E-Reimbursement System

Gasoline for privately owned vehicles is not reimbursable – if an individual is driving a personal vehicle, he/she should claim mileage on their expense report.

Mileage Help Sheet -This tip sheet will show you how to enter a Mileage claim on an expense report.

Mileage Rates

Effective 07/01/2023, mileage reimbursement requests for roundtrips of 1000 miles or greater must be supported by an airfare cost comparison obtained during the trip planning process.  All associated costs must be considered (e.g. additional nights’ lodging, per diem allowance) when determining the final reimbursement amount.

When traveling 300 miles or more round-trip, employees are encouraged to use a Fleet vehicle versus a privately owned vehicle. 

Employees that travel to temporary worksites are reimbursed for mileage based on where they depart from and where they return to, either: departing from home or headquarters to the temporary worksite and from temporary worksite back to home or headquarters, whichever is less.

Non-workday travel (when not scheduled to be at assigned headquarters, but required to drive for UW business reasons) allows for reimbursement of mileage from home to temporary worksite/airport.

In lieu of incurring mileage and parking costs at a commercial transportation terminal, two round trips will be permitted if the traveler is being dropped off and picked up by another individual.

Driver Authorization

University employees who operate a vehicle on UW business – whether utilizing a personal vehicle, fleet vehicle, or rental vehicle – must be authorized to drive by UW-Madison Risk Management.  Non-authorized drivers will not be reimbursed for vehicle-related expenses.  Non-employees are not required to be authorized drivers unless they are a current UW student or a volunteer on behalf of UW.

• To confirm your status, please visit the online authorized driver database: 
  • Logon as a UW employee at UW-Madison.
  • Click on “Reports” in the top banner, then click “Driver Summary” to search
     for your name.
  • If you are not found in the database you will need to register to become authorized.
• Driver authorizations take up to 10 business days, so plan ahead
• Once you’re authorized and have a WI license, you do not need to renew for subsequent trips.
• Those with out-of-state licenses or students will need to reapply. See Driver Authorization Renewal Instructions for more info.
• Any negative change in your driving record may result in revocation
   of authorization.
• Any requests for mileage reimbursement or vehicle rental will not be processed without completed Driver Authorization.

Mileage Checklist (click for printable checklist)

The following documentation and/or information is required mileage expense: 

• A map indicating the total distance between origin and destination(s) (see Google Maps). The map should clearly show the origin and destination street addresses and the total number of miles between them.
• A UW-Madison business purpose and description of the trip –
  • Other Details to enter in the Description field: 
    • The Street Address.
    • If your origin point is from home, say that.  
    • If your origin point is from the office, say that.  
    • If the mileage you are claiming is round-trip, say that.  
    • If the mileage you are claiming is one-way, say that.
    • If two or more persons traveled together in a personal vehicle, indicate that, along with the other persons’ name(s).

Description example: “Mileage from office, 1300 Linden Dr, Madison, WI to conference location, 1234 Example St, Milwaukee, WI roundtrip.”

• An explanation must be provided for mileage claims that exceed the direct route by more than 10%. (A 10% tolerance may be used to account for detours, incidental miles, etc.)  
• If not an approved driver with Active status on the Approved Driver Database, documentation is required that an approved driver application has been submitted to UW-Risk Management.