Write the justification assuming the reader does not have background knowledge of your work.

• Who – traveler’s name and job title 
• What – specify the purpose of the trip (conference, meeting, etc.)
• When – dates of travel; when combining personal and business travel, clearly state which dates were personal and which were business.
• Where – location of travel; it’s also helpful to specify the address of your HQ location
• Why – how travel benefits UW/Extension/sponsored project and why traveler’s attendance was necessary

Day trip meals within your HQ city are not reimbursable.

• Generally, employees are not eligible for day trip meals when travel occurs within 50 miles of their HQ office, unless there was a business meal, e.g. the employee met a prospective partner over lunch.

If claimed, travel must have occurred over a meal time.

Policy UW-3018

Meal per diems are only able to be requested during overnight travel. If only traveling for the day, a day-trip meal allowance may be used if appropriate. 

When requesting per diem, the traveler must attach an agenda of the conference, meeting, or event. 

The location for per diem is determined based on where the traveler went to bed that night. The last day of travel is determined based on where the traveler woke up that morning.

Policy UW-3018

Airfare must be booked via Concur or Fox World Travel.

When combining personal and business travel, an airfare cost comparison is no longer required for flights departing before or after the business travel dates. The traveler may choose flights on any dates they prefer; however, only the business dates are eligible for reimbursement of lodging, per diems, etc.

• Travelers should clearly state which dates were personal and which were business in the justification of their TER. 

Policy UW-3016

• If travel occurred to/from a non-HQ office location, attach a comparison map where travel occurred to/from the HQ office location.
• If same day travel included multiple locations, it is best to attach one map from the HQ office location to [x] to [y] to [z] back to HQ office location. Enter the total mileage on one expense line in the TER.

On August 1, 2024, UW-Madison updated its Remote Work policy (UW-Madison Policy 5087) and implemented a new remote work agreement form that collected additional information to determine the employee’s HQ location. Within Extension, this change was shared with supervisors of employees with 100% remote work agreements by Human Resources and OFS in September and October 2024.  As of 10/1/24, travel claims by Extension colleagues with 100% remote work agreements must be claimed at the lesser cost of travel from their 100% remote work location or their HQ location designated in their updated Remote Work Agreement. Comparison documentation of travel costs from the two locations must be provided if claiming reimbursement for travel from a home/non-HQ address. 

Policy UW-3019 (vehicle use)

Policy UW-5087 (remote work)

The University will not pay lodging costs when travelers are within 50 miles of their home or headquarter city, unless the travel is for a multi-day event with an evening business-related activity that makes returning to the employee's home impractical. 

If lodging exceeds the nightly allowable rate because it was a conference hotel, attach documentation to support the hotel as a conference location, e.g., screenshot of the conference website. 

If lodging exceeds the nightly allowable rate due to a lack of nearby lodging within the rate, attach documentation of this, e.g., screenshot of Concur search results. 

If lodging exceeds the nightly allowable rate due to an approved medical accommodation, avoid using language about a medical condition, disability, or ADA – instead, we advise this vague confirmatory language: “Approval for the accommodation for X, Y, Z [list expenses or expense type] is on file.” 

Policy UW-3017

Do not attach Word documents. 

When attaching an email message, do not attach .eml or .msg files.

Attach a Google map when requesting mileage reimbursement (see: “Mileage Reimbursements” and/or “How to Create a Google Map” above).

Attach receipts for purchases. Receipts must be dated, itemized, include the name of the vendor, and show the dollar amount paid, excluding WI sales & use tax.

If attaching a multi-page document with a significant amount of text, it is helpful to highlight relevant data, so it is clear for those approving the TER.