UMD Travel Policies, Procedures, and Guidance

• USM Travel Policy
• UMD Hosting and Business Meals Policy

• Current travel guidance for University Business Travel is available at COVID-19 Information for UMD
• No changes are being made to international travel restrictions at this time; the CDC says that “international travel poses additional risks and even fully vaccinated travelers are at increased risk for getting and possibly spreading new COVID-19 variants.”

For a full breakdown of UMD’s Travel Procedures, see this page.

Travel by road in a personal vehicle may be appropriate for UMD business travelers  to save time, transport equipment and/or reduce costs. Travelers and approvers are expected to evaluate the cost of reimbursed vehicle mileage compared to other means of travel (air/rail) and choose the most economical means of travel.

• Mileage reimbursement is based on the current USM and State of Maryland mileage reimbursement rate.
  • When using Federal funds, mileage reimbursement may not exceed the maximum allowable rate for Federally sponsored programs, and is limited to the equivalent cost of standard coach airfare
  • Mileage is calculated from the traveler’s official work location (or from their home) to their business destination, including airports, train stations, and lodging locations. The traveler must claim mileage for the actual departure location used for the trip, i.e., if the traveler leaves from home and it is closer to the destination, they may not claim mileage from their work location to maximize their reimbursement
  • Tolls and reasonable parking charges will be reimbursed.  Tcard may be used for parking charges associated with business travel.  The receipt will be required for expense reporting
  • Fuel costs are included in the per-mile reimbursement rate and are not reimbursable as a separate expense. Cost of fuel is only reimbursable for university vehicles or rental vehicles
• When a personal vehicle is used on university business UMD does not assume liability for damage, deductible or any other insured loss; liability insurance protection will be provided as additional coverage only after the private owner’s personal liability insurance limits have been are exhausted
• Cost of repairs to a vehicle, whether or not they result from the traveler’s actions, are not reimbursable
• Under no circumstances will the University reimburse parking fines or moving violations.
• Commuter travel is not reimbursable

• Meals are expensed based on the Federal Per Diem Schedule 
• The Federal Per Diem schedule is loaded into Concur
• Dates of travel to and from the destination are allowable on a 75% basis of the daily per diem
• Travelers may charge meals to their Tcards and the charges will be reconciled to the Federal Per Diem for the destination location
• If a meal charged to the Tcard exceeds the allowable per diem amount, the traveler is required to reimburse the university for the difference

University Group Travel is defined as pre-approved travel arranged by the University for a group of several individuals to accomplish a specific common University purpose.  Group travel may or may not be related to a University hosted event.

• All group travel, regardless of group size, requires completion of a Travel Request in Concur.  A single Request can be made that includes all travelers, but Expense Reporting must be done separately for each person included in the group
  • Group travel for fewer than 10 people may be booked electronically using Concur
  • For groups larger than 10 people campus departments are to contact the CTP Group Travel desk at groups@ctptravelservices.com
• Any Group Travel agreements must be routed to Travel Services for review and signature 

Undergraduate and graduate students sometimes travel on behalf of UMD.  Most commonly, they travel  as part of a group with a faculty member or to a conference on behalf of UMD. See the Student Travel Request job aid and Student Travel Expense Report Guidance in the Concur Help Center.

Please direct additional questions to Travel & Card Services at 301-405-0607 or concur-helpdesk@umd.edu.

• Event planning services are available from
  • UMD Conference and Visitors Services
  • CTP at groups@ctptravelservices.com
• All event agreements must be routed to Travel Services for review and signature  
• Costs for food and beverage for hosted and group events must be in accordance with UMD Hosting Policy.
• Campus units are required to retain all receipts associated with group events, along with a full roster of event/group attendees.

• All visitor and guest travel must be compliant with the UMD Hosting Policy
• UMD paid guest travel must comply with the USM Travel Policy and all UMD Travel Procedures
• It is the responsibility of the hosting or sponsoring department to inform the visitor or guest of the UMD policies and procedures for travel and hosting
• UMD is under no obligation to reimburse extraordinary expenses guests or visitors may want to pass along to UMD (e.g. first class air travel, staying at high cost hotels for the area, pet boarding or child care related expenses incurred during travel, travel insurance) 

• Guest Travel Reimbursement Process
• Secure Transmission Methods