Office of Business and Finance

Travel reimbursements and arrangements are managed by the UNC Travel Office. The UNC Travel Guide provides an overview of processes for most University business travel. For detailed information and guidance on booking travel, submitting travel reimbursements, using the Concur Travel system, understanding university policy, and more, please visit the Travel Office Web Page.

CONCUR

Concur is the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill’s software program for pre-travel approval, travel booking and travel and business entertainment expense reimbursements. In addition, purchases made on the new University Travel & Expense (T&E) Card will be reconciled in Concur Expense. All faculty and staff began using Concur for travel on April 27, 2021. Students and Guest Travelers will continue to use CABS, Web Travel and ConnectCarolina until further notice.

To access Concur, click here, and login through single sign-on. Alternatively, users may also access Concur via a link in ConnectCarolina.

• Concur Step-by-Step Guide
  

• Concur Quick-Start Guide

Before you access concur, please set up your Concur profile. For staff, please set up your supervisor as your default approver; for faculty, we would route your file to Associate Dean of Faculty for approval based on the feature of your trip/expense. 

PRE-TRAVEL APPROVAL

• Submit a travel request on Concur for all overnight travels at least 30 days ahead of time.
• Use a short travel description and your last name as the request header. For example, "ABC Conference 2023_your last name".
• No travel request for day trips (mileages and/or parking reimbursement only). No per-diems for day trips.
• No travel request for none-travel related expenses (membership dues, business meals, etc) but the expense report would be routed to the supervisor for approval.

BOOKING TRAVEL

GROUND TRAVEL | Vehicles

• The University encourages using a state-owned vehicle or vehicle leased through a state contract. If a vehicle is not available, travelers should use the least expensive method of transportation available to meet their business needs.
• Rental vehicles should be reserved through the State's contract with EHI.
• Reservations may be made online, via  Concur Travel, or directly with the agents at World Travel by email uncch_travel@worldtravelinc.com or by phone at 877-602-4950.
• Rental vehicles can also be booked directly with Enterprise outside of Concur. Book with code NC53E02 to get university rate.
• Charge to T&E Card or university direct bill if you don't have a T&E card or pay out of pocket.
• If a personal vehicle is used, see the Travel Allowances, Mileage and Per Diem Rates web page for mileage reimbursement rates.
• Save gas receipts (rental vehicles only) and parking receipts (personal and rental vehicles) for reconciliation of T&E Card expenses or reimbursement.

REGISTRATION | Conferences and Continued Learning

• Charge to T&E Card or departmental P-Card.
• Optional activities not included in conference registration are NOT reimbursable.

LODGING | Hotels

• May only be booked if location is +35 miles from traveler's home.
• Travelers are encouraged to take advantage of negotiated lodging rates, when available. If the traveler does not have access to negotiated lodging rates, they are encouraged to book online via Concur Travel or directly with the agents at World Travel, Inc.
• Book on T&E Card or personal credit card. Check with the business office for direct billing whenever possible.
• Guidance on allowable rates, including high-cost cities, can be found in Procedure 1502.1.
• Save itemized receipt “Folio” and submit when trip is completed.

LODGING | Third Party Vendors (e.g., Airbnb, VRBO)

• Requires pre-travel authorization.
• Once approved, the traveler is responsible for booking accommodation and signing the lease.

AUTHORIZED TRAVEL AGENCY

• World Travel, Inc. supports all travel reservations made online via Concur Travel as well as reservations made directly with their designated team of agents.
• World Travel, Inc. 877.602.4950 Outside the US: 484.948.2535 uncch_travel@worldtravelinc.com

REIMBURSEMENTS

• Submit reimbursements within 30 days of completing trip. All travel should be booked using a T&E card, if available, or booking & reimbursements will be processed through the Concur Travel system. Contact the Business Office for help using this system.
• Effective for travel beginning March 1, 2023, the University will now utilize the per rates set by the US General Services Administration (GSA), US Department of State and Department of Defense as applicable. Here is the instuction of alow to apply the Travel allowance in your expense report on Concur. 
• Keep all other trip or business-related receipts, including out-of-pocket expenses.
• Lost receipts can only be reimbursed up to $20 with explanation memo or lost receipt affidavit.
• Submit conference agenda, if applicable, with reimbursement request to ensure refund approval.

Reimbursement cutoff:

To comply with IRS rules, the University will begin to enforce a firm cutoff for how long employees are able to request reimbursement for business expenses, including travel. These changes will go into effect January 1, 2024.

• Requests must be submitted within 60 days of the trip end date to be eligible for reimbursement and for the reimbursement to be non-taxable.
• Requests submitted after 60 days will be reimbursed but may be taxable.
• Requests submitted 180 days or more after the expense is incurred will not be reimbursed.

PERSONAL MILEAGE LIMITS

Effective for travel which begins on or after Monday, Dec. 11, 2023, the University has updated Procedure 1501.4 on Ground Transportation Expenses including Mileage Rates.

