Accounting
Travel Process
All stateside travelers should follow the three easy steps listed below for business travel.
Staff/Faculty employees may assign a delegate to create requests, book travel, and/or create an expense report on their behalf. However, Concur requires the traveler to complete the last step to review and electronically submit their travel requests and expense reports themselves (may not be delegated).
Non-employee travel (i.e., students, candidates, guest speakers, etc.) will be managed in Concur by a stateside employee on their behalf. Non employees do not have access to Concur, therefore the full cycle is managed by the delegate.
Reminder: All domestic and international travel must be approved in Concur prior to making any travel arrangements.
First Thing’s First: complete your employee profile
Basic information will be pre-populated from the CMS HR system. It is the traveler’s responsibility to review this information and update it as necessary. This is a one-time set up, and only needs to be updated if your information changes.
Examples of profile information include contact information, verifying your CSUMB email, adding traveler rewards programs, emergency contact, and assigning delegates (optional). These are only a few examples. To avoid delays in submitting your trip request, take the time to go through each section and fill out all required fields.
Step 1: Travel Request
Complete and submit your request to travel. Allow sufficient time for all approvals to be obtained. This step must be completed prior to making travel arrangements. You will receive an email from Concur when your request has been approved.
If the business purpose of your trip is for a conference or business meeting, a copy of the agenda or invitation should be attached to the trip request.
Important: if your trip involves a personal component and/or you are driving more than 250 miles one way, a cost comparison is required to ensure compliance with CSU policy.
Step 2: Book Travel
Travelers should book airfare, car rental and hotels when possible through Concur. Using Concur for your travel arrangements ensures you receive the CSU contracted rates and provides easy access to unused ticket credits for future business travel when you have a change in your travel itinerary.
If desired, you can add your personal travel rewards program information to your profile to accumulate miles/points from your business travel, which may be used for non-business travel if desired. Note: it is not required to have a separate travel rewards program for business travel.
Step 3: Expense Report
When you return from your trip, submit your expense report to reconcile all of the charges and request reimbursement if one is owed. This is required to be completed within 60 days of the end date of your trip. Failure to do so will result in a reimbursement that is considered taxable income per IRS guidelines.
Pro tip: for easier reporting of your expenses when you return, keep track of your receipts as you go! Click here for a how-to guide for the email and/or Concur app option. Receipts will automatically attach to your user profile, eliminating the need to scan them when you return. Another added benefit is reducing the possibility of lost receipts.