FAQs: Expensing Your Trip

Log in to http://web.mit.edu/concur and sign on using your MIT web certificate.

Contact VPF Travel at travelsupport@mit.edu or come to the Travel Drop-in Sessions, Wednesday, 10–11 am in NE49-3100.

Yes, Concur is an optional tool available to travelers and is easily used for simple trips. Travelers and departments are welcome to use any of MIT’s preferred agencies for longer trips. Itineraries for trips booked with Concur or with The Travel Collaborative (an MIT preferred travel agency) will automatically appear in the Upcoming Trips sections of the traveler’s profile. These can quickly be converted to expense reports.

For booking questions call:

Jessica Tam 617-253-2756

For Concur expense reporting questions call:

Paul Andersen        617-253-2753

Katie Diaz               617-258-0370

For credit card inquiries call:

Kathy McGrath   617-253-8366

Kim Harmon       617-253-8360

For accounting inquiries call:

Paul Andersen    617-253-2753

• Wrong cost object listed to charge expenses
• Missing original receipts above $75
• No original detailed hotel bill
• No receipt for business meeting regardless of the amount
• No receipt for local travel and dining regardless of the amount
• No itemized receipt for meals above $75
• No original detailed car rental receipt
• No original passenger receipt or detailed website receipt for airline tickets;
• No documentation on business-related meetings that involve food/meals (list of participants, affiliation and topic of discussion)
• No discretionary account for unallowable expenses
• Excessive costs
• Incorrect mailing address for guest travelers
• Required additional approval from Research Administration Services, Senior Officer or Provost
• Foreign bank draft reimbursement
• Use of a foreign-flag carrier on a sponsored project
• Alcohol charged to a sponsored project

If the traveler has direct deposit with MIT HR/Payroll they will receive a reimbursement several days after it is approved for payment. If a traveler is reimbursed though a guest expense report they will receive a check in seven to ten days.

Direct Deposit is available if the traveler has direct deposit information on file with HR/Payroll and has created the expense report in his or her Concur profile and not a guest profile.

Yes, some vendors provide e-receipts, but they may not contain sufficient detail so please attach the detailed receipt you receive from the travel agency.

You would submit a second expense report with the original report name and “Addendum” in the new report name. Any additional expenses pertaining to a previous trip should be added to the NEW expense report and submitted. For records purposes, please note the TR number (can be found in MIT detailed report) of the original report in the new report.

Yes. All expenses will be entered manually as “out of pocket” expenses and will be reimbursed after the completion of the trip.

Whenever a meal involves a non-MIT party, it must be classified as a business meeting.

No, anyone submitting a Travel Expense Report in the Concur system is able to type in any account number regardless of the DLC the account is tied to.

No, Expense Report Approval in Concur is driven by Roles. Approvers are not assigned to individuals but are set up by accounts and fund centers (cost objects). When an account number is entered into the system via the report header, or when allocating individual expenses, the system recognizes the account number and knows to route the report to the designated approver(s) after the report is submitted.

A Travel Arranger is able to book travel on behalf of someone else via the online booking tool, Concur, and an Expense Delegate is able to submit an expense report on behalf of someone else.

No, MIT Travel Card charges feed into and are linked with only one profile and must be expensed under the profile name to which they have fed.

If every expense in your report can hit the cost object found in the Report Header you do not have to allocate each individual expense. Allocation is only necessary when splitting the report between cost objects or selecting particular expenses (like alcohol) to hit an account other than the one you entered in the Report Header (like a discretionary account) when the Concur Expense Report was created.

No, if you have a Departmental MIT Travel Card, you already have a guest account in the Concur system. You can select your Departmental Card’s name by clicking on “Profile” and “Act on behalf of another user” and typing in your email address. Click on your department travel card ID, and you are able to reimburse any traveler for out-of-pocket expenses. Please note that a guest account in Concur creates a paper check for out-of-pocket expenses. The check is mailed to the Guest mailing address the submitter enters in the Expense Report Header. If you do not have a Departmental MIT Travel Card and need to reimburse visitors or guests, please email travelsupport@mit.edu and request the creation of a guest profile.

The primary responsibility of the approver is to ensure compliance with MIT’s travel policy.

Under no circumstances may an individual approve his or her own travel.

The authorized signer must verify that all required scanned receipts are attached, that the travel expense meets applicable sponsor guidelines, if applicable, the travel expense was incurred while conducting official MIT business and that documentation is attached for any unusual circumstances or a Missing Receipt Affidavit is attached for any missing original receipt.

• The approver must have signature authority on the cost object being charged.
• All scanned receipts (air, car and hotel expenses, as well as items over $75 and all business meetings and local travel expenses regardless of amount) should accompany the expense report

• The expense report must be submitted to the Travel Office within 60 days after completion of each trip.

Those in travel status for prolonged periods should submit travel expense reports each week or month.

Backup Approvers are basically set up as Expense Delegates for Primary Approvers. Due to this set-up, in order to approve reports that are routed to the Primary Approver by the system, Backup Approvers must proxy in under the Primary Approver’s name. This is done by selecting the approver's name in the “Profile,” “Act on behalf of another user” drop-down menu. Selecting the Primary Approver’s name gives the Backup Approver access to their Approval Queue.

A person who is authorized on the cost object to which the cost will be charged can approve travel expense reports. This person needs to be set up in the Roles Database under “Concur Travel Approver.” This individual is considered the primary approver for that cost object. As the primary approver, this individual will receive an email identifying the expense report and requesting her or his approval. Approval delegates are able to proxy in as the primary approver to access these reports as well. Delegate approvers are assigned as “Eligible as Concur Backup” in Roles and are assigned as approval delegates by the Travel Office. Please refer to the Roles website to see who the approver is for the cost object(s) in the travel expense report. To request an approval delegate, please contact travelsupport@mit.edu.