6-7: SFCC Employee Travel – Procedures

1. All travel must be in accordance with the New Mexico Travel and Per Diem Act Section 10-8-1 to 10-8-8 1978 and corresponding regulations (2.42.2 NMAC) and SFCC Policy 6-7 Travel Expenses and Reimbursement.
2. Prior to all travel, employees must submit a travel request form that contains the estimates for travel costs to the appropriate supervisor. Travel is approved once the authorized supervisor and department head have signed the travel pre-approval form.
3. A travel request form for out-of-state travel requires the SFCC President’s signature, in addition to the signatures of the supervisor and department head.
4. If travel occurs without signed pre-approval via a travel request form, then the employee may not be reimbursed for the travel expenses.
5. Supervisors must collaborate with the appropriate budget manager in order to monitor travel budgets to prevent budget overages.
6. Once the employee obtains an approved travel request form, travel arrangements are authorized to be made.
7. The employee must maintain possession of the approved travel request form until the employee returns from travel.
8. Per Diem Rates will be paid according to 2.42.2.8 NMAC or the current code.
9. Reimbursement of actual expenses in lieu of per diem rates will be paid according to 2.42.2.9 NMAC or the current code.
10. Reimbursements for other expenses will be paid according to 2.42.2.12 NMAC or the current code.
11. Reimbursements for Mileage-Private Conveyance will be paid according to 2.42.2.11 or the current code:
12. Travel advances are not authorized at SFCC.
13. When the employee returns from travel, all required receipts, affidavits, and conference agendas (if applicable) must be attached to the travel request form and actual costs must be written into the appropriate area of the travel request form.
14. After all receipts are reconciled with the completed travel request form, then the employee shall certify with signature that all expenses are true and accurate.
15. If a P-Card was used for travel, then a copy of the completed travel request form and all P-Card receipts must be included in the monthly P-Card packet that is submitted to Accounts Payable.
16. After the employee certifies the travel request form with signature, the employee should submit to the Accounts Payable Office the travel request form along with all associated receipts and a completed direct pay check request form.
17. When an employee is traveling by automobile, the employee shall make every effort to use a College-owned vehicle (SFCC Policy 5-10 Owned and Leased Vehicles).
18. In-state blanket travel forms may be approved if authorized by the department’s budget manager, supervisor and department head. It is the responsibility of budget managers to monitor available budget resources to assure that there are no budget overages related to blanket travel.
19. Mileage reimbursement within Santa Fe city limits must be pre-authorized using a travel request form signed by the supervisor, budget manager and department head. For this type of reimbursement, the employee must use an online mileage calculator for determining start and stop points. If an online distance calculator is not available for travel, the employee must record the odometer for beginning and ending travel and also keep an odometer log.
20. If travel is cancelled, the employee must make a good faith effort to recover any and all prepaid funds and return the funds to the College. If the employee can only receive a credit (i.e. airline tickets) and cash cannot be returned to the College, then the employee must inform their supervisor, department head and the Vice-President of Finance/Chief Financial Officer of the outstanding credit. In this case, the credit remains the property of SFCC.
21. If grant funds are used for prepaid travel and the travel is cancelled, then the pre-paid expenses for the travel must be returned to the grant. If it is not possible to return the funds to the grant, then the expenses that correspond to the cancelled travel must be moved out of the grant fund.

Travel for Individuals Visiting or Presenting from Other Institutions:

Occasionally, SFCC requests the attendance of visitors or presenters from other institutions, primarily higher education institutions. Under these circumstances, SFCC’s practice may be to pay for travel costs of the individual(s) visiting or presenting to SFCC. In the event SFCC makes this type of arrangement the following procedures shall be followed:

1. If the individual is not from SFCC and is from a public higher education or government institution, the preferred payment process is to have the individual’s institution pay for travel expenses and SFCC will reimburse the institution via approved purchase order.
2. If the individual is not from a public higher education or government institution, the preferred payment process is to pay the individual’s travel via approved purchase order. In this case, the individual would need to submit a W-9 to the Purchasing Office and when travel is completed the individual would need to submit an invoice to the Accounts Payable Office in order to receive payment.

The travel form is located on the employee intranet. Please see the example below.

Contact:         Nick Telles, Vice President for Finance and Chief Financial Officer
505-428-1161, nick.telles@sfcc.edu

Updated:        5/26/17

Effective:        7/1/17

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