For comprehensive information on Columbia University's Travel & Expense process and policies, please visit: https://travel-expense.finance.columbia.edu/

Travel & Expense Instructions

Any Columbia University student, employee or visitor can be reimbursed for valid business and research related expenses. Prior-approval must be obtained from the professor or department that is providing funding.

Columbia has introduced a new Travel and Business Expense Reimbursement platform: Concur. All employees in the APAM Department (including faculty, staff, postdocs, research scientists, etc.) should use Concur to process reimbursements. 

Students (including graduate students) may or may not have access to Concur. Students should scroll down to the Student section for information on how to submit your expenses for reimbursement.

Important Information:

  • Please review the official Columbia University travel and business expense policies prior to submitting a request
  • Business expenses are “local” expenses
  • Travel expenses involve leaving the New York City area and include an overnight stay
  • Submit all expenses in a timely manner, preferably within 10 days of the last expense
  • Receipts received by the department after 120 days of the last expense date may be considered taxable income
  • Provide a conference flyer, seminar announcement, invitation letter, or other document to confirm the business purpose
  • If you are unsure about what is allowable, please check with the department before you incur an expense. Refer to this “cheat sheet” for common allowable / unallowable expenses. Note this is not an exhaustive list.
  • Incomplete submissions, poorly documented receipts, or expenses that violate policy will either delay processing, be returned for more information, or will not be reimbursed. Not knowing Columbia policy is not valid justification for failure to comply. Submitting receipts is not a guarantee that you will receive reimbursement.

 

Guidelines

The payee is expected to obtain itemized receipts for all expenses $50 and above, and must retain all documentation until expenses have been reimbursed. Proof of payment must be submitted for all expenses, regardless of amount, in order to ensure submissions are in compliance with Accounts Payable review and audit procedures. 
 

Itemized receipts are strictly required for the following travel expenses regardless of amount:
 

  • Roundtrip travel to and from destination (Air/Rail/Bus Tickets)
  • Hotels (note - Airbnb and other home sharing platforms may not be used)
  • Cabs / Car rental
  • Food

     

Receipts

A receipt may take many forms (i.e. cash register receipt, copy of an order form, web receipt or confirmation). A complete receipt must identify: 

  • Date of purchase
  • Vendor name
  • Itemized list and unit price of the purchased items
  • Total amount


Missings Receipts

 If you were not able to obtain a receipt, lost the receipt, or the receipt is incomplete (i.e. not itemized), those with access to Concur can create a Missing Receipt Declaration (Affidavit). Those who do not have access to Concur (such as students or visitors) can submit a Missing Receipts Worksheet.

 

Proof of Payment

The payee is also expected to obtain proof of payment for all expenses. Proof of payment is usually included in the receipt with a notation of:

  • “Cash tendered”
  • “Paid”
  • A zero balance due
  • Debit/Credit card payment (card type, last four digits of card and/or signature)

If no proof of payment is available in this form (i.e. missing or incomplete receipt), a debit or credit card statement may be provided. You may black out any private or unrelated information. If an expense was paid in cash, add a comment stating it was paid in cash. 
 

Flights

  • Review Columbia's Air Travel Requirements & Restrictions
  • Always purchase the lowest cost economy ticket, unless there is a documented condition why an upgrade is necessary. Upgrades to business or first class travel are considered “segregated”, and are not always reimbursable.
  • If upgrades are necessary and allowable, at the time of booking obtain a quote for a round-trip economy flight, and submit with your purchased ticket
  • Ensure proof of payment is clearly visible. Note that websites such as Expedia often show only an “estimated fare” or “quote”; this is not a valid proof of payment.
  • If using a federal grant (NSF, NSA, DoD, etc.) you must comply with Fly America / Open Skies Act, which generally requires use of a US based air carrier
  • Arrive the day before your event begins, and depart the day after it ends. Extending travel beyond the minimum days for personal reasons requires additional documentation, or travel will not be reimbursed. Please consult the department before purchasing tickets involving extended stays.
  • Clearly document changes in travel plans, or other unusual circumstances

