Reimbursement FAQs

WHAT is a reimbursement? WHERE can I get funds?

Funding comes from from a variety of sources such as: Academic Senate grants, Academic Federation grants, external grants, and Academic Enrichment funds provided for teaching first-year seminar courses, teaching honors courses on overload, or other types of service. This money is used to support research and teaching, per the details of the funding source/grant. Related expenses are reimbursed to the payee through AggieExpense, whether that is directly to yourself, your corporate Travel Card, or Concur/CTS.

WHEN do requests for reimbursements need to be submitted?

To allow sufficient processing time, please submit your reimbursement and/or reconciliation request within three weeks of the event or returning from your travel.

Effective January 1, 2019, any reports not submitted within 60 days of the event or after returning from the trip may be reported as taxable income. More information is available here.

WHAT can be reimbursed?

When you have funding, it can be spent on official business in service of the mission of the university, which includes travel for research and to conferences and purchases for educational events, research, and teaching. CHART EXPLANING WHICH THINGS CAN BE REIMBURSED

Travel reimbursements include, but are not limited to:

  • Transportation: economy flights, trains, shuttles, taxis/ubers, tolls, parking, mileage, rental cars/gas only if more cost effective than uber (cannot claim mileage for rental cars - save gas receipts), etc.
  • Meals and incidentals: report what you actually spent or an estimate of that amount
    • U.S. maximum allowance is $92 per day (effective Oct. 1, 2024
    • International maximum meals rates can be found here
    • Receipts are not required for personal meals, buy they are only required for entertainment meals (i.e. you take someone out for a meal relating to university business) over $75. However, it is recommended that you keep your receipts to keep track of expenses.
  • Lodging: report what you actually spent or an estimate of that amount
    • Continental U.S. maximum is $333/night (not including taxes and fees) as of January 1, 2024.
    • Alaska, Hawaii, and U.S. Territories rates can be found here
    • International maximum lodging rates can be found here
    • You can request an exception if you go over the maximum allowance in some cases.  See the Lodging Limit Justification form to learn for what qualifies for an exception.
  • Conference and training registrations
  • Memberships: must be approved by department chair; if you are the chair, must be approved by the Dean's office.
  • Supplies directly related to the travel which you would not otherwise buy as a personal item (e.g. we can reimburse the cost to print a poster, but not a toothbrush).
  • Tickets to museums, shows, etc. relevant to your research
  • International travel visas: The University of California maintains a contract with Peninsula Passport & Visa for reduced visa and passport rates for UC travelers. Use your UCD email address to get the UC discount. It is important to initiate your request as soon as possible due to the time it takes to obtain a visa (or passport). Please allow for up to four weeks to apply and receive your travel documents under normal timelines. Expedited services can be obtained at an incremental cost.  

Entertainment reimbursements include, but are not limited to:

  •  Meals
    • Catering or snacks for a lecture or conference or for a student event.
    • Taking a job candidate or guest lecturer to a restaurant during their visit/event.
  • Venue
  • Advertisement
  • Supplies: furniture rentals, A/V rentals, disposable goods, etc.

Supplies for teaching and research include, but are not limited to:

  • Books and other media: Purchase via Aggie Enterprise. We can only reimburse you if it's not available there.
  • Electronics and electronics repairs: Email lshelp@ucdavis.edu as they must buy any computer or computer/IT purchases.
  • Materials needed for publications, e.g. reproduction of images, resources unavailable through the UCD Library.
  • Shipment of teaching/research/publishing supplies. For assistance with AggieShip, ask Renee or Nancy.

WHAT can NOT be reimbursed?

If you are skeptical about whether something can be reimbursed, please check the official policies or email the Sproul business office (langlit@ucdavis.edu), the Travel Help Desk for travel or entertainment related questions (travelhelp@ucdavis.edu), or Accounting and Financial Services for supplies related questions (fishelp@ucdavis.edu).

Items that can NOT be reimbursed include, but are not limited to:

  • Personal effects, i.e. clothing, toothbrush, etc.
  • Business & First Class flights, upgraded hotel rooms, or upgraded rental cars (unless there is a clear business purpose; please ask in advance to clarify). Exception reasons for flight upgrades can be found HERE
  • Purchases made with gift cards, reward points, gift certificates, etc.
  • Honoraria are not reimbursements, but processed as payments to a vendor through our financial system. Send requests to pay honoraria to langlit@ucdavis.edu.
  • Publishing services including editorial work,; Services MUST be paid via purchase order (PO).  The Sproul business office can must set up a PO and receive approval BEFORE the work begins.

HOW can I avoid paying out-of-pocket?

  • The corporate Travel card can be used to pay for travel and entertainment expenses. Even though you will not receive reimbursement, you must still file an expense report in AggieExpense to justify how expenses were for University business.  Apply here for a corporate Travel Card.
  • Book flights through AggieTravel. When prompted to pay, select “UCD Campus CTS” as the payment method.
  • The Sproul Business office can purchase your supplies for you, often at a REDUCED PRICE!!! (Especially office supplies and tech purchases). Email langlit@ucdavis.edu to request a purchase.

HOW do I submit a request for a reimbursement?

Note: If your travel was through Study Abroad, reimbursement requests must be submitted to the Study Abroad office.

Please submit a travel or entertainment reimbursement form, found HERE to langlit@ucdavis.edu. Related documentation, such as receipts, guest lists, flyers, and conference programs can be attached as digital copies or dropped off to the Sproul Travel & Events Coordinator in Sproul 207.

Receipts MUST be itemized and show the payment method. If you do not have the necessary receipts, you may need to complete a missing receipt form.

Please remember that you MUST include a clear business reason in order for your expense(s) to be reimbursed.

Some common business purposes:

  • Travel
    • Presented talk "______" at the ______ conference.
    • Attended ______ conference to engage in scholarly communication and professional development.
    • Archival research for upcoming publication(s).
    • Membership to ______ needed to attend conference, engage with scholarly community, publish in academic periodical…
    • Extra flight/transportation: original flight was cancelled due to ______.
  • Entertainment
    • Dinner following lecture by [guest speaker] __ to continue discussion of the visitor’s lecture/research.
    • Refreshments for movie night to generate interest in the __ major and cultivate community among students.
    • Refreshments for public lecture entitled "__".
    • Decorations purchased to engage students in  ______ culture.
  • Supplies
    • Books purchased for course development.
    • Books purchased for research on upcoming publications.
    • Image reproductions needed for upcoming publications.