Get Per Diem Rates

• If using the receipt method for meals, DO NOT ENTER PER DIEM RATES AT THE TOP.  Instead, enter the actual amount spent on each meal in the appropriate cell (overwriting the per diem formulas).
  
  
• Enter the amount of any hosted business meals in the Hosted Business Meals cell(s) and list any alcohol from the hosted business meals on the Alcohol line.  This is the same for either per diem or receipt method.  If using the receipt method for ALL meals, enter any alcohol included in regular meals on the Alcohol line as well (and deduct from the total entered as the meal amount).
  
  
• Enter details of hosted business meals, including name, affiliation and business purpose of the meal, along with any other notes, at the bottom of the SUPPLEMENTAL WORKSHEET.
  
  
• If entering personal vehicle mileage, be sure to enter the correct rate for the dates of travel.  A link to recent mileage rates is provided on the forms. 
  
  
• All totals from this worksheet will carry over to the MAIN FORM.
  
  
• Print the MAIN FORM and the SUPPLEMENTAL WORKSHEET.  Be sure all information prints on each of the pages.  If necessary, in Excel, go to File/Page Setup/Page/Scaling and select "Fit to 1 page wide by 1 page tall."  Please do not change the orientation (portrait/landscape) of the forms, as they will not print correctly.
  
  
• Obtain necessary signatures and submit both pages, along with supporting documentation (receipts) to the Division of Financial Affairs, 341 Pine Tree Road.

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Using Just the Main Form

• Enter ALL information and amounts on the MAIN FORM (enter total dollar amounts, which will overwrite formulas).
  
  
• If entering personal vehicle mileage, be sure to enter the correct rate for the dates of travel.  A link to recent mileage rates is provided on the forms.
  
  
• List any hosted business meals, with details and any other notes, on MAIN FORM PAGE 2.
  
  
• Print the MAIN FORM and MAIN FORM PAGE 2 (if necessary).  Follow steps above to be sure pages print correctly.
  
  
• Organize supporting documentation (receipts, etc).
  
  
• Obtain necessary signatures, and submit both pages along with supporting documentation (receipts, etc.) to the Division of Financial Affairs, 341 Pine Tree Road.

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Some General Notes for the Main Form

• Be sure to indicate in the appropriate check boxes: 1) whether the traveler is a Cornell employee, student, or other (describe other), 2) which meal method you are using, per diem or receipts, and 3) how you would like the check handled (direct deposit, campus mail, US mail to home, or Day Hall pickup).  If you choose Day Hall pickup, you must fill in the box with the name and extension of the person who will pick up the check.
  
  
• Be sure to enter both Home Address and Campus Address. When entering the campus address, always include the building and room number.
  
  
• Enter any advance amount where indicated.  Enter an advance account number in the cell below.  The worksheet will automatically calculate whether the total is to be paid to the traveler, or due Cornell; do not override this.
  
  
• The Payee's (traveler's) signature is required either on the form (preferred) or on an attached sheet.  The attached sheet must include the total dollar amount of the expenses reported, the dates of travel, the same certification wording as printed on the MAIN FORM, and the traveler's original signature.
  
  
• For an out-of-town guest, or Cornell faculty or staff member who is away on extended travel, we will accept a fax or e-mail from him or her with the above information, which will satisfy the signature requirement.  These are the only circumstances in which anything other than a traveler's original signature is acceptable.
  
  
• Signature authority approval is obtained on the payment request and is no longer required on the travel reimbursement request form unless the reimbursement is for moving expenses.
  
  
• Although travelers must obtain supervisory approval for their trips, the supervisor's signature is not required on the form.
   

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Foreign Currency Conversion

• Foreign travel almost always includes expenses in both dollars and foreign currency.  A simple way to convert all foreign currency to US$ (and provide backup for the conversion) is to use the OANDA currency converter . Simply enter the exact amount of foreign currency, type of currency, the date of the expense, and request it be converted to US$.  Print the sheet, include it with the receipt (or tape the receipt right onto the printed page), and enter the amount in US$ on either the SUPPLEMENTAL WORKSHEET or MAIN FORM.
  
   
• If you are more comfortable with a worksheet to help you with the conversion, the last tab in the Excel file provides you with a tool for calculating foreign currency conversion to US$.  This worksheet does NOT carry over to any of the other forms.  It is provided as a tool to use solely for currency conversion.  Once you have your expenses converted to US$, enter them on either the SUPPLEMENTAL FORM or directly to the MAIN FORM.  If you use the FOREIGN CURRENCY CONVERSION sheet, please include it as backup with the rest of the documentation.

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A Few Guidelines on Proper Documentation

• Original receipts are required for ALL expenses EXCEPT for the following:
• Meals associated with overnight travel claimed under the per diem method
• Personal auto mileage reimbursed at the current IRS rate
• Miscellaneous expenses that are less than $75
  
  
• Miscellaneous expenses are travel-related expenses such as local transportation, mail, fax, phone, internet hotel charges, entrance fees, etc.  Lodging, meals (when using the receipt method) and transportation to and from your destination (air, train, rental car) are NOT miscellaneous expenses.
  
  
• Hosted business meals require original, itemized receipts. These are not the credit card slips that you sign and add a tip to, but rather, a receipt that lists what was purchased, including beverages. You most likely will have to specifically ask for an itemized receipt from your server or the restaurant.

 For more information or other policy-related questions, please see University Policy 3.2, University Travel .

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