     

Ground Transportation

  • Local transportation should specify origin and destination (e.g., taxi from airport to hotel)
  • Car rentals should be purchased through Hertz when possible, using Columbia account. For more information, see: https://travel-expense.finance.columbia.edu/content/car-rentals
  • When using Hertz, DO NOT purchase Liability or other insurance from the agency. Loss/Damage Waiver and Liability Insurance is included under the Columbia contract. Insurance may be reimbursed from other vendors, if Hertz is not available
  • Provide a copy of the rental agreement with proof of payment

 

Personal Vehicle

Instead of a car rental, you may want to use your own personal vehicle. Reimbursement rates are based on total miles traveled and you cannot be reimbursed the cost of gas when using this method. The rate for 2022 is $0.585. The personal vehicle mileage rate changes each year. Submit the following information:

  • Provide an online printed map indicating the total mileage between your home and conference/trip destination
  • List this expense as “Personal vehicle mileage” on your reimbursement form as a line itemFor travel occurring in 2020, the formula for mileage is: Total miles * 0.575 = $ amt

     

Lodging/Hotels

  • Review Columbia's Preferred Hotel Suppliers
  • Airbnb and other home sharing platforms may not be used
  • Obtain an itemized, zero balance folio upon checkout
  • Ensure proof of payment is clearly visible
  • Lodging thresholds (before tax)
    Domestic – $350/night
    International – $400/night

     

Meals

  • Provide an itemized receipt, showing all items purchased
  • Ensure proof of payment is visible on the receipt (“CASH”, “VISA xxxx”, or similar)
  • Provide the names of all participants at the meal
  • Identify ALL alcohol purchased, or write “no alcohol” if the receipt is not itemized
  • Alcohol is a segregated expense, and must be placed in the “segregated” column
  • Alcohol CANNOT be charged to a sponsored project
  • As a general rule of thumb, alcohol purchases are not reimbursed for students. Prior approval from the department is required.


Meals are limited to three per day (breakfast, lunch, dinner); snacks and coffee/tea/refreshments will not be reimbursed
Meal limits (per person, excluding tax & tip) 

  • Breakfast – $25
  • Lunch – $35
  • Dinner – $75

Any meal expense exceeding the threshold will be automatically reduced to comply with these limits, with tax & tip pro-rated accordingly. Gratuity over 20% will not be reimbursed



Expenses in Foreign Currency
Users can specify the currency when they are adding the details of the expense. Once the amount is entered in foreign currency and the currency type is updated, the fields displaying the conversion rate and the amount in U.S. Dollars will automatically appear. The conversion rate automatically updates based on the transaction date.

 

Faculty & Staff Reimbursements

Faculty should submit their travel reimbursents in Concur.

We recommend that all Concur users sign up for Concur Travel and Expense training in ELM, Columbia's Enterprise Learning Management system.

Tips

  • Provide a clear, specific business purpose
    Acceptable: “Travel to _____ to participate in a conference on _______. July 1-5, 2017”
    Not acceptable: “conference travel” or “gave a talk”
  • Submit each expense as a separate file; do not combine multiple receipts into a single pdf/image
  • Indicate the source of funding for your request in writing
    Example: “use seminar funds” or “NSF research account #xxxx”
  • Submit local business expenses as receipts are collected, as opposed to accumulating multiple receipts throughout a semester

APAM Student Reimbursements

Most students (including Graduate Students) do not have access to Concur. If you do have access to Concur, follow the instructions at: https://travel-expense.finance.columbia.edu/content/students

If you do not have access to Concur, please follow the instructions below for submitting your expenses to the APAM Business Office.

