Materials & Travel Reimbursement

When will you receive reimbursement? 

If you log into Chrome River and click on "View All Submitted" under Expenses, it will show all of the recent expense reports you have submitted. 

• "Exported" = it has made it through accounting and has either been paid or is pending payment. 

• "Pending" = it is still pending approval at some step along the way

  • • To find out which step, click on the name of the expense report and the report will open to the right. 

    • Click on "Tracking" at the top and then click on any of the items at the left to see which step it's on under "Routing Steps" as well as what date it was assigned to that step. 

    • If it says "APReview:Firmwide," that means it has been approved and is waiting to be applied to the next payroll cycle.

Payments are always issued on pay dates, never between pay dates. UCM's pay dates are the 15th and last days of the month. Which pay date your reimbursement will show up depends on how close to the pay date you submitted the expense report. The system and Payroll have to have time to process the reimbursement before each pay date.

You must submit a Pre-Approval for ANY travel other than field supervision.

The College of Education requires one for any travel other than field supervision. This allows us to know how and where funds are being spent on travel and also ensures your trip will be covered by the University in case anything unexpected happens. 

1. 1. Click on “Create” in the row where it says “Pre-Approval." This will open a form for you to complete. Fill in the form as follows:

      • • Report Name: Year, Month, Name, Purpose Example: 2023-08 - Clements, R - XYZ Conference

        • Start Date & End Dates: The first and last days of the month in which you will travel, NOT the month you are completing the report.

        • Business Purpose: A brief description of the purpose of your travel. Must be 15+ characters.

          • • Example: "Supervise pre-service teachers in the field."

        • Report Type: Travel (Selecting this will remove other blanks later in the form, it’s ok!)

        • Travel Type: Domestic

        • UCM Attendees: leave blank

        • Fiscal Year: do not change

        • Destination: “In-State” if in Missouri, otherwise “Out-of-State”

        • Allocation: Enter the budget code for your travel. If you don't know your budget code, ask your Office Professional. This should be your program budget, NOT your department budget unless you have written approval to use a different budget.

1. 2. Click the blue “Save” button in the upper right corner of the form. 

      • • On a computer, this will change to a double-sided screen where the left side is your summary and the right side is your workspace.

        • On mobile devices, you will have to swipe left and right to switch between the summary and the workspace.

1. 3. In the workspace, click one of the icons/tiles that corresponds to the type of expense you need.

      • • Enter the amount you estimate you will need for that type of expense and include a description of why you need that expense.

        • DO NOT use "Business Meals" for your own meals. That is for when you will pay for other peoples' meals and has very specific requirements. 

        • Amount estimate guidelines:

          • • Breakfast - UCM allows up to $12 per day

            • Lunch - UCM allows up to $17 per day

            • Dinner - UCM allows up to $28 per day

              • • Rates per UCM Travel Guidelines: https://www.ucmo.edu/offices/general-counsel/university-policy-library/procedures/travel-guidelines-and-procedures/index.php

            • Mileage - UCM pays mileage at the Missouri State rate. You can find that here: https://acct.oa.mo.gov/state-employees/travel-portal/mileage.

              • • Don't forget to estimate return mileage!

1. 4. Use the + in the top middle of the screen to add additional expenses to your pre-approval. 

1. 5. When you are finished adding expenses, be sure to add an agenda on the bottom of the workspace. It must include, at the very least, the location, dates, and times of the event. If the event doesn't have an official agenda yet, most events have a website with event dates and times. Save a PDF of that and attach it in place of the agenda.

1. 6. Once you click “Save” in the top right corner, you will be taken back to the panel selection screen, and your trip will be entered on the panel on the left. 

      • • A green checkmark next to the item you entered means it’s good to go. 

        • No green checkmark means that you need to fix and/or justify something. If you adjusted the map or added a deduction, explain the reason in the provided comments section.

Adding Expenses to a Pre-Approval

1. If you started a pre-approval but need to add more expenses, your existing pre-approval will be in your “Drafts” on the main Chrome River page. 

2. Click the number by “Draft” to be taken to a list of pre-approvals in progress and select the one you want to work on from that list.

3. You can continue adding expenses using the same steps as above by clicking the + in the middle of the screen.

Finishing

1. When you are all done entering expenses, click the green “Submit” button at the bottom.

2. If you click “Submit” and need to make any changes, go to your main Chrome River page and click the number above “Submitted.” Select the pre-approval you need to change from the list. Click “Recall” from the blue boxes on the top of the workspace. 

3. You cannot "Recall" a pre-approval that has already been approved. 

4. You can click “Tracking” to see the status of a submitted pre-approval.

PRO TIP: If you will travel several times in one month (University Supervisors), start a new Expense Report at the beginning of the month and add to it as you go so that you don’t have to do it from memory or keep track somewhere else. 

You must submit a new report for every month you travel, but only have to do 1 per month.

1. 1. Click on “Create” in the row where it says “Expenses." This will open a form for you to complete. Fill in the form as follows:

      1. • Report Name: Year, Month, Name, Purpose Example: 2023-08 - Clements, R - USup Mileage

         • Start Date & End Dates: The first and last days of the month in which you will travel, NOT the month you are completing the report.

         • Business Purpose: A brief description of the purpose of your travel. Must be 15+ characters.

           • • Example: "Supervise pre-service teachers in the field."

         • Report Type: Travel (Selecting this will remove other blanks later in the form, it’s ok!)

