Payment Of Travel Expenses

Hamilton provides three means for the payment of travel expenses: (a)advances, (b) prepaid expenses, and (c) reimbursements. Each of these is explained in turn below. Extended operating advances are discussed in the Special Travel section.

A. Advances

Advances for anticipated out-of-pocket expenses will generally be issued no earlier than one week prior to departure. Those requesting an advance should present an approved Advance/Prepaid Expense Request to the Business Office, located on the second floor of the Philip Spencer House. The completed form must include all requested information relating to the traveler, as well as department name, department numbers, and the signature of an approving party. It should also state expected travel dates, the purpose of the trip, the traveler's itinerary by city, such as Boston-D.C.-Boston and whether the trip will be charged to a sponsored project. The traveler should fill in the amount requested before signing the form. The traveler's signature acknowledges responsibility to account to the College for the amount advanced and to repay the College for any unsubstantiated amounts.

Advances will be made by check. A Hamilton College check may be mailed to the traveler. Anyone picking up a check at the Business Office will be asked to show proper identification.

If a problem relating to an advance request cannot be resolved by telephone, the Business Office will return the request form to the traveler or the approving party for correction.

The traveler must account for an advance within 30 days after the completion of the trip by submitting the Expense Report described below. Under normal circumstances, the College will not process advances, prepayments, or reimbursements to an individual who has failed to account for a previous advance. A series of written notices will be sent to travelers who fail to account for advances, with copies of second notices sent to the person who approved the advance. If two or more notices are necessary, the advances still unaccounted for will be charged to the traveler's personal account and will become a debt owed by the traveler to the College.

B. Prepaid Expenses

These are expenses paid by the College in advance of the travel date, i.e, registration fees, hotel deposits, etc. In order to have the College prepay these expenses, submit an appropriately signed Check Request along with documentation of the expense (i.e. registration form, hotel confirmation form).

C. Reimbursed Expenses

In order to be reimbursed for expenses incurred or to substantiate travel advances and prepaid expenses, a traveler must submit a signed Expense Report accompanied by appropriate original receipts.

The receipts are needed to document the actual amounts of any travel expenses that will be charged to a College account. The completed Expense Report and receipts should be submitted to the Business Office within 30 days of the traveler's return from each trip.

All of the background information at the top of the Expense Report must be completed, including the itinerary by city, such as Boston-New York-Boston, and a brief statement of the trip's purpose. The date of departure and the date of return must be specified, along with any days of personal travel within the period of the trip. A social security number is required only when the traveler is not a Hamilton employee. Transportation, meals, lodging, and other expenses should be listed by date and clearly identified. Travelers who may be reimbursed for meals on a per diem basis should so indicate on the Expense Report.

Funding advanced to the traveler for the trip must be reported on the Expense Report. If cash advances exceed travel expenses, the balance must be returned to the Business Office with the Expense Report. Balances due the traveler will be paid as soon as the Expense Report is processed.

By signing the Expense Report, travelers certify to the College that the information contained on the form is accurate to the best of their knowledge. Therefore, individuals must sign their own names.

The Expense Report must be approved by a person authorized to charge expenses to the account(s) and department(s) that will bear the cost. The authorizing signature indicates that the charges are proper and that funds are available to cover the expenses.

If the traveler's signature is unobtainable, an Expense Report will be processed with only the approval signature, provided that an adequate explanation of the circumstances is attached to the Report.

Reimbursement checks will be mailed to the traveler or can be picked up at the Business Office. Travelers or their representatives should bring identification when picking up a reimbursement check.

If an Expense Report is not completed properly, and if the problem cannot be resolved with a phone call, the Report will be returned to the traveler or the approving party for correction.