Travel Policies/Guidelines

Travel includes numerous scenarios and modes of transportation.  This guideline encompasses the most popular transportation modes, lodging, meals, foreign travel, and incidental charges.  This guideline also summarizes Travel Authorizations, how to calculate meal allowances, and how to complete travel related forms.

SUNY Canton and SUNY Potsdam employees that engage in travel as a function of their employment have the option of obtaining a state issued Citibank Travel Card.  This card can be used by the employee when in travel status for the purpose of paying for travel expenses as authorized by OSC Travel Policy. This card allows the employee to travel with no outlay of personal funds, while providing the campus the benefit of associated rebate dollars.

Employees also have the option of utilizing their own funding source (cash, personal credit/debit card, etc.) at their discretion for the purpose of paying for travel expenses as authorized by OSC Travel Policy. Under no circumstances will the campus reimburse an employee that chooses this option for any interest charges or other penalties that may be assessed by their personal credit card company as a result of its use for state travel. Reimbursement will be made upon submission of a completed voucher after the completion of the authorized trip.

Official Station: The Office of State Comptroller Travel Manual states, "The official station is the employee’s usual work location. The official station is designated by the agency and must be in the best interest of the State. The purpose of an official station is to establish when the employee is in travel status and eligible for reimbursement of travel expenses. Travel between the employee’s home and official station is considered commuting and is not reimbursable. The employee’s home is considered to be in the city or town in which the employee primarily resides when working at his or her official station. For all travel purposes at Potsdam and Canton "Official Station" is the college you work for; Potsdam, Canton, Rome, etc unless HR has your official station as your home due to the work that you do for the college. Only a letter from HR will exempt a traveler from the "official station" rule.

Please note:  The Office of State Comptroller (OSC) Travel Manual states, “The expense of meals or lodging within the proximity of the official station will not normally be reimbursed, unless it is in the best interest of the State or determined by the head of the agency’s finance office…subject to the audit of the Comptroller.” 

For employees traveling within 35 miles from both their official work station and home, travel reimbursement for personal car mileage will follow the Lesser of Mileage Rule as is stated in the OSC travel manual. No meals will be reimbursed. The Office of State Comptroller (OSC) Travel Manual also states, it is the traveler’s responsibility to know State travel rules and regulations and the agency’s specific travel policies and procedures.

Other helpful travel information

• This process requires that all airline reservations be booked via our authorized State travel agency. The state contract travel agencies require the use of a state issued Travel Card in the name of the traveler. Should the traveler choose to use their personal credit card, travelers will procure coach class airfare from the lowest cost provider.
• Our University uses the services of Child Travel New York. Contact information is as follows:

Child Travel New York PS66730
d/b/a Child Travel, A direct Travel Company
30 Corporate Drive
Clifton Park, NY  12065
1-800-774-0655
(518) 292-9020
e-mail: CTTravel@dt.com
www.concursolutions.com
After Hours Emergency Assistance: 800-774-0655, Option B

When booking airfare you will be asked for a 5 digit code. Our agency code is 28360.

Keep in mind: Airline and rail transaction fees through the Online Travel Reservation System (Concur) is only $4.95. This is significantly less than the agent-assisted airline transaction fee of $14.95 and is less than fees charged on most airline travel sites.

View a complete list of transaction fees

• Traveler completes a Travel Authorization Form. The form must include traveler’s name, destination, date(s) of travel, account number to be charged, authorized reimbursement amount, traveler’s signature and account manager's signature.
• Traveler should use their CITI Travel card to book all flights. If you do not have a travel card, please call the Travel Office (386-7868) to get information on how to obtain the travel card for your trip. The use of personal credit cards or other means of reimbursement is prohibited for airfare. The passenger's portion of the airline ticket or e-ticket must be submitted with the travel voucher/ travel card statement.

