Group Travel Advance Policy

Question

• When is a group travel advance needed? 
• What is the procedure to request an advance?
• How is the advance repaid after the trip has occurred?

Answer

Policy 2.004 Group Travel Advances

1. A Group Travel Advance is required if faculty or staff will be paying expenses for students or other employees
   1. Group advances are available to all staff, faculty, or graduate assistants that are authorized to travel on University business.
2. Complete the Group Travel Advance Request Form (see attached form)
   1. Must be signed by the requester and department head
   2. Amount of the advance cannot exceed the cost of the estimated out of pocket expenses
3. Once completed, email USD-Accounting@usd.edu 
   • Group Travel Advance form
   • Approved Out of State Travel Request (OSTR) form
   • An estimated break down of costs covered
     1. If estimated cost includes cash for meals, must provide a list of meals provided (ie forty (40) lunch and forty (40) dinners)
4. USD Accounting will process the advance in Banner as a direct pay invoice with payment issued one week prior to departure
5. While traveling, the advance recipient must collect and retain all itemized receipts
6. After the trip has ended, the traveler must submit all receipts to their department support staff to repay the advance
7. Support staff enter a journal voucher (JV) in Banner no more than thirty (30) days after the ending date of travel
   1. Journal voucher will
      1. Debit the department index 
         • Account code 733090 (in-state trips) or 733290 (out of state trips)
      2. Credit the group travel advance index 221939
         • Account code 120030
      3. Attach all travel forms and receipts into Xtender
   2. If the actual out of pocket expenses were greater than the advance
      1. Journal voucher amount will be the total of the advance
      2. Submit a direct pay invoice in Banner to reimburse the remaining overage to the traveler
   3. If the actual out of pocket expenses were less than the advance
      1. Journal voucher amount will be the total of expenses reported on the travel payment detail
      2. Traveler must write a check to USD for the difference
         Note: Do not write the check until the journal voucher has been approved and posted
      3. Department deposits the check into 
         1. Index 221939
         2. Account code 120030