Welcome to the latest Travel & Expense Management Newsletter!
Travel & Expense Management Lunch and Learn
Review the slide deck and Zoom recording from the latest Travel and Expense Management Lunch and Learn held on Tuesday, December 5, 2023, from 11:30 am to 12:30 pm.
You can also access all previous lunch and learn sessions on this page.
Travel Program Price Audit
The latest audit results are now ready: Results for July 2023 – September 2023.
As a reminder, an independent third-party will be conducting an ongoing formal audit of prices available through Pitt’s Travel Program on a quarterly basis. This audit compares the price for airfare and car rental searches to the top destinations for Pitt travel, through the following booking platforms:
- Concur online booking tool that works in conjunction with Anthony Travel, Pitt’s contracted Travel Management Company
- Direct booking through the travel provider (i.e. airline or rental agency)
- Consolidator sites (i.e. Expedia, Orbitz, etc.)
Visit this page to see all previous results and read more about the travel program price audit, including the full methodology behind the audit and results.
Introducing Mobility Works
Mobility Works is a local organization that rents handicap accessible vehicles. While they are local to the Pittsburgh area, they also assist in finding handicap accessible vehicles nationally. This local organization has built their business around ensuring everyone is able to travel and is committed to assisting ADA travelers. For more information about Mobility Works, including how to make a reservation, visit the PPT website.
Non-Travel Policy in Concur
To improve efficiency and user experience with managing expenses in the Concur system, a new process is available in Concur to reconcile non-travel expenses for OneCard purchases. This new policy went into effect on September 25, 2023, and offers updated expense report types to include two forms: Travel and Non-Travel. Additionally, the General Expenditures form has been removed. The two new expense-specific reports tailor the required report fields to the types of expenses the user is submitting, eliminating any unnecessary fields. Training materials are available on the Concur Travel & Expense Sharepoint Site.
Expense Report and Payment Reminders
Miscellaneous Purchases
When completing an expense report in Concur, the miscellaneous category should only be selected if the expense cannot fit into any other expense category provided. If the miscellaneous category is selected when the expense can be placed under a different category, reports will be returned to the report owner for the correct expense type to be for the expense and resubmitted. Please review some of the common expenses that are incorrectly placed under “miscellaneous”:
- Food Purchases for offices, teams or trips
- Trophies
- Conferences
- Express/Regular Mail
- Office/Scientific/Event Supplies
Alcohol on Expense Reports
If you will be purchasing alcohol with University funds, such as on the OneCard or via an out-of-pocket expense that will be reimbursed, you must get an approval memo from your supervisor to attach to the expense report prior to submitting the report. Reports without the memo attached will be returned. This will result in a delay in the report being fully approved and will likely cause additional work for both the expense owner and approvers.
Accidental personal charges on the OneCard
If an accidental personal purchase is placed on your OneCard, follow the guidelines below:
- When submitting the expense report for the charge, select “personal/non reimbursable” as the expense type NOT the actual expense type category for the charge.
- Ensure the expense report is submitted PRIOR to sending in the check to reimburse the funds from your personal account back to the department.
- Add the report key number in the memo of the check.
- Send the check addressed to the following:
- Off campus: Payment Processing & Compliance c/o Jessica Rybak 200 S. Craig St. (2nd FL) Pittsburgh, PA 15260
- On campus: Payment Processing & Compliance c/o Jessica Rybak CRAIG-210
Honorariums
When submitting honorariums, add a comment to the expense report to notate if it is in-person or virtual and if the action was performed inside or outside of the United States.
For more information about the Concur System and submitting expense reports, visit the Concur page on the PPT website.
University-wide Contracted Supplier Payments
Payments for University-wide Contracted Suppliers should be submitted through the PantherExpress System NOT through Concur.
Tax Updates and Information
Please review the following tax information and latest helpful updates:
- The tax exemption for the District of Columbia is currently pending. Currently, there is not an effective date for the new exemption to be processed but it will be added to the PPT website when available.
- Illinois does not accept state tax exemption for lodging and meals.
- Please note that when paying for lodging, occupancy tax is paid but sales tax is not paid when using the exemption.
Tax Exemptions for OneCards vs Personal Cards
It is highly recommended to use your OneCard for allowable purchases to ensure tax exemption. For purchases made on personal cards, there is no guarantee to be reimbursed the sales tax because a Pitt provided form of payment (OneCard) was not used for the purchase. Using the OneCard also ensures the funds stay within the department for future spending opportunities.
For more information about tax exemptions, visit the State Tax Exemption and W-9 page on the PPT website.