  • Ask permission from your PI BEFORE you make a business purchase. Make sure you know exactly which fund you will be using to pay for this purchase. If you plan to be reimbursed on funds from your PI, you must get an email from your PI approving of the expense, the amount, and indicating which chartstring you should use for this expense. (It's okay if the email lists only the project number, rather than that full chartstring)
     
  • Check your address and payment information on my.columbia.edu to make sure it is up-to-date.
     
  • Fill out a Non-Employee Expense Work-Sheet (xls).  Please note that vendor type on this form refers to YOUR vendor type. As a grad student, you will be either a "student employee" (salary) or "student non-employee" (stipend). If you are unsure about any part of the form, please email [email protected] before making your purchase.
     
  • Email [email protected] the receipts for ALL of your expenses, the Non-Profiled Payee Travel and Business Expense Worksheet, and the email from your PI. Each individual receipt should be a separate pdf. Someone from the APAM Business Office will get back to if they have any questions about your expenses.
     
  • You will receive a check in the mail or payment via direct deposit, in accordance with how your PAC profile is set up.

 

Tips:

  • Provide a clear, specific business purpose
    Acceptable: “Travel to _____ to participate in a conference on _______. July 1-5, 2021”
    Not acceptable: “conference travel” or “seminar talk”
     
  • List each expense you are submitting individually
     
  • Submit each expense as a separate file; do not combine multiple receipts into a single pdf/image
     
  • As a general rule of thumb, alcohol purchases are not reimbursed for students. Prior approval from the department is required.

 

Visitor Reimbursements & Honorarium

Prior to requesting a reimbursement, all non-U.S. citizens should confirm their eligibility for payment. If you are in a category such a “J-1 Researcher, Professor category not on Columbia’s sponsorship”, work authorization from your home institution should be obtained prior to requesting reimbursement. Typically this is a letter from your sponsoring institution that acknowledges that the travel is related to your visa program and provides permission to receive travel reimbursement and/or honorarium.

After confirming you are eligible to receive payment, please submit the following documentation to the administrative staff member who arranged your visit. If you do not know who to contact, send an email to [email protected]

Before your Visit

Columbia will need to set you up as a vendor in the system before they can issue your reimbursement. As soon as possible, please email the following information to your administrative host:

  • Full legal name
  • Current mailing address
  • Phone number
  • Email address
  • Citizenship
  • Visa type (if applicable)
  • Non-U.S. citizens also submit
    • Copy of passport ID page
    • Copy of visa or most recent I-94 entry status
    • Work authorization letter (if required, based on visa status)

Please note: A week or so after you submit that information, you will receive a message from Columbia's PaymentWorks. Please reply to that email and supply the required information. Please refer to this PaymentWorks Guide of contact PaymentWorks support if you have any questions with the PaymentWorks form.
 

After your Visit
After your visit to Columbia concludes, please email the following information to your administrative host:

 

Frequently asked questions:
 

1. Why must I submit tax forms for a reimbursement? Is my expense considered taxable?

If you are only receiving travel reimbursement (transportation, meals, lodging) for itemized receipts, this is not considered income and is not taxed. However, reimbursements submitted past 120 days from the date of the last expense are considered taxable income and may be taxed. Any expense a year old will not be reimbursed.

2. What if I am receiving an honorarium?

In special circumstances, the department may offer to provide visitors with an honorarium and guests will be required to submit additional documents. If you are an international visitor, you must first confirm that you are eligible to receive an honorarium based on your current visa status. Your administrative liason will send you the details.

3. What are Segregated vs Unsegregated Expenses?

Most expenses are “Unsegregated”. Common “Segregated” expenses include:

  • First or business class travel upgrades (the cost above an economy flight. An economy quote for the same itinerary and travel dates MUST be submitted along with the purchased upgrade)
  • Expenses above the Lodging thresholds
  • Alcoholic beverages

Segregated does not necessarily mean unallowable. However, these items cannot be charged to federal grants and may require additional approvals before reimbursements can be issued.

More questions?