• When determining whether to request or not to request a State vehicle, keep in mind that liability rules will not cover spouses or family members. A personal vehicle should be used. Only individuals affiliated with the college will be covered and should be in the state vehicle.
• When a state car is being requested, please fill out the top right hand side of the T-1 and submit the T-1 to the Physical Plant. The Physical Plant will assign a car if one is available and then forward the T-1 to the Travel Office at SUNY Canton. Do not send multiple copies of your T-1 for signatures (unless requested by the Travel Coordinator for expedited processing), as this creates confusion for all signers of the form.
  • Each vehicle contains a Wright Express credit card in the glove compartment to be used for fuel, oil purchases, and minor repairs specifically for that vehicle.  To use the card, traveler must input their business pin. It is the travelers responsibility to obtain their own pin prior to traveling. An odometer reading of the vehicle must be entered when prompted at the pump. The Wright Express credit card receipt should be turned in with the vehicle keys and Trip Ticket Form (Canton) or with Mileage envelope (Potsdam). Traveler will need to sign the form and write in the ending odometer reading. In rare instances, you may have to purchase fuel and/or oil using your own credit card or cash.  In this case, to be reimbursed for the purchase, you must turn in your receipt with your Travel Voucher.
• If the traveler plans to leave their personal vehicle on campus while traveling, it must be parked in the designated area for the state car that you are using.

• The rental agreement should be submitted with the Travel Voucher. The state has a discount program with Enterprise Rent-a-Car for rentals. When renting a vehicle for State business, the traveler should rent in the name of New York State and sign the agreement as agent for the State. Contact information for Enterprise is as follows:

  Enterprise
  Telephone: 1-877-881-5500
  Vehicle Rental Website

• Any gasoline purchases, as well as any other direct costs associated with the vehicle will be reimbursed.
• Reasons for using a rental car may be public transportation not available or a rental car is cheaper than alternative transportation.

• A personal vehicle may be used when common carrier transportation is not available or cost effective. Mileage will be reimbursed in accordance with the current collective bargaining agreement, regardless of the number of passengers. Link to Mileage rate reimbursement for personal car
• Map quest directions should be submitted with your Mileage Worksheet as back up for the miles traveled.
• Charges for fuel, accessories, repairs, depreciation, antifreeze, towing and other similar expenditures will not be allowed. These are considered operating costs of a vehicle and are covered in the mileage allowance.

• Employees may choose from 1 of 2 reimbursement methods for meals and lodging.  Per Diem rates are established by the federal government. Rates are identified by county and the traveler must indicate the county as well as the city on the voucher.  A full per diem is considered to be dinner the first day, lodging, and breakfast the following day. Incidental expenses such as tips to bellmen, porters, hotel maids, etc. are included in the per diem. Breakfast on the first day and dinner on the last day will also be reimbursed provided traveler meets the same requirements for arrival and departure times as for day trips and THE TIME IS PROPERLY INDICATED ON THE TRAVEL VOUCHER.
• Overnight Travel – Method I – Without a Lodging receipt
  This is a flat rate per diem allowance for meals, lodging and incidentals as noted above. The rate is based on the location of travel, but is the same regardless of where lodging was obtained, including with a relative or friend.  For example, there is a $50 maximum for out-of-state and foreign destinations to cover BOTH the meals and lodging. No lodging receipt is required. To receive the full Method I allowance for the specified area, it is necessary for travelers to be in overnight travel status and be eligible for both breakfast and dinner. Click here for Method I Meal Reimbursement Rates
• Overnight Travel – Method II – With a Lodging Receipt
  This method provides reimbursement of ACTUAL lodging costs based on the location of travel, and an allowance for meals. Receipts for lodging are required for any meals associated with overnight travel. Traveler must attach the original lodging receipt to the Travel Voucher. If another agency or organization provides lodging, this should be indicated on the Voucher, (with a copy of the receipt). The traveler may claim the meal allowance for the area (find the Per Diem link below). Once the Per Diem rate is determined; click here for Method II Meal Allowance Breakdown.
  
