Frequently Asked Questions

A Spend Authorization is required for all business travel that is 45 miles or more from the traveler's headquarters to document for duty of care purposes.  When the business travel is financially supported by a third party, the Spend Authorization must include each expense line for anticipated expenses with appropriate expense item type (e.g., airfare) and entered with the amount of $0.01, along with comments in the memo field indicating expenses paid by third party name.

An approved Spend Authorization must be established before any travel arrangements are secured by personal or university payments.  Any travel related purchases made with personal funds without an approved Spend Authorization may not be reimbursed.

Traveling with computers, web enabled cell phones, advanced GPS units, scientific equipment, proprietary information or unpublished data may require an Export Control License. The Office of Research Compliance will monitor when International travel is initiated in order to coordinate specific restrictions and guidance with the traveler.

For additional information contact the Office of Research Compliance at exportcontrol@osu.edu or visit the Office of Research Compliance website.

The university will pay for the cost of round trip airfare for travel to the business destination. A cost comparison must be pulled from the online Booking Tool at the same time the booking is made to document the allowable business expense portion of airfare.  

When combining personal travel with business travel, only those expenses directly related to the business travel can be paid/reimbursed by the university. Travelers must ensure that all business related and vacation expense variances are clearly documented and available for audit review. It is best practice to keep all business related expenses separated when possible; this ensures that documentation is as clear as possible. When this cannot be done (e.g. Airfare), cost comparisons should be done to show the pricing differences as if only business time was included. Cost comparisons should be conducted at the same time the expenditure of funds occurs and must be clearly documented and available for audit review. Expenses such as parking and Per Diem will be prorated and limited to only the business travel date/time.

Q:  What are the eligibility requirements to pay for travel costs for children?

A:  Employees traveling for research for 6 or more months and are accompanied by children are eligible for payment of travel-related expenses for the children.

Q:  How is a child defined?

A: The Travel Policy defines a child as a biological, adoptive, step, or foster child; a legal ward; or a child of a person standing in loco parentis, who resides with the traveler.

Q:  How is research defined?

A: The Travel Policy defines research as any systematic investigation, including research development, testing, and reporting designated to develop or contribute to the body of knowledge in any field. The term encompasses basic research, applied research, and research training activities in areas such as but not limited to, biomedical and life sciences, natural sciences, engineering, humanities and arts, and social and behavioral sciences.

Q:  What are the eligible travel expenses for children of employees during a 6-month research trip?

A: The university will pay for reasonable and necessary expenses incurred for authorized business travel. Eligible expenses for children include airfare, ground transportation (e.g., to/from airport), lodging, per diem, and miscellaneous expenses (e.g., baggage fees, immunizations).

Q:  How do I obtain pre-approval for travel expenses for children?

A: Pre-approval is obtained through the Spend Authorization process. Additional approval requirements may exist if using sponsored grant funding.

Q:  Do I need to create a separate Spend Authorization for travel costs for children?

A: No, a separate Spend Authorization is not required for the child(ren) of the employee traveler.  However, detailed information (e.g., names of participating children, etc.) should be included in the comments of the employee traveler’s approved Spend Authorization.  Additional lines for the child(ren)s estimated expenses should be entered. 

Q:  Can I use university payment tools to cover travel costs for children of employees during a 6-month research trip?

A:  Travel expenses for children can be paid with university payment tools with an approved Spend Authorization for the employee traveler. Payment of spouse or partner travel expenses are not permitted and must be paid using personal resources.

Q:  Am I still required to book my airfare through the contracted agency if my trip includes travel costs for children?

A: Yes, the employee traveler is still required to book their airfare through the contracted agency.  

Q:  What if my circumstances don’t fit the eligibility criteria?

A: An exception request must be submitted for review by the Office of Business and Finance and the Office of Academic Affairs.  Send requests to Lisa Plaga (plaga.5@osu.edu).

Travelers may combine personal travel with a business trip, but should consult with their supervisor before initiating arrangements. When arranging travel in these instances, travelers must ensure that arrangements are made in such a way that stewardship of university resources and administrative time is the priority. Travelers incurring additional costs by taking personal travel in conjunction with business travel must pay for the costs of travel and other expenses with personal funds and request reimbursement for the business travel costs. Travel expenses to and from alternate vacation destinations occurring before, during, or after university business travel are not eligible for payment with university procurement methods. In cases when personal travel is added to university business travel, any cost variance in expenses such as airfare, vehicle rental, and/or lodging must be clearly identified and documented in Workday, to validate that the vacation time does not add additional cost to the university.

Q: Who is eligible for reimbursement of temporary childcare costs?

A: Employees traveling to a conference for 5 or more consecutive days and have temporary childcare costs pre-authorized with a Spend Authorization are eligible for reimbursement for childcare expenses that are above and beyond normal childcare costs.

Q:  How is a child defined?

A: The Travel Policy defines a child as a biological, adoptive, step, or foster child; a legal ward; or a child of a person standing in loco parentis, who resides with the traveler.

Q:  How is a conference defined?

A: The Travel Policy defines a conference as a retreat, seminar, symposium, workshop, or event whose primary purpose is the dissemination of information beyond the university and is necessary and reasonable to further successful performance. It would include a formal agenda or schedule and includes individuals from many different entities. 

Q:  How do I obtain pre-approval for temporary childcare costs?

A: Pre-approval is obtained through the Spend Authorization process. Additional approval requirements may exist if using sponsored grant funding.

Q:  Are travel days included in eligibility for temporary childcare costs?

A:  Travel days are not eligible for reimbursement of temporary childcare costs.

Q:  What constitutes “above and beyond” normal childcare costs?

