Travel Policy & Regulations

Travel Approval

Pre-approval is required for all out-of-state travel at least 30 days prior to the trip or before any expenditure may be pre-paid. An out-of-state travel request will not be required for a one (1) day trip (no lodging) within driving distance. All UMS business conducted in the "Washington, D.C. Metropolitan Area" will now be considered in-state travel (even if lodging is required).

An out-of-state travel request should always be filed if the travel is work related and occurs during a normal work period even though this institution may not be reimbursing any funds for the trip. This action would cover the employee, in the event of an accident, that may occur while on work related business.

All in-state and out-of-state travel must be approved at the department and the dean or vice president level only.

Conference Registrations

Requests for prepayment of conference registration fees should be submitted 3-4 weeks in advance of any deadline. All pertinent conference registration materials must be submitted with either the out-of-state form or the Conference Travel Registration Purchase Order, which is available as a Word document.

In lieu of departments no longer having access to purchase orders, the Accounts Payable Travel Office has initiated its own Conference Travel Registration Purchase Order. The new purchase order is to be used for all in-state travel conference registration fees.

Completed registration forms for out-of-state travel must be submitted with a completed �ǿմ�ý Out-of-State Travel Request Form (GADX3). If a purchase order number is required to pre-register, a Conference Travel Registration Purchase Order must be submitted to the Travel Office.

Each registration form will be individually reviewed by the Travel Office and a determination made (at that time) as to the method of payment required. The Travel Office will determine whether a conference registration payment will be by the �ǿմ�ý Procard, a direct billing from the vendor, regular pre-payment processing through the Accounts Payable Office and the State of MD Treasury or by a petty cash check. In all cases, the registration form will then be submitted to the vendor from the Travel Office.

Registration fees paid by individual travelers are reimbursed by submitting a �ǿմ�ý Expense Account form to the Travel Office, along with an original receipt of payment.

Please note: Conferences generally send confirmation of registration. The Travel Office recommends that if you do not receive a confirmation, you should contact the conference directly or the Travel Office to verify any registration before traveling to the conference.

Airline Reservations

Fly America Act

All federally funded travel must comply with the Fly America Act and the Use of United States Flag Air Carriers section of the Federal Travel Regulation, which requires a United States flag carrier to be used unless an exception applies.

Hotels and Miscellaneous Expenses

A. The cost of hotel accommodations will be reimbursed on the basis of original hotel folio receipts. Only the cost incurred for a single room rate will be reimbursed to the employee. Any overage above the single rate will be the personal responsibility of that employee.

Hotel reservations should also ensure that the rates are reasonable and appropriate for the area. Travelers should also utilize state government or corporate rates when available, providing they are less expensive.

Any representative of this university, on travel status, should not request reimbursement for any amount(s) not spent. Nor should any employee ask for reimbursement of a meal (s) not consumed or for any meal included with a registration fee.

Foreign travel is reimbursed at actual cost with original receipts or at the applicable rate without receipts. The USM Board of Regents will review these rates biennially.

Work-related small miscellaneous expenses such as parking fees, tolls, small supplies, and the like are reimbursable. Original receipts will be required for all miscellaneous reimbursements. An expense account, along with all original receipts, should be filed for any type of reimbursement in excess of $5.00. For some reimbursements less than $30.00, simply present your original receipt (and in some cases a signed expense account) with the department head's signature, and department and account code, to the Cashier's Office for immediate reimbursement. Remember, this type of reimbursement does not include any type of out-of state travel expense, telephone calls, or food items.

Porter and bell person baggage handling fees will be reimbursed at the rate of $1.00 per bag for a reasonable number of bags (no receipt necessary but a personal certification will be required).

Institutional funds may not be used for the purchase of alcoholic beverages or additional flight insurance.

Use of Institutional and Personal Vehicles

Motor Pool policies and procedures for �ǿմ�ý fleet vehicles can be found at the Motor Pool website.

Each department (other than ‘Self-Supporting’ areas) receives a separate Motor Pool Budget each fiscal year and state vehicle usage will be charged to this budget monthly. Vehicle usage for all Self Supporting areas (grants, auxiliary, and agency fund accounts) will be charged directly to the departmental operating budget. The charge for state vehicle usage is $.25 per mile.

Mileage Reimbursement Rates

Effective July 1, 2026 thru December 31, 2026, the revised personal vehicle usage will be reimbursed at the rate of:

$.76 per mile if a state vehicle is not available for use.
$.38 per mile if a state car is available and you choose not to use it.
Mileage reimbursement requires the approval of the budget administrator.

Effective January 1, 2026, personal vehicle usage will be reimbursed at the rate of:

$.725 per mile if a state vehicle is not available for use.
$.3625 per mile if a state car is available and you choose not to use it.
Mileage reimbursement requires the approval of the budget administrator.

Where a car rental is deemed necessary, the institution expects the lease of the least expensive car which will accommodate the trip's requirements.

Employees will not be reimbursed for Collision Damage Waiver (CDW) or Loss Damage Waiver (LDW) car rental insurance coverage within the 50 states. An employee, of course, may purchase the CDW or LDW at his/her own expense.

However, an employee traveling outside the United States should agree to the CDW/LDW and will be reimbursed for the cost.

When signing the rental agreement, the renter must include their name, USM/�ǿմ�ý, and the State of MD.

Reimbursement will be by expense account and original rental car agreement only.

Travel with Spouses

Special Circumstances

Contracted or invited special guests to this agency may be reimbursed for all logical and reasonable travel expenses. Any reimbursable request must follow the same guidelines as outlined for employees in Sections 2 (Reservations and Ticketing), 3A & 3C (Hotels and Other Expenses), and 4 (Use of Institution and Personal Vehicles). Any meal(s) consumed may be reimbursed at 100%, provided an original, detailed receipt is submitted along with his/her expense account form. Please keep in mind any room service charge included on a hotel bill is not considered an adequate meal receipt nor is a credit card charge voucher. A separate meal receipt will be required for 100% reimbursement. Otherwise, the “standard per diem” cost will be reimbursed. This reimbursement rate does not apply to candidates being interviewed (see separate policy for interviewees).

Meal reimbursement rates for contracted or invited guests can be at the discretion of the approving department but are subject to the above conditions.

An employee's lunch is not reimbursable if lunching with a contracted or invited special guest on a normal work day.

An employee's dinner is not reimbursable if dining with a contracted or invited special guest unless the dinner can be justified, approved as a "business dinner" after normal work hours and be approved by a Dean or Vice President. The reimbursable amount for a business dinner will be the USM/�ǿմ�ý “standard per diem” rate only.

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Travel Policy and Regulations