INTRODUCTION

5C.05

DEFINITIONS AND GENERAL INFORMATION

All per diem, mileage and meal reimbursement rates contained in Chapter 5C, Travel of the Business Procedures Manual, are established by the Board of Regents of New Mexico State University. Departments may elect to reimburse at an amount less than any of the provided rates, with the approval of the Department Head, Dean, or Director.

5C.05.05

Types of Travel

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5C.05.10

Eligibility for Travel Reimbursement

There are three groups of individuals who are eligible for reimbursement through NMSU travel reimbursement voucher system:

Employees - All faculty, staff, and student employees recorded in NMSU's active payroll file at the time of the trip. For official travel reimbursement purposes, Emeritus, Sabbatical, and Adjunct Professors are considered employees.

Student Teams - All official University-sponsored groups of students enrolled at NMSU at the time of the trip or other NMSU sponsored groups considered to be potential students at NMSU.

Members of the Board of Regents of NMSU - In compliance with state law, reimbursement for travel expenses incurred by a member of the Board of Regents of New Mexico State University is governed by a separate policy as published in the minutes of the March 18, 1988 Board of Regents' meeting.

Reimbursement of the travel expenses of all other individuals including consultants, interviewees, and non-active payroll, are processed by Financial Operation/Accounts Payable (Chapter 5A).

Travel for periods greater than one year are subject to the review of the Director of Financial Operations due to special tax considerations.

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5C.05.15

Per Diem

"Per diem" is a fixed daily allowance for meals and/or lodging. Lodging and meal receipts are not required when claiming per diem. In order to be eligible to claim per diem, employees must travel at least 15 miles from their primary official place of work, excluding El Paso.

Travelers may request reimbursement of the per diem rate based on the location of the overnight stay. If the location is not listed, the Standard Per Diem Rate, indicated in Illustration 5C-1, will be used.

For partial day travel, when a period is less than twenty-four (24) hours and overnight lodging is required, a full day per diem may be claimed. Reimbursement for partial day travel when overnight travel is not required or when it follows a twenty-four (24) hour overnight travel must follow the rate schedule provided in subsection 5C.05.60.

Meal and lodging expenses may not be direct billed to NMSU. These expenses must be paid for by the employee and subsequently be reimbursed in accordance with University policies.

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5C.05.20

Airline Ticket Purchase Procedures

Employees may wish to take advantage of credit arrangements established with local travel agencies. In order to utilize these credit arrangements, employees must provide the travel agency with a valid NMSU account number or travel authorization number. Travel agencies have been instructed not to release tickets without an account number to be charged. The local travel agency will direct bill NMSU for all costs. Employees are required to submit an itinerary to the Travel Office for commercial airline tickets arranged through a local travel agency.

Employees may also elect to purchase airline tickets with personal funds and then claim reimbursement by submitting a Reimbursement Voucher with original passenger receipt or itinerary, with the cost of the trip noted, as proof of payment. If the employee purchases ticketless airfare, documentation of ticketless airfare is required for reimbursement. Payment documentation may be in the form of an airline or travel agency issued itinerary indicating the amount paid and the method of payment, or a receipt issued by the airline. Reimbursement will be allowed only for tickets purchased through an authorized airline ticket agent. No reimbursement will be allowed if the airline ticket or other travel credits are purchased from a private individual. Frequent flyer miles, personal travel credits or other incentives used to purchase airline tickets for University business are not considered to be reimbursable expenses.

First Class Tickets: Airline tickets may only be charged at first class rates when coach rates are not available.

Companion Fare Tickets: Employees purchasing "companion fare" tickets when only one ticket will be used for University business-related travel must provide the Travel Office with documentation from the travel agency to support the portion of the ticket cost to be charged to NMSU. In no instances should the "companion fare" cost to NMSU exceed the "regular fare" cost. Any amount in excess of the "regular fare" must be paid by the employee's personal funds. If proper support is not provided to the Travel Office, the "companion fare" cost will be split equally between NMSU and employee personal funds.

Canceled Trips and Non-Refundable Tickets
Non-refundable airline ticket cancellations will be paid for by NMSU if the cancellation is made for the convenience of NMSU. Cancellations made for personal reasons may become the responsibility of the employee.

Cost of Changes Less Than or Equal to $100.00: The cost of changes which total $100 or less, exclusive of per diem expenses, will be paid if attested to by the traveler and approved by the Department Head, Dean, or Director. Written justification is not required.

Cost of Changes More Than $100.00: Changes in travel resulting in additional per diem or incidental expenses greater than $100 must be verified in writing by the traveler, approved by the Department Head, Dean, or Director and submitted with the Reimbursement Voucher.

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5C.05.25

Car Rentals

Refer to the Central Purchasing Office (BPM Chapter 4) for additional guidelines concerning rental car insurance.

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Cash Advances

Employee cash advances are also available by submitting a completed Travel Advance Request form to Accounts Payable for any employee who does not have a Diners Club Card and travels fewer than 3 times per fiscal year.  The form payee should be the traveler and the amount of the advance should not exceed 90% of the estimated meals and lodging.  The advance amount should be deducted from the employee’s reimbursement voucher submitted upon completion of the trip.  Lost or stolen advances are considered a personal loss and must be repaid by the employee to whom it was distributed.  Only one cash advance can be issued and outstanding per employee during any period of time. 

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