Travel.
Travel on University business, and for research, education, and public service activities is a valuable and necessary activity for many of the University’s faculty, staff, and students as well as for official business visitors. Expenses incurred for business travel and other business expenses are reimbursable when properly documented, approved, and in compliance with University policy and IRS and sponsor regulations.
Travelers should feel secure and comfortable when traveling and should neither gain nor lose personal funds as a result of business travel on the University’s behalf. Only reasonable, necessary, and appropriate travel and business expenses will be funded by the University; expenses of a personal nature are unallowable and are the employee’s obligation.
Faculty and staff traveling and/or making arrangements for the travel of others should be aware of available University resources for ensuring the safety and protection of all travelers and follow all related requirements as detailed in this document and the associated policies section.
All faculty and staff are required to use the University Travel Card when using University funds to make travel arrangements and when incurring travel and business-related expenses during a trip. Travel that will be funded by external sources or discretionary funds does not require prior approval. However, those seeking school reimbursement from central funds, must complete a Travel Authorization Form and seek prior approval from their supervisor/department administration or chair and Associate Dean for Administration and Finance, prior to engaging in any travel. Hotel as well as meals and incidental expenses funded by central funds will be reimbursed at the GSA per diem rates as applicable for the relevant fiscal year and geolocation of intended travel.
In the conduct of University business, faculty and staff should maintain the highest ethical standards and should keep in mind their responsibilities as responsible stewards of University funds.
When possible, faculty and staff should use BU Preferred Vendors for their travel.
a. Definition
The Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) regulations require employers to pay for travel time in some circumstances. Generally, time spent traveling is compensable, unless it is normal home-to-work commute time, or when travel requires an overnight stay and the time spent traveling as a passenger falls outside of the employee’s normal work hours.
When pay is required, the time spent traveling is considered hours worked and must be included when determining overtime pay obligations. For reference, here’s a table delineating compensable vs. not-compensable time:
| Type of Travel |
Compensable |
Not Compensable |
| Home-to-work commute |
|
X |
| Travel to different worksites during the workday |
X |
|
| Travel to a different city, returning the same day |
X |
|
| Travel that requires an overnight stay |
|
|
| During regular work hours |
X |
|
| Outside of regular work hours |
|
X |
| Driving that is required by the employer |
X |
|
Home-to-work travel. Normal commuting time to an employee’s regular worksite is not treated as hours worked under the FLSA and therefore any expenses related to an employee’s normal commute from-to-work are not compensable/reimbursable unless there is a contractual agreement in place that provides compensation for said expenses.
b. Concur
Concur is the University’s travel management system. It allows for easy online bookings for travel, increased visibility into expenses, and quick reimbursement turnarounds for out of pocket expenditures.
Concur may be accessed via the “Travel Reimbursements” section of Employee Self-Service.
Expense Reports. All trips and reimbursements must be detailed in an Expense Report. Typically, these are completed by the traveler, though travelers may select a designee to complete Expense Reports. Expense Reports should be filed within 30 days of the trip.
Detailed instructions for how to file an expense report, including how to itemize an expense and confirm that the trip is being charged to the correct General Ledger account and Fund Center, are available on the Travel Services website. Expense reports in Concur require three approval steps:
- The cardholder’s direct manager/supervisor level
- Cost object approver
- Accounting review (which is done by the Travel Office)
Once an expense report is submitted, it will appear in the Active Reports section of the Expense tab in the Report Owner’s Concur Profile. The report will also list the approval step. For example:
- If with Supervisor – “Submitted & Pending Approval ____” (displaying supervisor’s name)
- If with Cost Object Approver – “Pending Cost Object Approval”
Cost object approvers, typically the traveler’s supervisor or the administrative lead in the unit, should be familiar with how to how to approve expense reports. An important step in the approval process is to confirm that the correct General Ledger account and Fund Center are being charged.
Helpful Links
Concur- FAQs
Boston University Travel Services
Travel Quick Start Guide
How to Start an Expense Report
How to Add Card Charges to a Report
How to Itemize an Expense
Understanding the Approval Flow
Status of Expense Report
How to Approve Expense Reports
c. Pre-Trip Approval Process in Concur
SPH requires prior approval for all travel. Beginning October 1, 2026, SPH will retire the manual Estimate of Cost form and move pre-trip travel approval into Concur. Travelers will use the same system — Concur — to estimate a trip, route it for approval, and later generate the expense report, rather than moving between a paper form and a separate reimbursement process.
