Travel
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Events Administration
Open Skies Agreement Update
United Kingdom No Longer Part of Open Skies Agreement (OSP website)
Effective January 1, 2021, the United Kingdom is no longer a part of the European Union (EU). Therefore, the Open Skies Agreement with EU countries no longer applies to the United Kingdom. From the U.S. General Services Administration Fly America Act website: “‘Open Skies Agreements’ are bilateral or multilateral agreements between the U.S. Government and the governments of foreign countries that allow travelers to use foreign air carriers from these countries for government-funded international travel.” Please visit the Fly America Act website for more details.
Policies
- Harvard Travel Policy
- Sponsored Travel Guidance and Policy
- FAQs
- Concur Trainings
- Definition of a valid receipt
- Gift Cards: individuals cannot be reimbursed for out of pocket expenses paid for by a gift card – the proof of purchase must be a credit/cash transactio
- Certain apps (like Dunkin’ and Starbucks) requires users to pre-load funds into their account: in those instances Central AP is OK with those receipts as long as it is not obvious a Gift Card is being used. If the receipt shows that a Gift Card is being used, then it is not considered a reimbursable cost. Source (Jason Green correspondence with Central AP email exchange Monday, January 10, 2022)
- Gift Cards: individuals cannot be reimbursed for out of pocket expenses paid for by a gift card – the proof of purchase must be a credit/cash transactio
- Use of AirBNBs
- Generalized Business Purpose Document
- How does Concur/B2P Correlate to HART (Detail Listings)?
The HCO hosted a Lunch & Learn in October 2019 to go over Concur. That presentation can be found in our HCO Notes section.
Resources for Travel
Before/During Travel
- Harvard Travel Services please note: BCD Travel Authorization Form has been discontinued as of 01/01/2020
- Harvard Booking Tools
- Standard mileage rates
- Fly America – Open Skies Decision Tree
- Guide to Airline Fees
- Passport and Visa Services
- Per Diem Rates – U.S. Domestic
- Per Diem Rates – Foreign
- US Air Carriers
- FAS Travel Policy: Cost of Meals
- For an overview of Harvard’s Travel Program including the benefits of using our preferred vendors click here
After Travel
- Currency Exchange Rate conversion
- Electronic Receipt Requirements
- Federal Lowest Economy Airfare Travel Reimbursement Exception Form
- Fly America – Open Skies Decision Tree
- Fly America Travel Reimbursement Exception Form (FATREF)
- Lowest Economy Airfare Split Coding Job Aid
- Food – Beer/Wine – Hard Liquor Split Calculator
- Instructions for Per Diem in Concur
- How to Itemize a Lodging Receipt in Concur
Employee Travel Reimbursements are processed through Concur while Non-Employee Reimbursements are processed through Buy-to-Pay as a Non-Employee Reimbursement.
A non-employee is non-Harvard personnel as well as:
- Harvard Temps
- Less-than-half-times (LHTs)
- Students
- External Post-Docs
- Teaching Fellows.
FAQs
What does an appropriate Business Purpose consist of?
Business Purpose should always include:
- Who
- What
- Where
- When
- Why
The Business Purpose is the information that posts to the Detail Listing with that charge.
In Concur, you are limited to 64 characters so it is appropriate to use abbreviations when necessary. The backup documents and comment fields should be utilized to fully encompass the justification of the charge.
Examples:
- J.Harvard Dean’s Office Supplies 09/13/19
- J.Harvard XYZConf Presentation 09/01-05/2019 BaltimoreMD
- J.Harvard ABCWorkShop Registration 8/27/19 CambridgeMA
What is an acceptable receipt?
Acceptable receipts are itemized and must contain:
- proof of purchase
- amount & currency
- date
- location
A Missing Receipt Affidavit should be used if a receipt does not meet the acceptable standards.
When is combining personal travel with Harvard business, how do you determine the portion that is allowable?
If you are booking a flight (or train, bus, etc.) with more stops or a longer duration than required for the business trip due to personal travel, then you should provide documentation of the comparable itinerary (including price, dates, and air class) based on the business portion of the travel. The comparison must be obtained within one business day of booking. Only the allocable business portion of the travel should be charged to the federal award. If you do not have the comparison itinerary, then no portion of the ticket can be charged to the sponsored award.
When should I submit receipts for reimbursement?
Reimbursements should be settled in a timely manner; allowing enough time for all parties to approve based on the table below.
According to Harvard policy – employee reimbursements must be submitted within 90 days.
Charges incurred prior to travel (i.e. airfare, conference registration): the 90 day clock starts the day after your trip ends. You cannot be reimbursed for out-of-pocket expenses related to Business Travel until after the travel has completed.
Further information is available at “Processing Taxable Reimbursements” and under Add Pay Processing Instructions – changes to the Additional Pay Form – One Time/Recurring effective March 2021