In support of UCR’s ongoing Operational Excellence and Lean Thinking initiatives, a campus-wide standard approach to documenting lower value items related to travel, business meetings and entertainment is required to promote administrative efficiencies and consistency across departments. With the support of the Provost/EVC D’Anieri, Vice Chancellor Coley, Vice Chancellor Anguiano and after consulting with organizational CFAOs, effective immediately and consistent with UC policy, receipts are not required for meal expenditures and local transportation costs of less than $75. Specifically,

Meals: UC policy does not require receipts for meal expenditures less than $75 for travel, business meetings and entertainment. Effective immediately, departments will not request meal receipts less than $75 from travelers and event hosts. Travelers and event hosts will continue to be responsible for adhering to the other aspects of the Business & Finance Bulletin G-28 for travel and BUS-79 for business meetings & entertainment, such as:

1. 1. Travel related meal reimbursement requests must not include the cost of alcohol
   2. Travel related meal reimbursements must not exceed actual expenditures
   3. Travel related meal reimbursement requests must not exceed the maximum daily limits.
   4. Meal expenses incurred on trips that do not include an overnight stay are not eligible for reimbursement.
   5. All Business Meeting and Entertainment meal reimbursement requests must identify the cost of alcohol to ensure proper accounting treatment.

Local Transportation Costs (e.g. taxi, shuttle, tolls, parking, etc.): UC policy does not require receipts for travel related local transportation costing less than $75. Effective immediately, departments will not request receipts from travelers for local transportation costs of less than $75. Travelers will continue to be responsible for adhering to the other aspects of UC Travel Policy, Business & Finance Bulletin G-28, for travel expenditures.

A Travel and ePay Users Group meeting will be held to discuss this guidance on Friday, December 18, 2015, in the HUB Highlander Union 302 South at 10:00 a.m.

The goal of this common documentation standard is to reduce the administrative burden on travelers, event hosts, travel coordinators, ePay transactors, and others. Please submit questions and comments to travelfeedback@ucr.edu for travel and epayfeedback@ucr.edu for business meetings and entertainment.

************Travel Receipt Requirements - Quick Reference************

The UC Travel policy adheres to the IRS Accountable Plan to avoid taxable situations for the traveler. Below is a list receipt requirements for the most common types of travel expenses; please note that certain expenditures require receipts regardless of the dollar amount.

Per G-28, original receipts must be submitted for:

• Original receipts for all airline expenses. E-mailed or faxed documentation provided by an airline or travel agency for electronic ticketing expenses for airfare is acceptable for substantiating such expenses. A copy of the faxed itinerary and receipt or a copy of the e-mail itinerary and receipt.
• Original receipts for all lodging expenses incurred for domestic travel, except where per diems are authorized for lodging expenses (i.e., long-term travel, use of non-commercial facilities, etc.). Since hotel receipts may include charges that are not reimbursable, the traveler shall not be reimbursed for lodging expenses unless the receipt presented by the traveler contains itemized charges for the room, e.g., taxes, telephone, etc.
• Original receipts that support the reimbursement claim for long-term foreign lodging that is charged to a federal fund source (whether reimbursed as a per diem or actual), should be kept on file within the department and retained for such periods as required by either the sponsor’s retention policy or UC retention policy.
• Original receipts for all rental car expenses.
• Original receipts for meal expenses of $75 or more.
• Original receipts for local transportation costing $75 or more.
• Receipts for gifts provided to a host costing $25 or more.
• An agenda, itemized receipt, or other supporting documentation for all registration fees.
• Original receipts for each miscellaneous expense of $75 or more.