MyTravel is an online expense reporting system for employee and non-employee travelers. Travel preauthorized through TravelLink is eligible for MyTravel reporting.

March 2009 update: Effective March 5, 2009, you can use MyTravel to claim nearly all types of business travel, including when per diem applies for:

• Long-term travel (30 days or more)
• Alaska, Hawaii, and U.S. possessions travel
• Foreign travel

As before, MyTravel continues to be the method for claiming expenses for short-term travel in the Continental U.S. (29 days or fewer).

For special travel circumstances (e.g., group travel and travel including business-related entertainment) employee candidate interviews, and moves/ transfers, use either the:

• Online Travel Expense Form (TEF)
• Paper Travel Expense Voucher (TEV)

• Instructions
• Process
• Preparation
• Traveler certification
• Receipt guidelines
• Approval
• Research

Instructions

See step-by-step instructions for Using MyTravel to claim business travel expenses.

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Process

1. The employee traveler or travel preparer logs into MyTravel, enters expense information, and submits the claim. If a travel preparer submits a claim on behalf of a traveler, the traveler will receive an e-mail request to review and certify the claim.


2. The travel approver receives an e-mail request to review and approve the MyTravel submission using MyApprovals.


3. Reimbursement for an event processed in MyTravel is issued via direct deposit to employees. Non-employees are reimbursed via paper check to their residence or direct deposit (if enrolled).

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Preparation

• Employee travelers:


• You need a ucsd.edu e-mail address and a Single Sign-On user ID and password.
• Enroll in direct deposit for Travel/ Disbursements. (Most employees are already enrolled. If not, see How to Enroll in Disbursements Direct Deposit.)
• Verify with your business office that you're set up to use MyTravel. (You don't need your own TRP template unless you'll also initiate travel preauthorization using TravelLink.)


• Travel preparers:


• Ensure your departmental security administrator (DSA) set up your electronic approval templates. You need a preauthorization approval hierarchy template (TRP) set up with the person delegated authority to approve travel at Level 1. (To meet the UC requirement for separation of duties, you cannot be both the preparer and the approver for a transaction.)
• You need a ucsd.edu e-mail address and a Single Sign-On user ID and password.
• For employee travelers, enroll them in direct deposit for Travel/ Disbursements. (Most employees are already enrolled. If not, see How to Enroll in Disbursements Direct Deposit.)
• For non-employee travelers, create new traveler accounts for them using Add/ Change Traveler Account in TravelLink. Non-employee travelers are reimbursed by paper check mailed to their residence. If travelers will travel more than once for UCSD, set up direct deposit for reimbursement.


• Travel approvers:


• Establish a method to retain receipts.
• Review Using MyApprovals With MyTravel and a MyTravel: Approver's Checklist.
• Review and respond to MyTravel post-audits.

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Traveler certification

Traveler certification of claimed expenses is accomplished electronically.

• Travelers who complete their own claims in MyTravel certify the data during submission.
• Travelers who have MyTravel claims completed for them by travel preparers receive an verification e-mail with a unique URL for verifying the data. (This request is for the traveler only and should not be forwarded.)
• Travelers confirm, via certification, the claimed expenses are accurate and the required receipts were provided to the appropriate departmental contact.

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Receipt guidelines

Departments retain required receipts for claims submitted through MyTravel. MyTravel indicates required travel receipts in the final steps of the process.

Receipt retention methods for expenses reported using MyTravel follow established departmental procedures. Receipt review and certification are accomplished in MyTravel by:

• Electronic traveler certification to verify:
• Expenses claimed are accurate.
• Required, original receipts were provided.
• Final approval by the travel approver of the expenses

Travel preparers and approvers, follow these receipt retention recommendations:

• Maintain a secure, organized filing system.
• Print MyTravel summaries and attach them to the required, original receipts.
• File documentation by event, in a logical order.
• Keep sensitive data private (e.g., obscure credit card numbers and other personal data with dark ink).
• Retain receipts according to your business office and UC records disposition schedule.

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Approval

Travel approvers approve claims via MyApprovals, following the IFIS approval hierarchy for travel authorization. For travel authorization and encumbrance template (TRP):

• The person with delegated authority to approve travel must be the final approver (Level 1). See MyTravel: Approver's Checklist.
• The travel preparer is included in the template (Level 2).

MyTravel assesses risk conditions and flags some submissions for approvers. Examples of risk conditions MyTravel flags are:

• Expenses over a certain dollar threshold
• Missing receipts (to be sent for review and approval by the Director of UCSD Travel)
• Travel durations that are different from what was preauthorized
• Change to an index or account from what was encumbered during preauthorization

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Research

Travel preparers and approvers, find details of processed MyTravel claims by using MyTravel Query.

For a simple search:

• Enter the event number.
• Submit the query with default selections.
• Click the event number that displays in the summary results to see full claim details.

For more in-depth research, explore the MyTravel query criteria and use drop-down menus to fit your research needs.

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Questions?

• For MyTravel submissions awaiting approval, contact the departmental approval authority for your travel events. If you do not know who approves your travel events, contact your department business office.


• For travel questions, see Travel contacts.


• For technical help, contact the ACT Help Desk, (858) 534-1853.