How to get reimbursed for UW–Madison travel-related and non-travel-related expenses.
UW–Madison employees are reimbursed for out-of-pocket travel-related expenses in accordance with UW–Madison travel policy.
Employees are responsible for following travel policy, retaining required receipts, and submitting expense reports in a timely fashion.
Deadlines for reimbursement
Expense reimbursements must be submitted within 90 days of:
- The end of the trip (for travel-related expense reimbursements)
- The date of the purchase (for non-travel-related expense reimbursements)
- The end date of the course (for tuition or job training expense reimbursements)
Expense reimbursements sent back to the traveler for correction must be resubmitted within 90 days of being sent back.
Travelers may seek reimbursement for airfare, registration fees, lodging, and vehicle rental reservation guarantees at the time payment is made. All other travel expenses are reimbursable after the trip is complete.
How to get and what can be reimbursed
How to get reimbursed
Employees get reimbursed by submitting an expense reimbursement through e-Reimbursement. Once submitted, expense reimbursements are reviewed by at least two levels of approval. Once an expense reimbursement has been fully approved, the reimbursement amount is directly deposited into the employee’s bank account within 5 business days.
Access e-Reimbursement How to create, modify, and resubmit an expense reimbursement
What can be reimbursed
All reimbursable expenses must comply with UW–Madison travel policies and procedures.
Note: If other payment options are not available, it may be appropriate for an employee to be reimbursed for non-travel-related out-of-pocket expenses. A receipt is always required for non-travel reimbursements.
Transportation
Reimbursement for airfare, rental vehicle, personal vehicle mileage, train, bus, taxi, or any other necessary means of transportation.
International Travel
Including visa/passport fees, vaccinations/inoculations, currency exchange fees, and foreign transaction fees.
Receipt and other documentation requirements
All required supporting documentation must be attached electronically to the expense reimbursement.
Electronic receipts must be clear and legible. Efforts must be made to redact any sensitive information from receipts in order to comply with HIPAA and campus privacy policy.
In addition to receipts, it may be necessary to keep other documentation to support a reimbursement claim, such as an airfare cost comparison or conference brochure/agenda.
The expense report and its attached documentation must provide enough information for an approver, auditor, or post-payment auditor to review the validity of the expenses without any follow-up.
Receipts always required
- Airfare
- Lodging
- Vehicle Rentals
- Gasoline for vehicle rentals
- Long-distance train or bus fares
- Hosted meals/events
- Required inoculations/vaccines for international travel
- Currency processing/foreign transaction fees
- Internet for business use — while in travel status
- International calling/data plans for business use
- All non-travel purchases
- Expenses paid on the Purchasing Card — retain these receipts with Purchasing Card supporting documentation
Receipts situationally required
Receipts are required when the expense exceeds $25 for:
- Local transportation (taxi, limo, bus, rail, etc.)
- Tolls
- Parking
Receipts are required when the expense exceeds $30 for:
- Baggage and seat fees
Receipts never required
Receipts are never required for individual meals which are reimbursed as a meal per diem.
Expense reimbursement roles and responsibilities
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Travelers/Claimants/Employees seeking reimbursement
Employees are responsible for submitting their own expense reimbursements in a timely fashion and following UW travel policies. An employee may assign an Alternate to create and modify an expense reimbursement on their behalf, but the employee is ultimately responsible for submitting their own expense reimbursements.
Alternates
Alternates are responsible for creating and submitting Expense Reimbursements on behalf of others. Employees who seek reimbursement can assign an Alternate to create and modify expense reimbursements for them, but the Employee must submit their own. Expense reimbursements for Non-Employees or recently-terminated Employees are created and submitted by Alternates.
Non-employees seeking reimbursement
Reimbursement payments for Non-Employees are processed through e-Reimbursement by an Alternate. Do not confuse this with payments for services, which must be processed on a Payment to Individual Report (PIR).
Approvers and auditors
Approvers: Upon submission, expense reimbursements are first reviewed by an approver (also referred to as Required Departmental Approver). Approvers are responsible for reviewing supporting documentation, expense reimbursements for policy compliance, and funding being charged.
Auditors: Expense reimbursements are reviewed by an auditor after the approver. Auditors are responsible for reviewing expense reimbursements for policy compliance and properly routing expense reports which require special approvals.
Both auditors and approvers should be familiar with the review and approval procedure for expense reports:
Procedure 3024.9 – Expense Report Review and Approval Procedure
Division coordinators
Division Coordinators are responsible for maintaining their division’s e-Reimbursement approval assignments, relaying updates and other communications to their divisions, and serving as a policy reference for travelers, alternates, approvers, and auditors in their respective division.
Centralized Audit for Expenses
With the implementation of Workday in July 2025, the policy compliance audit function for Expenses (including purchasing card, shared liability, and personal card transactions) will be carried out by the Division of Business Services central audit pool. The central audit team is currently being built up in preparation for Workday and select divisions have been invited to join central audit for expenses prior to Workday go-live.
Visit the Centralized Audit of Expenses at UW-Madison web page to learn more about this coming change.
Using the My Corporate Card
In addition to being reimbursed for out-of-pocket expenses, employees can use e-Reimbursement to pay their My Corporate Card balance.
My Corporate Card information How to work with My Corporate Card and My Wallet in e-Reimbursement
Training
There are two types of expense reimbursement training—see descriptions below:
Traveler/Alternate
Learn how to create an expense report, assign an alternate, and review pending/completed expense reports. Recommended for frequent travelers and alternates.
Register for the Canvas recording of the Traveler/Alternate course
Note: Travel policy is not included in this training. The new Canvas Travel Policy Training is a recommended prerequisite for this course.
Approver/Auditor
Learn how to approve/deny/send back expense reports and how to use SFS queries and resources. Required for all e-Reimbursement approvers and auditors.
Register for the Canvas recording of the Approver/Auditor course
Note: Travel policy is not included in this training. but the new Canvas Travel Policy Training is a requirement for all new approvers and auditors as of September 2023.
Important: In order to be set up as an expense reimbursement approver or auditor, individuals must have completed both the Expense Reimbursement approver/auditor procedure course as well as the Canvas Travel Policy Training.
Policies and procedures
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Contact
Travelers and departmental staff should contact their Divisional Business Office for policy or procedural questions.
Divisional Business Offices may email expensereimbursement@bussvc.wisc.edu with questions.