Travel on university business must always be pre-approved. Per University policy, employees in travel status are expected to use good judgment when incurring travel costs. Only expenses incurred while conducting official university business will be reimbursed. Reimbursement claims must represent actual, reasonable, and necessary expenses. Travel requests must be approved in advance by the employee’s supervisor or department head.
For more information on planning travel and getting reimbursed for expenses, please see our travel guide below.
Before Traveling
According to university policy, all travel requests must be approved in advance by the employee’s supervisor or department head. These guidelines apply to all University of Illinois System travel, regardless of funding source.
Please keep a copy of your approved travel forms (especially for international travel), as the business office may need to submit those to Payables for reconciliation/reimbursement transactions to be approved.
Please keep in mind that changes to approved travel may not get approved by campus, regardless of whether a university card is used or not. If a change is not approved, the expense will need to be paid back to the university with personal funds. No university funds are allowed for denied expenses.
Pre-approval forms
- Travel request form
- Travel insurance enrollment form (required for international travel)
- LAS international travel request
Important notes
Please remember that when you are traveling on university business, it is your fiscal responsibility to:
- Follow university travel policy
- Review airfare rules prior to purchase
- Review hotel cancellation policies prior to confirming a reservation
- Give yourself extra time to get to the airport, train station, or meeting location
The university system will accommodate travelers when travel is interrupted due to personal illness, accident, flight cancellation, or severe weather, as these are beyond the traveler’s control; however, the system cannot cover additional expenses that are within the traveler’s control.
International travel
The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign has revised the International Travel Safety Policy (CAM HR-39). The revised policy introduces new requirements and guidelines for university-related international travel.
Campus Required Checklist for all travel abroad
International Insurance: All university employees and all undergraduate and graduate Students participating in University-Related International Travel must enroll in the University-Approved International Insurance.
Questions about International Insurance, enrollment assistance, high-risk activities, and related questions may be directed to International Safety and Security at safetyabroad@illinois.edu.
Travel expense resources and information
Title
After traveling
Reimbursement Procedure
For reimbursements, please submit a business request form with any receipts. The request form can also be found under Faculty Resources. We always need the itemized receipts. For restaurants, we also need the copy of the final receipt that includes payment.
The request form, along with the receipts, can be emailed to english@illinois.edu or dropped off at the Business Office, English Building Room 208.
Please note:
- University card transactions must be routed within 25 days
- Reimbursements must be fully routed within 60 days
- Receipts older than one year can’t be reimbursed
- Delays on submitted expenses could be taxed, and we cannot reimburse taxes on reimbursement purchases.
FAQs
What do I need to do to prepare international travel?
International travel must be approved in advance and include insurance. Approval forms and receipts should be kept in case they need to be submitted to Payables. Please see our guide for international travel for additional important information.
Are travel changes covered?
Changes are accommodated for reasons outside of your control. Other changes to approved travel may not be approved by campus, regardless of whether a university card is used, and must be paid back using personal funds.
Who should I contact?
To submit reimbursement requests, please email english@illinois.edu. If you have questions, you can contact Sandy Hardin in the Business Office or email hardn@illinois.edu.
Where can I find university travel policies
The system’s travel policy is located under Section 15: Travel in the Business & Finance Policies & Procedures (BFPP).