Reimbursement Procedures for Travel Cancellation Costs Related to COVID-19

Wednesday, March 25, 2020

This message was originally sent to Finance Newsletter recipients by the Finance department.

What is happening?

Finance is issuing the following guidance on reimbursement procedures for costs incurred as a result of cancelling or changing business-related travel due to COVID-19.

What does this mean to me?

Eligible Reimbursable Expenses

Costs associated with changed or cancelled business-related travel is considered reimbursable. Key considerations for reimbursement include:

Travel cancellation costs resulting from Government/University-imposed restrictions, third party cancellation of events, or department decision prior to Government/University-imposed restrictions will be borne by the operating funds (or if eligible, to the appropriaterestricted fund) of the individual departments/units to which the costs would otherwise have been charged had the trip occurred

If your department is covering the costs of the trip cancellation and you are using a general operating workorder, you can use the activity 903 in Concur. For more information, please refer to the Unit4 Activities Set Up for COVID-19 Expense Tracking memo dated March 17, 2020.

The University will not provide reimbursement for travel that was booked after the Government of Canada or University indicated that travel to that destination was not advised/permitted as outlined in Appendix A

Cancellation costs related to eligible business travel under the FPER Program are eligible for reimbursement under the FPER program

Claim Submission for Refunded or Credited Travel Costs

Claims for reimbursement of business-related travel cancellation costs should be submitted following the same procedure as if the travel had occurred; in most cases, submitted through Concur.

Your claim should include the following supporting documentation:

Proof of original purchase, including the original cost paid and the date the travel was booked

In lieu of proof of travel (i.e. boarding passes), please include a copy of the cancellation notice from the service provider showing proof of cancellation including the amount of refund issued (if any), and the resulting non-refundable portion

It is the responsibility of the Claimant’s one-over-one Reviewer/Approver to review the Claimant’s supporting documentation against any travel advisories in effect at that time

Please see the Expense Guidelines to determine your one-over-one Approver if you are unsure

The Reviewer/Approver should include a comment within the claim that they reviewed the travel advisory and the Claimant’s travel dates were within the advisory dates. A master list of UW travel advisories is currently available on UW’s COVID-19 News website as well as in Appendix A below. A master list of travel advisories will also be made available on the Finance website and within Concur.

If you have been provided with a credit for future travel in lieu of a refund, any amount that you are out of pocket will be reimbursed through an expense claim and treated as an advance. You are expected to apply this amount to a future UW business trip and settle the travel cash advance after the travel has occurred.

Unused travel cash advances related to travel that has been cancelled or postponed should be settled as soon as possible. Travel Advances issued in Concur should be settled using the regular process for cash advance returns. Details of returning unused funds to UW electronically will be available soon. Settlements of cash advances issued using paper forms will be temporarily suspended until an interim solution is found.

Information for Users of the University’s Corporate Travel AMEX

Travel costs incurred on the University’s American Express Corporate Travel Card will be reimbursed per the standard procedure. Any refunds issued to the UW AMEX travel cardholder will be reflected on the UW travel credit card statement and will automatically be imported into Concur. Should a UW AMEX travel cardholder receive a credit for the cancellation instead of a refund, a travel advance should be issued for the amount of the credit, per the above procedure, to be settled at a later date after the travel occurs.

Information for Travellers Booked through Frederick Travel

If you have booked your trip through Frederick Travel, you should cancel through Frederick Travel and the refund will flow directly to UW, or remain as a credit with Frederick Travel to be used for future travel expenses, depending on the type of booking.

What if I have questions?

There may be scenarios that have not been addressed above. If you have questions, please contact your Faculty/Department Financial Officer.

Further guidance and frequently asked questions on expense reimbursement or for settling travel advances for cancelled travel plans will be posted as it becomes available on the Finance website.

Appendix A

Reimbursement will not be provided for travel booked to China on or after January 30, 2020 as outlined in the memo from Sandra Banks, Vice President, University Relations, “Travel to China is Suspended,” dated January 30, 2020
Reimbursement will not be provided for travel booked to Iran on or after March 4, 2020 as outlined in the memo from Sandra Banks, Vice President, University Relations,“Travelers to Iran must stay home upon return,” dated March 4, 2020
Reimbursement will not be provided for any travel booked outside of Canada on or after March 13, 2020 as outlined by the President’s memo, “Travel Outside Canada Suspended,” dated March 12, 2020
Reimbursements will not be provided for any University-sanctioned international travel booked on or after March 15, 2020 as outlined by the President’s memo, “Business Continuity and Implications for Employees” dated March 15,2020
Reimbursements will not be provided for any domestic travel booked on or after March 16, 2020 as outlined by the President’s memo, “Waterloo Employees Asked to Work from Home” dated March 16,2020