Documentation and Receipts

Required Documentation for Domestic Trips

• Receipts for airfare, lodging, conference registration and car rental expenses regardless of amount
• Receipts for all other expenses of $75 or more. Some fund sources may require receipts regardless of dollar amount. For guidance on additional restrictions, contact your research administrator or department business officer.

Required Documentation for International Trips

• Receipts for airfare and car rentals regardless of dollar amount
• If you are claiming actual expenses, receipts for meals and lodging are required for any single expense of $75 or more. Some fund sources may require receipts regardless of dollar amount. For guidance on additional restrictions, contact your research administrator or department business officer. 
• Maximum daily limits for lodging and meals vary by location. The amount of the maximum daily limit is available on the US State Department website
• If expenses exceed the maximum daily limit for the location, provide an explanation of the special circumstances. Examples of special circumstances that may support reimbursement above the daily limit amount include:
• The conference rate for lodging is higher than the maximum daily limit
• Costs in the location were unusually high, perhaps due to a sell-out national sporting event or to an unexpected airport closure

• If the amount above the maximum daily limit is not justified, you will only be reimbursed up to the maximum daily limit

• If you are claiming expenses on a flat per-diem rate, receipts for meals and lodging are not required, unless actual expenses exceed the maximum daily limit for the location.

• For all other expenses not referenced here, receipts of $75 or more (i.e., ground transportation, interpreter services, etc.) are required. Some fund sources may require receipts regardless of dollar amount. For guidance on additional restrictions, contact your research administrator or department business officer. 

• If you traveled internationally, convert foreign currency to US dollars – refer to your credit card statement or look up rates effective on the purchase date at https://www.oanda.com/currency/converter. Be sure to attach a copy of the currency conversion page from the website when submitting for reimbursement, or notate the US dollar amount on all required receipts.

How to Prepare Documentation/Receipts

• Obscure or remove any sensitive or confidential information, including:
• Social Security Numbers
• Credit card numbers (except the last four digits)
• Debit card numbers (except the last four digits)
• Credit or debit card security codes
• Passwords, including access codes for financial institutions
• Bank account numbers, including numbers encoded on the bottom of checks
• Home addresses (UCB employees only)
• Passport numbers
• Driver’s license numbers or other state identification card numbers
• Date of birth information
• Ensure traveler’s name is shown on the receipt (e.g., the hotel folio shows the registered guest who paid is the same person as the one being reimbursed)
• A valid receipt contains payee's name, amount, date, place, identification of what was purchased and proof of payment.
• The description of what is being purchased is legible and in English
• The amount paid is clearly indicated and in U.S. dollars
• Travel upgrades or payments of other expenses outside the policy standards require documentation and additional review/approval

How to Submit Documentation/Receipts

Watch this brief instructional video on Submitting Receipts for a Travel Reimbursement.

Reimbursements cannot be approved or processed for payment until all required receipts are attached to the expense report.

Start by scanning or photographing your receipts and save the PDF or image files to your computer.

1. The most convenient method to submit your receipts is directly through the travel reimbursement system.

If an expense report for your trip has been created but not submitted for approval:

a. Log in to the travel reimbursement system

b. Select ‘Edit or Submit’ from the menu

c. Locate the expense report and click on the ‘Upload’ link from the summary grid

d. Browse to the path where you saved your receipt files

e. Click ‘Upload;’ the system will confirm that the file upload was successful

f. To add additional receipts, select ‘Click here to load more images’ and repeat this process

g. When you are done loading your receipts, select ‘Click here to return’

h. Alternatively, from the summary grid, you can select ‘Edit’ and navigate to the final page of the expense report for the ‘Upload Receipts’ link.

If your expense report has already been submitted for approval, it is not available for editing. However, you can still attach receipts:

a. Log in to the travel reimbursement system

b. Select ‘Track Reports’ from the Main Menu

c. Locate the report you are looking for and click ‘Upload’ from the summary grid

d. Alternatively, click the link for the report number to open the detail page where you can select the ‘Upload Receipts’ link

2. To submit receipts as email attachments (system log on is not required):

a. Create an email with a specially formatted subject line:  The full 12 digit TRV Report ID*+TRAVELER’S LAST NAME (in all caps). The format must be followed precisely. Do not use spaces, symbols or special characters. Example: TRV000456789SMITH. If the email subject line cannot be matched to an expense report, the receipts will not be recorded as received and will need to be resent.

b. If you are forwarding an email, (e.g., an airline or hotel receipt) be sure to edit the subject line to be in the required format.

c. Attach the receipt file. Only one file per email

d. Send the email to TE_Receipts@berkeley.edu

e. To add additional receipts, send a separate email using the same subject line format

f. The TE_Receipts@berkeley.edu email address must only be used for submitting travel or entertainment expense report documentation and receipts. Correspondence or improperly formatted emails will not receive a response.

*Note: To obtain the 12 digit TRV Report ID, the expense report must be initiated in the travel reimbursement system, but does not need to have been submitted for approval. The traveler or preparer can begin the expense report prior to the trip by completing the first page of the expense report and clicking ‘Save and Continue.’ The TRV Report ID number will be generated and the report will be available for editing as trip expenses are incurred.

To confirm that receipts have been attached to the expense report, log in to the travel reimbursement system, select ‘Track Reports’ from the Main Menu, locate the expense report and select ‘View’ under the Receipts column. Images will normally appear within 10 minutes of being submitted.