  
  • For travel in NYS, employees should use the Tax Exemption Certificate (ST-129) for lodging.  NYS taxes cannot be reimbursed.  For out of state travel, taxes are not included in the maximum lodging amount, and may be reimbursed.
• If the amount paid for lodging is greater than the maximum per diem allowed, traveler must obtain prior approval and attach an over the max Lodging Justification, signed by Melissa Tulip, approving the over per diem rate.

• Only breakfast and dinner are reimbursable meals. Lunch is not a reimbursable expense.
• Breakfast - Employees will be allowed reimbursement for breakfast if they have to leave 1 hour before their regular work day.
• Dinner - Employees are allowed reimbursement for dinner if they return 2 hours after their regular work day.

• The State of New York has a Corporate Travel Card Program to provide employees with a mechanism to pay for travel expenses. Any employee who travels at least once a year may apply for a card through the Travel Office at SUNY Canton. Detailed Travel Card Program Guidelines can be found on the website.
• Only appropriate expenses for state purpose can be charged on the Travel Card. Meals will be allowed on the Travel Card, but close attention should be paid to per diem rates for the area you are in. If cardholders choose to use the Travel Card to pay for meals, the allowance for meals, including gratuities shall be limited to actual cost up to the maximum Per Diem meal allowance. A receipt for meal purchases is required. Alcoholic beverages cannot be paid with Travel Card.
  
  Examples of appropriate expenses for the card are:
• Lodging
• Transportation such as rental car, taxi, airfare, or train
• Meals
• Work related supplies
• Conference registration
• Improper or unauthorized charges may result in mandated reimbursement to the agency by the employee, suspension or loss of privileges related to the card, or disciplinary action.
• A travel voucher must be submitted detailing all expenses including both corporate Travel Card charges and out of pocket expenses. The travel coordinator will reimburse out of pocket expenses and pay the corporate card directly. Vouchers must be submitted timely since they provide information necessary to reconcile the corporate card bill. Revocation of the traveler's card may occur upon repeated delays in the submission of vouchers. Vouchers must be submitted for all charges whether or not out of pocket expenses were incurred.

• Advantages to using the card include:
• Charges are billed directly to the State.
• The need for travel advances will be reduced.
• Costs in processing vouchers will be reduced.
• The agency and State will be able to capture a true picture of travel expenses to the State.
• Travelers using the card will not need to carry large amounts of cash or use personal credit cards.
• The program provides automatic business travel accident insurance when transportation is charged to the card.

• All expenses must be recorded and attached to a completed Travel Voucher.
• Make sure these items are filled in or attached:
• Traveler’s New York State Employee Number (found on pay sub - starts with an N0)
• Date and time of departure - this will determine if meals will be paid for. Meals may be reimbursed on the Travel Voucher Form on a per diem basis based on location of lodging. If meals are provided or paid by another source related to the scheduled event, the traveler will not be reimbursed. If the traveler is opting to claim reimbursement at the full meal Per Diem meal allowance, then the Travel Card may not be used to purchase food and beverages.
• Conference Brochure
• Original receipts for hotel, conference registration, rental cars, airline ticket stubs, or travel agency print out.
• Method I MUST BE USED IF TRAVELER DOES NOT STAY IN A HOTEL.
• Sales tax for lodging is only reimbursable if it is out of NY State.
• Non-overnight trips: when you take a day trip and are going to claim meals, you must have a receipt for all of the claimed meals (breakfast & dinner) to get up to the listed per diem. No reimbursement is allowed for lunch.  Otherwise, you will only get reimbursed $5.00 for breakfast and $12.00 for dinner.  Both are taxable since these are non-overnight trips.
• WE CANNOT REIMBURSE TRAVELER FOR SOMEONE ELSE’S TRAVEL COSTS.
• Email or mail completed and signed Travel Voucher to rowleya@canton.edu at SUNY Canton's Travel Office for processing. All reimbursements now come from Albany. If your paycheck is direct deposited, then your travel reimbursement will be the same. If you receive a paper check, a state check will be sent to your home address from Albany. You can expect a turnaround time of up to two weeks from the time you submit your voucher to the time you see your reimbursement. One week for Travel Coordinator to process voucher and one week for Albany to process payment.