         • Travel Type: Domestic

         • UCM Attendees: leave blank

         • Fiscal Year: do not change

         • Destination: “In-State” if in Missouri, otherwise “Out-of-State”

1. 2. Click the blue “Save” button in the upper right corner of the form. 

      1. • On a computer, this will change to a double-sided screen where the left side is your summary and the right side is your workspace.

         • On mobile devices, you will have to swipe left and right to switch between the summary and the workspace.

1. 3. In the workspace, click “Create New” directly below the big, blue “Add Expenses.”

1. 4. Select the “Ground Transportation” panel (green car).

1. 5. Select the “Mileage” panel (speedometer). This will open the Mileage form for you to complete. Fill in the form as follows:

      1. • Date: The actual date you traveled. Yes, you need to do a separate one of these for EVERY date you travel.

         • Spent: Leave blank, it will autofill later.

         • Business Purpose: Remove what is here and enter the name of the school at which you conducted this supervision and the name(s) of any students you supervised during that visit. Must be 15+ characters.

         • Description: Leave blank, it will autofill later.

         • Account: This will autofill based on the panels you chose previously. You cannot edit this box.

         • Activity Code: Leave blank.

         • Rate: This is entered by Accounting Services based on the current IRS rate. You cannot edit this box.

         • Miles: DO NOT type anything in this box. Use the following method:

1. 6. Click “Calculate Mileage” next to the Miles field.

      1. • Enter the address of your starting location in the first box.

         • Enter the address of your destination in the second box.

         • If you don’t know the address, you can search by location name. 

         • Use the “Add Destination” button if you visit more than one site on the same day. 

           • • Multiple destinations in one day should all be added to one map, do not separate them. 

             • If you had to reroute, you can edit the map but will need to justify this later.

         • Be sure to click the “Return to Start” button above the map after you finish adding sites so the system includes your return trip.

1. 7. When you are finished adding destinations, click the blue “Save Trip” button in the upper right corner. The total mileage from your trip should now be in the “Miles” space.

1. 8. Deduction: This field is only used in instances where you made a personal stop in addition to UCM-related travel. 

1. 9. Allocation: Enter the budget code for your travel. If you don't know your budget code, ask your Office Professional.

      1. • Student Teaching & FLDX Supervisors Only: Start typing “240800” and a drop-down will appear. Select the option for 100010-240800-1100 Chart C. It will most likely be the first option available.

         • Note: You only need to do this part the first time you create a mileage report each fiscal year. In the future, when you click this box, it will give you a drop-down with the correct budget code without having to type anything.

1. 10. Once you click “Save” in the top right corner, you will be taken back to the panel selection screen, and your trip will be entered on the panel on the left. 

       1. • A green checkmark next to the item you entered means it’s good to go. 

          • No green checkmark means that you need to fix and/or justify something. If you adjusted the map or added a deduction, explain the reason in the provided comments section.

If you know you will do more traveling that month:

You can exit Chrome River and come back later and use the "Adding Trips to a Report" instructions below. If you are done for the month, use the "Finishing" instructions below.

Adding Trips to a Report

1. If you started a report for the month but need to add more trips, your existing report will be in your “Drafts” on the main Chrome River page. 

2. Click the number by “Draft” to be taken to a list of expense reports in progress and select the one you want to work on from that list.

3. You can continue adding trips using the same steps as above by clicking the + in the middle of the screen.

Finishing

1. When you are all done traveling for the month, click the green “Submit” button at the bottom to submit your expense report.

2. If you click “Submit” before you are done traveling, you may need to make a new expense report. 

3. If you click “Submit” and need to make any changes, go to your main Chrome River page and click the number above “Submitted.” Select the report you need to change from the list. Click “Recall” from the blue boxes on the top of the workspace. 

4. You cannot Recall a report that has already been approved. 

5. You can click “Tracking” to see the status of a submitted report.

Adding a Delegate

1. 1. Click on your name in the top right in Chrome River.

   2. Near the bottom of the box that opens, select “Account Settings”

   3. From the list of options on the left, select “Delegate Settings”

   4. Under “My Delegates,” select “Add New Delegates”

   5. Start typing the name of the person you wish to be your delegate and select the person from the list that appears once you see their name. When in doubt, add "Rachel Clements" (start typing "clements" and it will come up).

   6. No need to save, once the name appears on the list, it's good to go.

Notes About Delegates

Your delegate will be able to access and make corrections to reports to assist you with completing claims as needed. You may add more than one delegate if you choose.

All faculty and adjuncts must have their Office Professional as one of their delegates. If you're not sure who your OP is, check the Contacts page of this website. You should also add the Dean's Administrative Assistant (Rachel Clements) for instances when your OP is not available.

 DO NOT remove your delegate unless you want to do ALL your paperwork by yourself.

 DO NOT USE “Approval Delegate” 

This is only for those who approve documents (chairs, dean, etc.) to designate someone else to approve for them while they are unavailable (vacation permissions).

To request reimbursement for purchases of materials for course use, please consult with your office professional prior to making any purchases. The University has specific vendors that we are contracted to work with, as well as particular vendors that it refuses to use. Not using an approved vendor and/or making purchases without prior approval may result in your reimbursement being denied.

All handouts should be on Blackboard for students to download/print as THEY need. Unless students are working on an assignment in class that requires a worksheet or similar item, there is no need for copies, and the charges for any that are made will NOT be reimbursed. The College policy is that we do not print/copy syllabi. You must obtain permission from your office professional for copy reimbursement prior to obtaining copies.