Travel Mileage Reimbursement
Purpose
To provide guidance on obtaining reimbursement for personal vehicle use for official 成人头条 travel.
Policy
This procedure is issued in accordance with 成人头条 (成人头条) Travel Policy (Handbook of Operating Procedures, Section VII, Chapter 6).
University travelers may be reimbursed for mileage incurred to conduct official 成人头条 travel/business while using a personal vehicle if it is the most cost-effective as compared to car rental.
Mileage Rate
The reimbursement may not exceed the total of the number of miles traveled for business multiplied by the maximum mileage reimbursement rate per . The mileage reimbursement rate is inclusive of all expenses associated with the employee's use of his or her vehicle. The mileage reimbursement rate applies to electric and hybrid-electric automobiles, as well as gasoline and diesel-powered vehicles.
Inability to Conduct Official State Business
Mileage incurred while traveling to a duty point is not reimbursable if the traveler is unable to conduct official 成人头条 travel/business because the traveler's personal vehicle breaks down before reaching the duty point.
Procedures
Cost Comparison
State guidelines require 成人头条 to minimize the amount of travel expenses reimbursed by ensuring that each travel arrangement is the most cost-effective considering all relevant circumstances. When a traveler elects to use their personal vehicle for official 成人头条 travel, a "Constructive Airfare" quote and a "Constructive Rental Car cost" comparison must be provided. Constructive Airfare and Rental Car quotes are used to determine the lesser cost of reimbursing mileage or airfare:
- A constructive airfare and rental car quote are required for all mileage reimbursements, except for the following:
- Approved by the University's ADA Coordinator in the Office of Equal Opportunity as reasonable accommodation.
- No commercial airfare or rental cars are available.
- Facilitate research projects.
- Constructive airfare and rental car quotes can be obtained by:
- Requesting a quote from the UT System Contracted Travel Agencies.
- Printing screens from the University online reservation system.
- The Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts Rental Vehicle vs. Mileage Reimbursement Calculator may be added to the constructive car rental cost comparison to take into consideration the cost of fuel for the rental car.
The University will reimburse the traveler for the lesser of the constructive airfare quote, the constructive car rental quote, or the mileage. Fuel receipts will only be reimbursed when they are associated with a rental car. Except for tolls and parking expenses, reimbursement of mileage is inclusive of all expenses associated with the operation of a personally owed or leased vehicle.
Route Determination
The number of reimbursable miles may not exceed the number of miles of the most cost-effective, reasonably safe route between a traveler's origin of travel and the final duty point.
Mileage Calculation
The number of miles traveled for official 成人头条 travel/business must be documented by point-to-point itemization. Point-to-point mileage may be documented by a traveler's vehicle odometer reading on the University Mileage Reimbursement Log or by the travel website .
Note: An increase in the number of miles incurred due to an employee receiving inadequate directions or being lost is not reimbursable.
Mileage Incurred to Transport an Employee To and From an Airport
An official 成人头条 traveler may be reimbursed mileage for travel between the traveler's home and the nearest airport. If travel occurs during work hours, reimbursement may not exceed the reimbursement that would be received had the employee traveled from the traveler's designated headquarters to the airport. The scheduled departure and arrival times of the employee's flight determine whether the travel to the airport was during work hours. The University has standardized and maintains a maximum twenty (20) mile reimbursement for mileage to and from the airport at a rate designated by the .
The University may determine when it is appropriate to reimburse the mileage costs associated with transporting an employee to (two-way trip) and from (two-way trip) the airport by another person. The reimbursement may not exceed the reimbursement amount that would have been paid if the employee had parked at the airport. If travel occurs during work hours, reimbursement may not exceed the reimbursement that would be received had the employee traveled from their designated headquarters to the airport.
Four-Per-Car Rule
Coordination of travel must occur when two (2) to four (4) employees, employed by the same department, travel from the same designated headquarters to the same duty point at the same time. When coordination of travel is required, only one of the employees may be reimbursed for mileage. However, mileage incurred to travel to a pickup point by other employees may be reimbursed. Coordination of travel is not required if it is determined to be infeasible for business reasons.
Travel Between Employee's Residence and Place of Employment
A University employee may not be reimbursed for mileage incurred in traveling between the employee's residence and their designated headquarters in a personally owned or leased motor vehicle unless the travel:
- Is necessitated by extraordinary circumstances; AND
- Occurs outside of the hours the employee is working.
Mileage Reimbursements
Travelers may be reimbursed for mileage incurred to conduct official 成人头条 travel/business while using a personal vehicle on a PeopleSoft Expense Report document with all supporting documentation attached and upon the completion of travel.
The traveler will submit all receipts to the department travel planner for reimbursement. The travel planner will create an expense report in PeopleSoft and attach all supporting documentation. The document will be sent electronically to the Disbursement and Travel Services Department for final review and approval.
Applicability
This applies to all University faculty, staff, students and guests traveling on official 成人头条 travel/business.
Responsible Party
Comptroller
Handbook of Operating Procedures (HOP) Section 7 Chapter 6: Travel Policy
Last Updated: November 2025