4. Paying for travel
Restrictions apply to all UQ travel bookings, please refer to the latest UQ Travel COVID-19 information.
Pre-departure travel expenses
FCM Travel Solutions is responsible for managing University travel bookings including flights, accommodation, car hire, transfers and other travel services such as visas.
Domestic travel booked through FCM will be paid for automatically by the UQ Travel Account and charged to the traveller’s default chart string in ProMaster (UQ’s expense management system).
Your local Finance Transactional Professional Services team will be to assist you in this process.
FCM Travel Solutions invoices
Travellers no longer receive invoices from FCM. All FCM invoices are kept centrally by finance.
If you require an invoice for reimbursement from an external organisation, please contact your local Finance Transactional Professional Services team.
Travellers must retain invoices for all others bookings.
Upgrade using personal funds or loyalty / Frequent Flyer points
If you wish to upgrade air travel to a higher class than what was approved, you must do so with your own personal funds or loyalty/frequent flyer points.
This can be arranged through the FCM Travel Solutions email uq@fcmtravel.com.au.
Expenses while travelling
Reasonable business related expenses incurred while travelling will be funded by the University. You must obtain supporting documentation for all expenditure that is funded by the University, or for which you will be seeking reimbursement. The only exception is travel allowance which does not require supporting documentation to be kept (unless specifically required by a funding body).
The University will not fund any expenses on the days deemed as private on your work trip.
Guidance regarding the use of University funds for hospitality and entertainment can be found in the Hospitality Policy (PPL) and the UQ Fringe Benefits Tax Guide [PDF].
Paying for travel expenditure
The payment method of expenses incurred whilst travelling is listed in order of preference below:
UQ Travel Allowance (per diem)
A travel allowance, for both domestic and international travel, is available to cover the additional expenses incurred living away from home, whilst travelling on official University business. For more information, refer to Travel Allowance.
Actuals
1. Corporate Credit Card
If you are a frequent UQ traveller you should consider applying for a UQ Corporate Credit Card. For more information on the UQ Corporate Credit Card application and card management refer to Corporate Credit Cards.
2. Reimbursement
You can claim for reasonable out-of-pocket expenses on your return, with appropriate supporting documentation. For more information on the reimbursement process and the relevant claim forms, refer to Expense Claims.
3. Travel Card
In exceptional circumstances a UQ traveller may apply for a Travel Card (a debit card with a pre-determined cash load) to pay for expenses while they are travelling.
UQ staff can only use Travel Cards for actual expenditure and not for paying travel allowance.
For more information on Travel Cards contact your local Finance team.
Travel Allowance (per diem)
The purpose of the travel allowance is to cover the additional expenses incurred living away from home, whilst travelling on official University business. The allowance is only payable for overnight journeys and will be calculated per overnight stay while travelling on University business.
Specifically, travel allowance will apply to:
- The UQ traveller’s meals: food and drink for breakfast, lunch and dinner, morning and afternoon tea.
- The UQ traveller’s incidental expenses such as snacks, drinks (water, coffee, tea etc.), gratuities, low value public transport (e.g. local journeys on a bus, tram, train etc. that doesn’t cost more than 10% of the total overnight allowance).
- Any other personal services rendered by the UQ traveller: phone or internet charges, laundry, dry cleaning, room service etc.
Travel allowance should only be claimed if the UQ traveller expects to fully spend the amount received on meals and incidentals.
Travel allowance does not require travellers to collect receipts, unless submission of receipts is required to comply with granting agency regulations.
The travel allowance rates can't be adjusted however University business units may opt to pay actuals for the entire trip rather than the travel allowance.
If the business unit opts to pay actuals, the travel allowance rates should be used as a guideline for appropriate actual expenditure for the additional expenses incurred living away from home, whilst travelling on official University business.
If a UQ traveller is planning to claim a travel allowance exceeding 90 days in the same location, Finance and Business Services (Tax) must be consulted prior to submitting the allowance claim.
Travel allowance will not be paid:
- If meals are fully provided for during any travel days (i.e. paid for by an external organisation or as part of a conference package).
- If actual expenditure on meals and incidentals using UQ funds was used during any travel days of the trip.
- On any days of private travel.
A UQ traveller who is found to have taken a travel allowance and also claimed actuals must repay the University the travel allowance and appropriate actions will be taken for material and/or repeated breaches.
UQ staff must apply for travel allowance via the Expense Management System (ProMaster) by creating an expense claim.
Domestic travel allowance rate
The domestic travel allowance rate is $85 per overnight stay while on UQ business travel.
The domestic travel allowance rate applies to all locations in Australia.
International travel allowance rate
The international travel allowance rate is determined by country, per overnight stay while on UQ business travel.
To help with planning and budgeting, UQ Travel has developed a simple ITA Budget Calculator.
Online Training
Training is available for ProMaster, including how to claim UQ travel allowances, on Learn.UQ.