When driving a personal vehicle for business purposes, mileage will be reimbursed as follows:

• Mileage up to 350 miles (round-trip) will be reimbursed at the full IRS rate.

• Mileage which exceeds 350 miles (round-trip) will be reimbursed at the full IRS rate for the first 350 miles and reimbursed at 50 percent (50%) of the full IRS rate for all miles over 350.
• Mileage which exceeds 750 miles (round-trip) will require that the traveler provide a comparable round-trip, economy class airfare ticket quote from Concur or World Tarvel, Inc. obtained at least 21 days prior to the trip. 
• If the airfare cost is more economical than the mileage reimbursement, the traveler will only be reimbursed up to the cost of the airfare ticket. 
• Exceptions may apply if there is a valid business need to drive to a destination instead of flying.
• Mileage reimbursements for Data Collectors will be reimbursed at the full IRS rate, regardless of the number of miles driven.

When entering mileage on a Travel Request in Concur, travelers should enter their round-trip mileage as one expense. This will allow the system to notify them of the reimbursement changes listed above. Further guidance on submitting mileage expenses for reimbursement will be provided in the coming weeks.

If you have any questions, please contact Travel Services at travel_team@unc.edu.

COMBINING UNIVERSITY BUSINESS TRAVEL WITH PERSONAL TRAVEL

Extended Trips for Personal Days of Travel or Additional Destinations:
The process will be the same:

• Obtain a quote from Concur Travel/World Travel for your trip as if you were simply traveling for your business dates/destinations of travel.  This documentation will need to be maintained and included with your Expense Report in Concur.
• Obtain the cost from Concur Travel/World Travel for your desired itinerary.  If the desired itinerary is the same price or is less expensive, you’re all set!  If the desired itinerary is more expensive, however, then you will be responsible for the difference in price from the quote obtained above.
• Any difference in price which is owed to the university will be repaid during the Expense Report process in Concur.

Airfare Which Includes Non-University Travelers:

• Please contact World Travel directly at 877-602-4950 or via email at uncch_travel@worldtravelinc.com.  They will book all travelers together and be able to process separate forms of payment for the non-UNC travelers.
• When reserving lodging for a trip which includes non-university travelers, you may be interested in booking larger or alternative lodging to accommodate the number of travelers.  The University is only responsible for the cost of lodging at a single-occupancy rate.  Similar to the airfare requirements above, you will need to obtain a cost comparison at the time of booking showing the cost of equivalent, single-occupancy lodging.  Any difference in cost for larger or alternative accommodations will be the responsibility of the traveler.
• On the Request Header in Concur, please be sure to answer Yes if the trip includes personal travel and provide the dates of personal travel as well. 

The University should not incur any increase in cost for travel which combines University Business Travel with Personal Travel.  Please be sure to only request reimbursement for your Business Travel expenses on the Expense Report in Concur.  If expenses are paid on your T&E Card which need to be repaid in part or in whole, you will utilize the “Non-reimbursable/Personal” expense type to reconcile these transactions.

INTERNATIONAL TRAVEL

All the international travel need to be approved by the Dean, please fill the International Travel Approval Form and attach it to your travel request on Concur. Health insurance is required for international travel. For any questions, please contact Janet Hoernke janet_hoernke@unc.edu from the Risk Management Team. Please fill in the Insurance Roster as much as you could, email it with your Dean approved form to Su Dong sudong@sog.unc.edu. The Business Office will submit the forms to the Risk Management team, you will get notifications from them soon.

TRAVEL FOR STUDENTS, FELLOWS, GUESTS OR JOB CANDIDATES

Use Paying for Travel Expenses by Traveler Type chart to determine which form of payment should be used based on the expense type and the person traveling on behalf of the University. Travel and Expense (T&E) Cards may only be used to pay for the accountholder’s travel expenses; except in limited circumstances for student as noted in the chart. Students should fill the Travel Form for Student  after their travel, the staff can submit the travel form to the ticketing system for the students.

For Non-UNC Employee Travel reimbursements, please click here. 

SOG Services Employee Travel

SOGS Travel Policy 1.16.24.pdf

SOGS Travel Expense Form 1.16.24.xlsx

•  Rental vehicles can be booked directly with Enterprise. Book with code NC53E02 to get university rate

More Infomation & Resources

• Access the Concur Travel System and training resources
• How to use the Travel & Expense Card
• Travel & Expense Card vs Pcard
• Paying for Travel Expenses by Traveler Type
• Travel Form for Student
• Review UNC's Travel Policies
• Request help from the SOG Business Office
• Linking an Approved Travel Request to an Expense Report
• Utilizing the Travel Allowance Wizard
• Questions or need personal assistance on Concur? Please come to our Travel/Concur Help Session at 3pm on Wednesdays or contact Hector Rodriguez at harodri@sog.unc.edu