U-M’s Travel and Business Hosting Expense SPG was updated effective July 1, 2025. Key changes include:
Extended reimbursement submission deadline from 45 to 60 days
To be eligible for tax-free reimbursements, out-of-pocket expenses must be submitted and approved in the university’s expense reporting system within 60 calendar days from the date of the transaction, the end date of the trip, or the date of the event, following federal treasury regulations. For more information about this policy, please read this guidance developed by the Tax Compliance and Planning Office.
Reimbursement of out-of-pocket expenses now occurs after the trip/event
Business expenses paid out-of-pocket will now only be reimbursed after a trip or event takes place. Procurement Services recommends using a PCard or Travel Card for these expenses to avoid incurring out-of-pocket charges. This is effective today, but there will be a grace period until January 1, 2026 to allow for the transition.
Requirement for airfare booking
As a reminder, all employees are now required to use Collegiate Travel Planners (CTP), U-M’s designated travel partner, to book flights for university-related travel. This policy change will both streamline the travel booking process and ensure that U-M leverages the best options and rates negotiated for the university.
In preparation for this requirement, the Travel Program has been working closely with CTP to improve the travel booking experience based on feedback from employees, including:
- Adding the ability to book multi-leg/multi-city international flights in Lightning
- Adjusting filters on route search results to increase the number of flight options shown
- Streamlining transactions between CTP and Emburse (read more)
We’ve also scheduled additional training and Q&A sessions to help travelers and travel arrangers with these changes. Information about these sessions, along with training materials, can be found on the Travel Program webpage. For more information about this requirement, please read this CTP Requirement Knowledge Base article and FAQ.