Accounts Payable and Travel

Travel

Miscellaneous


Business Meals are allowed on the University Procurement Card when the TAMUK employee, Prospective Employee or Prospective Student, is in Travel Status - an overnight stay is not required. 

Business meals consist of a group of people that are eating together on one ticket, paid for by a TAMUK employee.

Itemized (food & drink listed) vendor receipts are required for all Business meal expenses.

Other required attachments/documentation include: an agenda for the meeting and a list of attendees.

Business meals are sales tax exempt when purchased within the State of Texas when using a University Payment or Travel Card (does not apply if purchasing with a personal form of payment), whereas individual travel meals are not. Business meals also require the substantiation of who attended and the business purpose/discussion in addition to the receipt.

Tips are allowed on local funds up to 20% and tip amount is included in total meal amount.

Alcohol purchased during a Business Meal must be broken out and separately identified on the Expense Report in Concur.  Only certain accounts in FAMIS allow for the purchase of alcohol, so prior to the Business Meal, verify that the account may be used for alcohol purchases.

When traveling to a conference, use your University Travel Card to purchase the conference registration.  If the conference will be delivered in a virtual manner and no travel expenses will be incurred, you may opt to use your P-Card.  An itemized receipt showing proof of payment, as well as the conference/event agenda, is required to document registration paid and attendance to the conference or event.

When the University requests a prospective employee to travel to the University's campus/offices for an interview or evaluation, the University may reimburse the prospective employee for travel expenses in the same manner as a state employee other than a key official. One exception is that a prospective employee would not be exempt from hotel occupancy or state sales taxes if the prospective employee pays and requests reimbursement. If TAMUK pays the vendor directly with a travel card or via direct bill, then it would be considered exempt.

Prospective employee travel expenses during the interview process can be paid from local funds only.

The University may pay or reimburse the employee for a travel expense the employee incurs while attending the funeral of an individual who was a state employee, a board member, or a legislator if:

  • The agency determines that the employee’s attendance at the funeral is appropriate under the circumstances; and
  • The expense is paid or reimbursed only to the extent it could have been paid or reimbursed had it been incurred while conducting official state business.

The above must be documented on the payment request if paying with state or local funds.

Attending the funeral for a student or for an employee’s spouse or child can only be paid from accounts that are not funded by mandatory student fees (excluding Student Service Fees), contract or grants, AUF, state appropriations or restricted by donors.

Funeral attendance that falls outside the above that is deemed appropriate to attend must be paid with unrestricted gift funds.

U.S. Treasury Regulation Section 1.132-5(t)(l) allows reimbursement for travel expenses of an employee's spouse traveling with the employee by qualifying the expense as a working condition fringe benefit if the following conditions are met:

  • It can be adequately shown that the spouse's presence on the employee’s business trip has a bona fide business purpose, and
  • The employee properly substantiates the travel.

If these conditions are not met, the expenses for the spouse will be reported as additional compensation to the employee.

Prior written approval is required by the President of Texas A&M University-Kingsville. This must be documented on the Travel Request along with the business purpose, then attached to the Expense Report. Only local funds may be used to fund approved spousal travel.  Typically, only the President's wife is approved to travel on behalf of the University.

If traveling on state funds, University personnel that travels to Washington, D.C. for activities that involve obtaining or spending federal funds or that impact federal policies must inform the Office of State-Federal Relations (OSFR) about the trip. The University must include information about the timing and purpose of the trip and provide OSFR with the name of an individual who may be contacted for additional information.

State Funds

Tips are not allowed on state funds.

Local Funds

Tips are allowed on local funds, but the amount should be reasonable for the services provided when a tip is warranted - no more than 20%.

Trip protection insurance (Cancellation/Interruption) generally should not be purchased. Purchase of this insurance requires a business justification demonstrating why it’s likely that the trip would be canceled/interrupted. A potential weather event is typically not a legitimate reason unless the weather event is both likely to occur and would result in the business not being able to be performed. Travelers should also read carefully the covered events of the insurance they purchase as many events that could lead to cancellation/interruption are not typically covered by this insurance.