Common follow up questions from Team Members during travel season

We’re in the middle of wrapping up travel season for most team members! The most common follow up questions so far have been around mileage, missing conference brochures/agendas, and the 90 day submission policy. If you have any questions about any of these policies, please reach out to Kelly Layton (kelly.layton@wisc.edu) Q: Can I claim mileage from home if I am on a remote work agreement that doesn’t include a business need for working from a location outside of UW–Madison? A: Yes- if any of the following are true:
  • The mileage from home to the event is less than the mileage from your UW–Madison on-site work location (headquarter city) or
  • The travel takes place on a day when you would not have otherwise been expected to work (e.g. weekend, legal holidays) or
  • Traveler’s work location is not UW–Madison due to employment type (e.g a regional based remote work agreement for an employee who was never hired to work on campus. FL regional recruiter who lives full time in FL would not use UW–Madison as headquarter city).
A: No
  • If the mileage is considered commuter mileage. Commuter mileage is defined as the costs for an employee who telecommutes from home to their UW–Madison campus work location for normal business activities.
  • It is not appropriate to claim mileage from home to event if the mileage from home is greater; unless it is for non-workday travel. Mileage should be claimed from headquarter city (UW–Madison work location) to event. Returning from an event after “business hours” on a workday (M-F) is still limited to the headquarter city mileage.
Link to mileage reimbursement policy: https://policy.wisc.edu/library/UW-3019 Q: Do I need to conference brochure/agenda for all related expenses (flight, hotel, registration fee)? A: Yes- any expenses related to a conference must include the brochure or agenda to validate date, location, and provided meals. Link to registration fee policy: https://policy.wisc.edu/library/UW-3021   Q: Do I need to submit travel related expenses within 90 days? A: Yes- if you booked a registration fee, flight, or hotel 90 days prior to the start of event you do need to submit an expense report for those expenses.
  • If the trip will conclude within 90 days of your first purchase, there is no need to submit two expenses reports unless you would like to claim the reimbursement sooner. This is allowable for flight, registration fee, hotels and other expenses that require payment before the trip. All other travel-related expense must get submitted within 90 days of the completion of the trip.
Link to 90 day (Accountable Plan) policy: https://policy.wisc.edu/library/UW-3024