i. Obtaining an Advance
ii. Clearing an Advance

i. Obtaining an Advance

An advance of $100 minimum may be submitted for up to 80% of the estimated out-of-pocket expenses for travel over 24 hours and may be requested no earlier than 30 days before the trip. The traveler completes a Pre-Travel Reservation in Chrome River that includes an itemized list of anticipated expenses. The approving authority reviews it for approval. New travel advances will not be issued to an individual who has an outstanding travel advance more than 60 days old unless a compelling reason is submitted justifying the programmatic need for an additional travel advance. The advance must be refunded immediately when a trip is canceled or postponed. The traveler is personally responsible for clearing the advance.

CAUTION: To avoid personal tax liability, the advance must be cleared within 60 days after the trip.

Travel advances are normally issued to an individual requester, except in instances where the composition of the travel party requires a campus custodian to administer travel funds for several individuals. When submitting a travel reimbursement claim to clear a single advance involving multiple travelers, a travel roster is required in addition to the normal documentation requirements. The travel roster must include the name of each traveler and the signature of the traveler acknowledging funds expensed on their behalf. A travel roster may be found on SDSU Research Foundation’s website at AP Forms. Electronic approval through Adobe Sign is allowable.

ii. Clearing an Advance

When the travel is complete, the traveler may find that the entire advance was not spent, more was spent than the amount advanced, or the amount spent equaled the amount advanced. The advance must be substantiated in one of the following ways:

• If the entire advance was not spent and the traveler is returning the unspent funds in cash or personal check, a Cash Receipt must be entered in MyRF under Document Processing prior to delivering the cash to the SDSU Research Foundation cashier. Cash should not be delivered to anyone other than the SDSU Research Foundation cashier. Submit a Travel Reimbursement Request form and include a copy of the MyRF Cash Receipt and backup documentation in MyRF Document Processing - Disbursement Request. After the Cash Receipt status is complete in MyRF and sufficient documentation has been received, accounts payable will clear the advance.
• If more was spent than the amount advanced or the amount spent equaled the amount advanced, complete a travel claim expense report in Chrome River. Attach the receipts that support how the advance was spent. The grant specialist will review and approve and clear the advance. If more was spent than the amount advanced, a refund check will be issued to the traveler.

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