DO submit Uber/Lyft receipts WITH the general to/from locations (Generally acceptable to/from locations: Hotel/Lodging, Conference Hotel/Location, Airport)

DO add a comment to your reimbursement submission with your lodging location (address) for EVERY night of lodging that you are NOT reimbursing (we know the location for the nights you are reimbursing).  

• This allows accurate calculation of the location-based meals per-diem rate 

DO ask the hotel to split your bill with your roommates so you each pay for your portion of the room. 

DO get your flight comparison (see FAQ) at the time you book your flight when you include any personal travel with your business travel. 

DO get a flight comparison for one specific flight that you would have actually taken if you did not include personal travel, and show the specific details of connections/layovers

DO add a comment explaining any reason why your travel does not start and end in Blacksburg, VA

DO utilize a Fleet Services vehicle instead of your personal vehicle whenever possible

• Exclusions include: personal travel is added, or driving to an airport where the vehicle will be parked for multiple days.

DON’T submit an Uber/Lyft receipt that includes a restaurant as the origination/destination

• This is considered personal and unallowable.  

DON’T (please avoid at all costs) split costs and pay each other back for things

• Each traveler should pay their own costs directly, asking for split bills, etc. 

DON’T pay for each other’s meals and expect reimbursement- this is unallowable. 

DON’T include any “add-on’s” to your rental car, such as: 

• Any model vehicle above the standard/base level 

• Fuel service 

• Toll service*

• GPS 

• Additional insurance

• *Tolls may only be paid for through the rental car when no cash toll booths are available, and this must be verified/documented by the traveler (indicating that no cash toll booths were available) 

DON’T include personal travel when flying is involved without securing a flight comparison (see FAQs) 

DON’T submit a flight comparison without 1 specific flight selected (which you would have reasonably taken if you did not include personal travel) 

DON’T submit a pre-approval or reimbursement request to the HUB without a fund number or any comments about the funding for your trip.

DON’T book an international flight funded by a federal project that does not comply with the Fly America Act.  Generally- you must fly with an airline owned by an American company, unless flying to the European Union, Iceland, Norway, Australia, Switzerland, or Japan.  

DON’T book 2x 1-way airfare unless you can show proof (flight comparison- see FAQs) that it is less expensive than a round-trip ticket 

Particularly for car rentals and hotel bookings, we need proof that you actually PAID the amount due shown on a “booking confirmation” that you might receive prior to traveling, when you make the reservation.  

This generally means that the receipt has a “$0.00 balance due”, some version of “VISA-####”, or otherwise text indicating “PAID”  

Acceptable proof of payment include: 

• Hotels/Car Rental “folio” or “itemized receipt” 

• Split Costs for the traveler paying the other traveler: Venmo/Zelle screenshot with embedded comment describing the item being paid for

• Rental Car when no “$0.00 balance” or “VISA-####” indication is provided or available: Booking Confirmation + Bank Statement Screenshot should suffice

What is it: the “folio” or detailed receipt showing the nightly lodging rate for each night, taxes and fees for each night, nightly parking fees, as well as any potentially non-reimbursable costs (room service). 

Why do I need one: To ensure the nightly rate (excluding taxes & fees) is within approved lodging per-diem rates, and to ensure all hotel expenses incurred are allowable

We still need your lodging address for EVERY night of overnight lodging that is not being reimbursed.  This allows for accurate calculation of the location-based meals per-diem rate. 

Meals costs are reimbursed indirectly, under what’s called the “meals and incidental expense (M&IE per diem).  The meal per diem is a reasonable allowance for meals and incidental expenses for the area. It is not intended to be a reimbursement for actual expenses but rather a reasonable allowance.

The M&IE per diem used shall correspond to the location of the related overnight lodging. 

For pre-approvals, feel free to visit gsa.gov to estimate the per-diem rates for the location you are traveling to.  

Actual meals per-diem rates vary by location, but are roughly $60-100/day, and 75% is given for the first and last day of travel (the day you leave and return home).

Yes and No… 

We strongly recommend each person paying for their own expenses and avoid people paying each other back for their “half” and getting reimbursed for it. 

Split costs ISE will process reimbursements if absolutely necessary include: 

• Rental Car 

• Hotel 

Split costs ISE will generally NOT process include: 

• Personal Vehicle Gas

• Uber/Lyft/Taxi

• Meals (under no circumstance) 

If costs must be split (one person pays, and the other person pays them back for their half), we ask that you be very careful with documenting everything, and when both travelers submit their reimbursements in the HUB

• BOTH travelers will need to submit the original receipt/proof of payment (regardless of who paid the expense directly)

• BOTH travelers will need to add clear comments on who actually paid for the hotel 

The traveler who paid the other for their half- we will need proof of payment (see FAQ about “proof of payment” that includes a note/comment on the Zelle/Venmo transaction specifically what the item is that you’re paying for. 

Yes, however this must be documented precisely and clearly.  

Clear comments need to be added to your HUB reimbursement submission indicating which days/nights were considered business vs. personal 

If flying, a flight comparison (see other FAQ) must be secured at the time of booking the plane tickets. 

Unfortunately, no.  Meals per-diem reimbursement is only available during travel that includes an overnight stay.  There are rare exceptions to this rule, so please contact us if you think an exception is justified. See VT Procedure 20335c for circumstances that justify an exception.   

When is it needed: whenever flying and including personal travel

Why do i need one: to prove to the university that your personal travel did not cost the university more than traveling for business-only 

What is it: Generally a screenshot of the Google Flight detailed summary (showing any layovers, connections, etc.) as well as the cost for the hypothetical itinerary if you were NOT including any personal travel

Example: You are attending a conference October 2-5 in Chicago.  You want to stay a few days after the conference ends and explore Chicago with family/friends.  You book a flight departing October 1 and returning October 8.  You will need a Google Flight screenshot of the summary of a flight departing October 1 and returning October 5 (if the conference ends midday to early evening), or October 6 (if the conference ends late evening October 5). 

See example below.