpose of the trip is consistent with the intentions of the donor.
- General funds may be used for foreign travel when the purpose of the trip is consistent with the purpose of the fund.
- When foreign travel relates to research, sponsored program research funds should be used if the trip is allowable and funds are available in the project.
Foreign travel is defined as travel to, between, or within countries outside the United States and its territories and possessions, as well as Canada and Mexico. Canada is always considered Domestic travel. Federally funded trips to Mexico (Except NSF funds), federal foreign travel guidelines should be followed rather than domestic guidelines. It is the responsibility of the department business office to determine if the funding is federal.
All foreign travel requests must be submitted at least two weeks prior to the departure date to allow time for the proper review of the request. Exception requests should be either be explained on the Form 17 in Box 15 Notes & Explanations or attached to the document in memo form.
Federal foreign travel reimbursement rates, the per diem allowance, is determined monthly by the United States Department of State and Government Accounting Office standard regulations and other federal guidelines permitted by university policy.
When an Employee's Travel is Funded by Another Department
If funding for the trip is from a department other than the home department of the traveler, the Form 17 should have approvals from both departments. One for approval to travel (traveler's department head and/or dean) and one for approval of funding (department funding the trip).
The Form 25 must be signed by the funding department denoting that funding is available & allowable and Business Office signs on Comptroller line denoting that travel adheres to policy and all signature have been obtained.
Role of the Business Office/Comptroller Approval -Form 25
The business office or person with comptroller authority has a vital role in the Form 25 approval process. In addition to facilitating the processing of the document, their role includes review of the request for:
- Completeness of the document (all supporting documentation is attached)
- Review that all appropriate approval signatures and prior approvals or quotes for the trip have been obtained
- Availability of funds to support the trips expenses
- Appropriate use of object codes on the document
- Proper application of reimbursement rules - per policy
- The trip's funding source, the individual's salary support, and coordinating the appropriate activities
- Use of funds is appropriate and allowable
- Coordinating the additional functions if the trip is funded from a Sponsored Program account (500-699 fund), insuring the SPS review occurs
- Processing the HRS Form 33F if the absence will be greater than 10 days
- Signing on the Approved-Comptroller line of the Form 25 signifying the above points were followed (If the same individual signs both Approved Department Head and Approved-Comptroller on the Form 25, initials are acceptable on the Approved-Comptroller line)
Absence Greater than 10 days
If the travel requested will require the staff member to be absent from campus for more than 10 consecutive work days, the absence must be approved by the president of the university or his designee. This approval is obtained through the HRS Form RLA (Request & Leave Action for Sabbatical, Research, Outside Activity or Change in Duty). The HRS Form RLA is not required for vacation absences greater than 10 days.
Student Travel Issues
Students traveling on university business are eligible for travel advances from the Purdue Research Foundation.
Sponsors of trips involving groups of students should complete the Dean of Students Form "Absence of Groups of Students from University Class Assignments on University Sponsored Trip." This form includes both curricular and extracurricular trips and should be submitted to the Dean of Students Office prior to the trip. Further information about the form can be obtained from the Dean of Students Office in Schleman Hall.
If it will be necessary for a student employee to drive a university vehicle as part of an approved trip, the student must obtain special permission. Permission can be obtained by submitting a Form RM 01 (Request for Non Employee to Operate Purdue University Vehicle) to Risk Management. This form should be submitted at least 3 days prior to the trip to ensure adequate processing time. Once approved, a copy of the approved form will be forwarded by Risk Management to Transportation Service.
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