MSU Extension Organizational Development

Concur Travel Scenarios FAQ

The below scenarios answer some commonly asked questions. Be sure to consult with the MSU Manual of Business Procedures and your fiscal officer for more information.

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Q: Can I enter my travel log directly into Concur instead of sending to the business office?
Answer: Yes. This video will show you how to enter mileage: Concur - Submitting Mileage using the Travel Log. If you have any overnight/hotel stay in Michigan in your travel log, watch this video: Expense Report for In-state Travel with Hotel.

Q: Do I need to submit a Request for travel outside of Michigan?
Answer: Yes. This video will show you how: Request for Out-of-State Travel

Q: Can I use my PCard to pay for conference registration?
Answer: Yes. This is preferred. If you pay out-of-pocket, you won't be reimbursed until after the conference.

Q: I am traveling internationally for MSU business and need a visa and passport. Can I be reimbursed for these costs?
Answer: Yes.

Q: Do I need to submit my own expense report for a work travel outside of Michigan?
Answer: Yes. This video will help: Expense Report – Out of State Conference Example.

Q: I have to be at a training at 7:00am and I live two hours away from it. Can I get a hotel the night before?     
Answer: There is no clear business policy for this, so it is up to the discretion of the organization.  Ask your supervisor and fiscal officer for guidance. 

Q: I am taking a taxi to dinner while traveling. It isn’t a required dinner; just a restaurant I want to try. Is this reimbursable?
Answer: No. The only time this would be reimbursable would be if it were a required dinner and on the agenda. 

Q: Is traveling by train instead of flying permissible?
Answer: Yes, if it does not cost more than flying. “When travel is by train, the fare should not exceed the lowest available airfare and most direct, expeditious route.”  (MSU Manual of Business Procedures, section II. Transportation, C.)

Q: I have a long flight and the airline does not let me reserve an aisle seat without paying for a seat assignment. Is this permissible?
Answer: No, you cannot pay for a seat assignment. However, booking with the Concur travel app should let you choose a seat and you can update your travel profile to include your seating preference (window or aisle).

Q: I am leaving from home for a business trip. Do I calculate my mileage from my office (which is farther from the trip’s destination) or from my home (which is closer)?
Answer: Calculate mileage starting from the shorter of the 2 distances. In this case, from your home. Add a note in the explanation that “Home address is closer to destination address than work address.”

Q: I work in the Detroit area and am driving up to Iron River, Michigan and back for work. The round-trip mileage will be approximately 1100 miles. Should I take my personal car or an MSU or rental car?
Answer: You must take a rental or MSU Extension / MSU motor pool vehicle. If your mileage reimbursements from driving your personal car meets or exceeds $500, you won’t get reimbursed past $500. Those working for MSU Extension with home offices in the Upper Peninsula have an exception to this rule. 

Q: I am traveling to a conference with someone I supervise. Can we share a hotel room to save money?
Answer: No, you may not share a room with someone you supervise. You also may not share a room with an MSU student (of any level of studies).

Q: I am on a tight budget and traveling for work. Putting three nights of a hotel room needed for business travel on my personal credit card is a financial hardship. Can I use my p-card to reserve a hotel room?
Answer: No. Talk to your supervisor and fiscal officer about requesting a travel advance.  You also may wish to speak with them about getting a MSU Travel Card.

Q: I must travel in-state, leaving early in the morning and not returning until about 9pm. Thus, I will need to eat dinner on the road. Will I be reimbursed?
Answer: No. Unless you are in overnight status, you cannot claim meals/per diem. 

Q: I paid for the taxi from the airport to the hotel for myself and for three colleagues when we arrived. How should this be recorded?
Answer: You should upload the receipt to be reimbursed for the full amount but designate it as a shared expense. 

Q: I paid for a taxi but lost the receipt or didn’t get one. 
Answer: If you used your credit card to pay for taxi, you could use your bank statement, showing payment. If you paid cash, then document the cost, date, and trip purpose and submit that document.

Q: I forgot to submit my expense report for a trip I finished 93 days ago. Can I still get reimbursed?
Answer: No. You must submit all expense reports within 90 days. There are no exceptions. However, if any parts of your travel was direct billed, such as a flight or hotel room, a report still needs to be done for those expenses paid by the university.

Q: You are leaving to go to the airport at 6pm for your business trip. Do you get reimbursed for your dinner? Answer: Yes. On the first and last day of travel, you will receive 75% of the daily per diem, which should be more than cover dinner. It does not matter when you left or returned on those days.

Q: You are going to conference in California. You want to take an indirect flight there, and first stop in Colorado and take two personal days to visit your college roommate before continuing to California.  You see that doing this does not result in spending more on airfare. What do you need to do?
Answer: Submit documentation comparing the flight prices. Comparative quotes for airfare must be obtained at the time of booking when an indirect flight for personal reasons is part of the trip. The quote may be obtained either via email from MSU’s preferred travel agent or via a screen shot from the Concur booking tool.

Q: I keep receiving emails from Concur Solutions that I have 1 travel request pending an expense report, why do I keep receiving this email message? What do I need to do to make it stop?
Answer: You have a travel request that did not have any expense reports. You will receive this email 14 days after the Request/Trip End Date and every 14 days after until the request is auto closed, which happens 94 days after the request trip end date. The traveler is also able to close close/inactivate a request by clicking on the travel request and clicking the Close/Inactive Request button. Only close/inactivate a request if you will have no more expenses to report for that request.

Q: I stayed at a conference hotel, and when I am submitting my expense report, I receive an error that my hotel exceeded the allowance. What can I do?
Answer: Add a note that this is the case under the Hotel expense Allowance Exceeded Reason field.

Q: When submitting expenses for an overnight trip, I received an error message of “This entry cannot be submitted until a Travel Allowance Itinerary is created.”
Answer: You need to create an itinerary by selecting the blue link “Travel Allowance” and then “Manage Travel Allowance.” See image below.

Q: I used Concur to book/pay for my hotel or airline tickets, so it is not an out-of-pocket expense. Do I still include this in my Expense report?
Answer: Yes. It will show as payment type of “Travel Agency Card” and will not be included in the amount that you are reimbursed. However, you still must include it for reconciliation.

Q: How do I get updated on the status of my Request or Expense in Concur?
Answer: You will get an email from AutoNotification@concursolutions.com. Check your Outlook “Unfocused” tab if you have that set up, and your JUNK folder. It is also possible you do not have email notifications turned on, although they are by default. Check in My Profile > System Settings.

Q: What should I title my Expense report in Concur?
Answer: Use a short phrase describing the trip and include the date range. For example, NEAFCS 9.11.23-9.15.23.

Q: I don’t use a travel log to record my travel. I just enter a personal car mileage expense in Concur. What else needs to be done?
Answer. The mileage calculator needs to be used to calculate mileage for each personal car mileage expense trip.

Q: I had to change my travel plans and change my ticket. What do I need to do on my Expense report?
Answer: When changes in travel plans require a revision of airline tickets, the reason for the change must be documented in the Expense report. Both the original receipt and additional airline charge receipt must be attached. 

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