Requesting Reimbursement for Travel Expenses

Employees must complete the following steps to submit a request for travel reimbursement:

• Complete and submit Travel/Employee Expense Reimbursement form .

  • Obtain signature approval from the department head or authorized delegate.

  • All supporting documents and required receipts must be attached to the back of the reimbursement form. All receipts must be taped flat to an 8.5" by 11" sheet of paper. Please see Requirements to Expedite Scanning of Voucher Documents in UPAY (PDF) [updated: 7/1/11]

• Send approved form to University Payables:

  • Chicago campus: 809 S. Marshfield, MC-545 (drop box on first floor MAB)

  • Urbana-Champaign and Springfield campuses: Illini Plaza Building Suite 210, MC-660, 1817 South Neil Street, Champaign, IL 61820

Reimbursement requests will be processed as follows:

• University Payables reviews the form for compliance with University/state policies.

• If approved, reimbursement will be issued to the employee's bank account established with the OBFS, University Payroll Services. 

  Processing is handled on a first-in, first-out basis using date of receipt in University Payables as the measure. Please view Payables Processing Status to see what date is currently being processed.  Please note, reimbursements for foreign travel will take longer to process due to the complexities involved.

• An e-mail will be sent to notify the employee that the direct deposit for the reimbursement has been processed.

Travel Reimbursement Requests Must Be Submitted Promptly

All requests for the reimbursement of expenses for approved University business travel must be submitted promptly, after the approved travel is completed.

If the travel reimbursement form is not submitted within 60 days of the completion of travel, the reimbursement is considered taxable income to the traveler, unless a reasonable justification for an exception is presented by the employee and approved by OBFS, using a Reasonable Exception Request Form (MS Word). The Reasonable Exception Request must be completed and signed by the department head and submitted with the ERV.

Taxable amounts will be submitted to OBFS University Payroll and tax of approximately 30% will be withheld from the employee's paycheck. These amounts will be included on the employee's Form W-2.

Last Updated: August 11, 2011