The New Process, Step by Step
The steps below summarize the Concur workflow for SPH travelers. Screenshots for every step are available in BU’s Pre-Trip Approval Process Quick Reference Guide (see Resources, below).
| 1 |
Start the request, before travel
In Concur, select Create → Start a Request → Pre-Trip Request. Complete the required trip fields, using the actual anticipated travel dates. |
| 2 |
Estimate anticipated expenses
Enter expected costs for the trip — airfare or train, lodging, ground transportation, meals (should not exceed what the per diem meal rates allow), and any other anticipated expenses. Concur’s Request Assistant can generate estimates for certain travel components automatically; adjust these as needed, and add any remaining expected expenses individually before submitting. |
| 3 |
Submit for approval
The request routes first to the traveler’s supervisor, then to the appropriate cost object approver. SPH will continue to require school-level approval as part of this chain. Before submitting, travelers can preview the Request Timeline in Concur to see the anticipated approval workflow. Cost object approvers can ultimately route to Ira Lazic for final approval. |
| 4 |
After approval
Once approved, the request status changes to Ready to Book, and the traveler may proceed with the approved travel. |
| 5 |
After travel
Rather than starting a separate reimbursement process, the traveler creates the expense report directly from the approved Pre-Trip Request in Concur, carrying the approved trip details forward. |
How Concur Handles Changes Between Estimate and Actual Spend
Travel costs rarely land exactly on the original estimate. Concur is built to accommodate reasonable differences between the approved Pre-Trip Request and the final expense report without requiring a second full approval, as long as the change stays within the thresholds below and the cost object/allocation is unchanged.
| Approved Pre-Trip Amount |
Allowable Variance Without Re-Approval |
Result if Variance Is Exceeded |
| Under $2,000 |
Up to $200 over the approved estimate |
Expense report routes for approval again |
| $2,000 or more |
Up to 10% over the approved estimate |
Expense report routes for approval again |
| Any amount |
Cost object/allocation changes from what was approved |
Expense report routes for approval again |
If the variance exceeds the applicable threshold, or if the cost object or allocation changes from what was originally approved, the expense report will route back through the supervisor/cost-object approval chain before it can be finalized.
What Stays the Same
- Advance approval is still required for all official SPH travel, before travel begins or expenses are incurred.
- The supervisor → cost object approver chain, including required school-level approval, is unchanged.
- SPH’s expectations for reasonable, business-justified travel expenses are unchanged
| In short
This change replaces the manual Estimate of Cost form with Concur’s electronic Pre-Trip Request. It does not change SPH’s requirement that travel be approved in advance, and it does not change who approves it — it simply keeps the estimate, the approval, and the expense report in one connected system. |
Helpful Links
Pre-Trip Approval Process Quick Reference Guide
d. Travel Restrictions
Air travel
- Air travel is reimbursable for economy airfare only (traveler is responsible for the upgrade)
- The University will not reimburse or pay for a flight purchased with a traveler’s rewards (i.e., Frequent Flier Miles)
- The University does not reimburse excess baggage charges and flight insurance
Preapproval for Business Class Airfare
Business class air travel is approved on a case-by-case basis only, provided that there is sufficient medical documentation to substantiate the need for business class travel. Medical necessity must be documented through EOO.
Travelers seeking to book business class air travel must receive preapproval up to and including the Provost’s Office. The Prior Approval for Business Class Airfare Booking form is available here. The form should first be signed by the traveler, and then submitted to the Associate Dean for Administration and Finance, who will then route the form to the Dean and Provost’s Office for approval.
Air travel under a Sponsored Program – Federal Travel
- Federal regulations prohibit charging Business Class (or First Class) accommodations
- Travelers must comply with the Fly America Act, which requires travelers to use a U.S. flag air carrier or a foreign carrier that operates under a U.S. Flag air carrier code-sharing agreement and identifies the U.S. flag air carrier’s designator code and flight number
- Reimbursement for the cost of food and alcohol is not allowed on federal awards
For further information on Sponsored Program travel, contact the office of Sponsored Programs.
Rail Travel
Business class rail travel is reimbursable to the traveler as long as the total cost of the trip is comparable to, or less expensive than, the lowest available coach airfare.
Rental vehicles
- Do not obtain additional insurance coverage offered by domestic rental companies
- No mileage reimbursement for rental vehicles
- No reimbursement for traffic violation fines or parking tickets
Miscellaneous
- No reimbursement for laundry and dry-cleaning during business travel of fewer than five days
- Personal/vacation days expenses while on a business trip do not qualify for reimbursement
Notes
- Complete airfare bookings at least 14 days before scheduled trip departure
- If renting cars internationally, obtain liability and collision coverage
- For all meal expenses, alcoholic beverages must be separated on the expense report and charged to a non-sponsored cost center or discretionary account (automated in Concur)
Helpful Links
Travel Policy