A research leader at one of SUND’s departments recently said:
‘Once upon a time, we cracked open the champagne when we had an article accepted in a good journal. It’s almost as if we should do the same when we get a travel reimbursement claim approved without any remarks.’
Travel reimbursement – a bit like a review process
The comparison to the review process is not entirely off the mark. Travel reimbursement claims are also examined by at least two internal ‘reviewers’. In some cases, travel reimbursement claims are extracted for review by external auditors. In addition, it is also possible for outsiders to seek right of access to expenses incurred by the University.
Although the verification efforts are aimed at ensuring that the funds are spent according to the rules, they are carried out by humans and therefore the human factor cannot be ignored. But it is this article’s claim that their efforts are more predictable than those of many reviewers.
So there is a code that can be cracked.
The code to good travel reimbursement
A key aspect of good travel reimbursement is documentation – not unlike good research.
An outsider without prior knowledge of you and your work, e.g. from an external auditing firm, must be able to assess that a given expense is relevant to the University based on the attached documents.
The types of documentation that are relevant to include depends on the expense, but here is a guide to the types of documentation you should typically be aware of according to the overall purpose of the trip.
If attachments are lost...
All expenses must be documented with a supporting document, typically a receipt.
If the attachment is lost or cannot be retrieved, you can attach a declaration or make a note in the comments field: ‘Declaration: receipt not possible to obtain’.
Get help with complicated driving rules
The driving rules often cause problems. They are also complicated, as they depend on your usual transport pattern.
This is because driving mileage reimbursement is based on the principle of reimbursement of additional costs associated with work-related travel.
We have put together a guide on how to enter mileage when travelling for work.
Who pays?
Finally, the financial aspect should be easy to decipher for the person handling travel reimbursement locally. There are many names for many things, and the same can be true of projects with you as a grant recipient.
But a finance employee often has to juggle well over one hundred analysis and project numbers. Therefore, again not unlike the writing and review process, it can be beneficial to communicate clearly and specifically.
Remember that analysis and project numbers are more suitable than project titles and their nicknames.
Help is at hand
To return to the comparison with a review process, a key difference between reviewers and your colleagues who approve and handle travel reimbursement is that your colleagues will be happy to answer questions and provide assistance along the way.A good piece of advice is that it is far better to ask questions upfront than to have to explain afterwards.