FAQ

The expense approver should have a higher level of authority than the individuals for whom they are approving expenses. The approver should be able to determine that each expense is university business-related, allowable, and necessary.

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Am I required to have a default approver in Concur?

 If you submit expense reports, it is recommended by University Audit that you assign a default approver.

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What is a reviewer in Concur?

Reviewers provide assistance to the approver in the review function only and do not relieve approvers of their authority and responsibility for the expense approval.

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What is the reviewer’s responsibility, and do they have to attest?

There is no attestation for the reviewer. The individual assigned the delegate reviewer option can check expense reports for things such as proper funding sources, verification of correct allocations, and compliance with internal processes. Following the review, they can return the report to the employee for correction, or notify the approver the report has been reviewed with no attestation.

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Does the approver have to wait for the reviewer before approving an expense report?

No. The approver is still able to review, approve, or deny any expense report in the queue whether or not the report has been reviewed.

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What is the per diem policy for employees?

The university is using the per diem allowance set by the US government to cover meals and incidentals (not lodging) while on business travel status. Per diem amounts are published by the General Services Administration (GSA) and are specific to major cities.

  • The per diem policy does not apply to guests and students.
  • The university is not using per diem for lodging.
  • While not recommended, it is permissible for units facing fiscal constraints to pay per diems that are less than the published domestic and foreign per diem rates by excluding meals from per diem reimbursement.
  • Per diems are allocated as a reimbursement at the conclusion of the travel following submission of the expense report, approval by the unit, and successful audit. Per diems are not provided in advance of travel.

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What is the per diem policy for guests and students?

Guests and students are not subject to per diem. Units may reimburse guests and students at a set rate, provided that the rate does not exceed the current maximums for actuals ($25 breakfast, $25 lunch, $55 dinner).

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Why does the per diem policy allow only 75 percent of the daily amount on the first and last days of travel?

The adjusted per diem amounts are used because the traveler is not on full travel status the entire day.

Is per diem allowable for single day trips?

Single day trips, 12 hours or longer are subject to per diem reimbursement. Single day per diem is calculated at 75% of the daily amount.

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What does CONUS and OCONUS mean?

CONUS is an acronym for “contiguous United States,” which includes the 48 US states on the continent of North America (that are south of Canada) including the District of Columbia. OCONUS is an acronym for outside the contiguous United States, which includes Alaska, Hawaii, and US territories and possessions, such as Puerto Rico.

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How does the 45-day rule work?

PCard transactions should be submitted on an expense report for approval within 45 days of the transaction date.

When traveling, an expense report should be submitted for approval within 45 days following the last day of the trip or event.

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When traveling internationally, where money is not readily available, what is the best method for obtaining cash?

A PCard holder can request a temporary ATM for foreign travel. If the traveler does not have a PCard, a cash advance is appropriate if approved by the unit. Any unused portion of the cash advance or ATM withdrawal must be returned to the university as soon as possible, but no later than 45 calendar days after the completion of the trip or event. In cases where the planned trip or event is canceled, any advances must be reconciled and the funds returned as soon as possible. Amounts owed to the university after expense advance reconciliation will be deducted from the employee’s paycheck.

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Is local mileage a reimbursable expense?

The university generally does not reimburse local in-town mileage (e.g., travel between university buildings on the same campus for meetings), parking/tolls, or commuting costs (e.g., the costs associated with driving a car between home and the normal place of work or business). Local mileage is considered to be within/on the campus or within the city of the employee’s primary work location.

Employees who incur periodic, minor travel between campus buildings and sites should not request mileage reimbursement. Exceptions may be made with approval from the appropriate senior university official and with notice to the director of procurement services. Mileage can be claimed for travel between the three main campuses (Ann Arbor/Flint/Dearborn). University employees can take advantage of the extensive university transit bus routes and shuttle services to travel between university buildings on the same local campus, including travel between Central, North, and South campuses in Ann Arbor.

 

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Who do I contact for policy or process questions related to PCard and Travel and Expense?

Please use this resource as a guide if you are unsure who to contact.

How do I get my receipts into Concur?

How do I get my receipts into Concur?

There are 5 different ways that receipts can be loaded into Concur:

E-Receipts

E-Receipts are electronic itemized receipts that can be accepted in lieu of a scanned or attached receipt. Employees are able to receive e-receipts for transactions from travel vendors who have an e-receipt agreement with Concur. To enable e-receipts, employees must:

Log into Concur.  Click the Profile tab> Profile Settings> E-Receipt Activation.

 

Capture Receipts with Concur Mobile

Take photos of your receipts with the Concur Mobile app on your mobile device, which will automatically be uploaded as receipts to your Receipt Store for assignment to expense reports by you or your delegate.

 

Receipt Store

Activate and register for the Receipt Store to file receipts for future use.  Once Receipt Store is activated, just email receipts to Receipts@Concur.com. To register for the Receipt Store, employees must:

Log into Concur.  Click the Profile tab> Email Addresses> Verify>Enter Verification Code

 

Fax

This method allows you (or your delegate) to fax paper receipts to Concur to be imaged and attached to an expense report at the header level. You must use the Fax Receipt Cover Page for the specific expense report.

 

Attaching Receipts

This option allows you (or your Delegate) to upload receipt images to the expense report either to the report header or an expense line.

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I purchased a first class ticket for my business travel, how do I know what portion of the airfare is allowable for reimbursement?

A coach class comparison pulled from Concur at the same time the reservation is made is required to determine the allowable reimbursement for airfare.  If a coach class comparison was NOT obtained at the time the reservation was booked, a current comparison will be accepted with the following criteria:

  • Travel dates must be at least 14 days out
  • Comparison must be pulled from Concur
  • Departure and return days must be the same weekday as the business trip

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The airfare I purchased for my business trip includes an additional stop for a personal trip, how do I know what portion of the airfare is allowable for reimbursement?

The university will reimburse up to the cost of roundtrip coach class airfare for travel to the business location.  A comparison pulled from Concur at the same time the reservation is made is required to determine the allowable reimbursement for airfare.  If a coach class comparison was NOT obtained at the time the reservation was booked, a current comparison will be accepted with the following criteria:

  • Travel dates must be at least 14 days out
  • Comparison must be pulled from Concur
  • Departure and return dates should be used for the business portion of the trip

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Can I be reimbursed for a business expense if I paid for the expense with a gift card?

No, Similar to airfare purchased with points, there is no actual value incurred by the individual for the gift card.  Reward points and gift cards are considered to be personal to the individual and are not an approved method of payment for university business expense.  Therefore, the university will not reimburse the transaction amount of purchases paid with points or a gift card.

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Do I need to attest for reimbursement to non-employees?

Please be reminded that a signature attestation is required when providing reimbursement to a non-employee, which includes guests and students.  Currently, faculty and staff do provide an attestation when they submit their Concur expense report.  The Internal Revenue Service requires the reimbursement recipient to attest that they agree with the amount of the reimbursement and that no other party has provided the reimbursement.

The Shared Services Center offers a Student/Guest Reimbursement Service, which includes the creation of the TBHER form and voucher, as well as obtaining the required signatures using the university’s electronic signature software, SignNow. If you are interested in using this service, please contact your SSC Customer Relationship Manager. If you do not know who your CRM is, you may email that team at ssc.smq.rep@umich.edu.

The SignNow e-signature software is also available for use university-wide. If units are interested in using the software on their own, more information can be found by clicking on this ITS link: U-M SignNow