A: “Above and beyond” childcare costs are those that are beyond the normal cost incurred for childcare when not in business travel status for the conference travel duration. See example below:

Example: Employee traveler sends their child to childcare during the normal business week (Monday-Friday, 8 a.m.-5 p.m.) This timeframe would NOT be above and beyond normal childcare costs and would not be eligible for reimbursement.

Q:  What documentation is required to process a reimbursement of temporary childcare expenses?

A:  Receipt (or equivalent documentation) must be attached to the Expense Report to document payment, hours of service, number of children, etc.  In addition, the conference agenda should be included to document eligible timeframe committed to conference related duties.

Q: Is reimbursement permitted if an immediate family member provides temporary childcare?

A: No, temporary childcare services must be provided by a licensed, independent third party. The traveler must pay for the services with personal resources and submit for reimbursement with an itemized receipt (or equivalent documentation).

Q:  What expense item should I use for temporary childcare costs when submitting for reimbursement?

A: “Travel Childcare Costs” is the expense item used for temporary childcare costs when entering an Expense Report for reimbursement.

Q:  Who is responsible for reporting the tax benefits for temporary childcare that has been reimbursed?

A: The unit is responsible for submitting the applicable one-time payment request in Workday on behalf of the employee traveler.  See Initiating One–Time Payments for Taxable Items job aid in the Administrative Resource Center.

Q:  What if my circumstances don’t fit the eligibility criteria?

A: An exception request must be submitted for review by the Office of Business and Finance and the Office of Academic Affairs.  Send requests to Lisa Plaga (plaga.5@osu.edu).

Business travel mileage should follow the travel policy.  The travel policy limits reimbursable miles to the number driven in excess of the number of miles involved in the individual’s daily commute (round trip) for work.  Generally:

• If the traveler’s headquarters (or primary work location as defined by the traveler’s flexible work agreement or HR documentation) is different than their residence, then the mileage reimbursement is calculated by deducting the daily commute.
• If the traveler’s headquarters (or primary work location as defined by the traveler’s flexible work agreement or HR documentation) and their residence are the same location, then a daily commute deduction is not required.

A blanket Spend Authorization is used to track and reimburse transportation expenses (gasoline, mileage, parking, rental car, tolls), and may be issued once per fiscal year for an individual.

Yes. Use of a personal vehicle for business purposes may be excluded on the average private insurance policy. Additional coverage may need to be purchased to cover specific circumstances and requirements. Employee and guest travelers are advised to check with their insurance company for provisions and rates to cover such activity.

For more information visit Risk Management.

Best Practice Tip: Consider using one of the university's contracted rental car agencies in lieu of personal vehicle for business travel. Costs are considerably less expensive and the required insurance is included in the rate.

No. Relocation expenses are not considered business travel and should not be submitted on a Spend Authorization. Contact Relocation Services (relocation@osu.edu) for further guidance.

In the event an injury or accident occurs during business travel status, while in a private vehicle (OSU non-owned), the vehicle driver’s insurance company assumes primary liability for personal injury or property damage incurred by the accident. Primary insurance coverage follows the vehicle’s owner. If this occurs during business travel, injuries to employees may be covered by Worker’s Compensation. Injuries to other parties would fall under the driver’s insurance policy or other insurance such as health insurance of the individual injured. Any private insurance used will have its own deductibles. The University policy may be excess to the owners policy.

For one-time trips between two primary destinations, an online map source (e.g. MapQuest or Google Maps) is the best source of address-to-address documentation. When traveling to multiple destinations, or travel covering a wide range of dates (for the same business purpose), a log including odometer readings and address-to-address locations are required to document for audit review.

No receipt is required as long as the amount reimbursed is within the Per Diem allowance of the applicable city location.  However, a general description of what was purchased must be documented for auditing purposes (i.e. Breakfast on 6/22, and Dinner on 6/23).

Full meal allowances while on travel status will not be paid if provided through other travel-related purchases (e.g. continental breakfast built into the hotel room rate).  The allowance must be adjusted by deducting the appropriate meal percentage (25% – breakfast; 25% – lunch; 50% – dinner) from the full Per Diem allowance for the applicable city location.

Miscellaneous expenses considered necessary for business travel (e.g. taxi fares, baggage fees, parking, tolls, internet connectivity, Visas, immunizations, etc.) may be reimbursed without a receipt for each individual expense that is $50 or less.  However, a detailed description (e.g. “taxi fare to and from JFK airport”) and associated business purpose for the expense must be documented for auditing purposes.  Individual expenses in excess of $50 require an original, itemized receipt. 

Note:  Travel related expenses that are specifically noted in the Procedure Section of the Travel Policy (e.g. airfare, hotel, rental car, et al) have specific documentation requirements and should not be included as a miscellaneous expense.

Yes, all travelers, including guests/recruits/speakers/students/groups must adhere to the Travel Guidelines.

It is not recommended to use a personal credit card to pay for travel-related expenses for another traveler. Instead, travelers should use a university payment method (e.g. PCard) if such a need arises.

Contact the Travel Office for further assistance.

It is generally advisable to give one travel day for domestic travel and two travel days for international travel. However, the amount of travel days can be adjusted if the traveler provides a business justification to their unit and the unit approves of the justification for a change in the amount of travel days. This documentation should be provided in the Spend Authorization.

The unit/service center should process expenses as normal, ensuring that if submitted greater than 60 days there is a comment as to why. No additional action is needed by the department or the service center.

It is not recommended to use a personal credit card to pay for travel-related expenses for another traveler. Instead, travelers should use a university payment method (e.g. PCard) if such a need arises.

Contact the Travel Office for further assistance.