IT Domestic & Local Travel

Attending a Conference or Training?

Be sure to fill out the IT Conference Approval Form first for approval.

Events include conferences, meetings, retreats, seminars, symposiums, or certain activities that include travel and:

Registration and/or registration fees
A published agenda
Scheduled speakers and/or panel discussions
Exhibitor and/or sponsorship fees

Events, meetings, and traveling where you are doing work (as opposed to sharing information) are not conferences. For example, if a staff is traveling to another lab to conduct an experiment or decide on how a DOE project should be managed, that is considered “work” and not a conference.

Lab employees attending an event that takes place at the Lab or locally and NO expenses or travel is incurred, do not need to report.
Lab employees attending an event that takes place at the Lab or locally and DO incur expenses (generally a registration fee) are required to request approval to attend through their designated Attend Event Request (AER) Requester.

TREX Authorizations

To submit an authorization, go to TREX. Once you have an LBNL trip number, you can book your flights through the ADTRAV. They ensure compliance and are not charged to your credit card (you will have to claim the expense on your expense report after you return).

Travel Reservations

Once you have an LBNL trip number, you can book your flights through the ADTRAV.

It is recommended that travelers purchase airline tickets from CWT to obtain the following services:

Negotiated airfare discounts ranging from 2-25% with major airlines
Direct billing of airline tickets
Fly America Act guidance
Car rental rates including insurance & hotel reservations
24/7 customer support
Tracking unused airline tickets
Calculating allowable airfares

ADTRAV Phone Number: 1-833-865-7794 (5:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. PT Monday – Friday)

TREX Expense Reports

Expense Reports are expected to be submitted within 30 days after completion of the trip using the Berkeley Lab's TREX.
Expense Reports delinquent over 120 days may result in tax liabilities for LBNL paid expenses (such as airfare booked through our travel agency, CWT). Such expenses may become taxable as income rather than being a non-taxable reimbursement.

Domestic & LocalTravel Assistance

IT Travel Assistance Form

Assistance with TREX or making travel arrangements, fill out the IT Travel Assistance Form

FAQs

When can local travel be input as a Domestic Travel Authorization (TA)?

There are a few situations when what really is local travel requires a TA or even lodging charges:

If you need to request a Pre-Payment Expense Report (ER), you will have to have a TA. Local travel does not allow for TAs, so they must be entered into TREX as domestic travel with notes in the comments section about why the local travel is being put on a domestic TA. Be sure to zero out lodging and M&IE for the trip on the ER as local travel doesn't allow for these except in those few situations for which it can be allowed (M&IE if the full day is over 12 hours and lodging with divisional approval).
If your trip is within 150 miles it is considered local travel, but sometimes due to the time of traveling, lodging at the business location is preferred. This is allowable with divisional approval from Kryshna Aviña, Division Operations. The ER will have to be processed as domestic travel since local ERs will not allow lodging costs and be sure to note in the comments about the approval.

If you have a traveler going on multiple local trips to the same location within one (1) month, you can combine then onto one Local Travel Expense Report. You must delete the rows on the leg screen for days which travel did not occur. Example: Traveler goes to Stanford on the 4th and 11th of Feb. 2015. Create a Local Travel Expense Report with a start date of 2/4/15 and end date of 2/11/15. Each day will show up as it's own leg, so remove the days for which travel did not occur.

Withholding's (taxes) on local M&IE: Travelers on local travel which exceeds 12 hours in a single day are allowed to claim up to 75% of the M&IE for the location. This is not considered a reimbursement, but additional income when claimed. Due to this, withholding's for income taxes are taken on the next paycheck after the reimbursement is paid.

Can I modify a domestic authorization once I submit it for approval?

Once you have submitted a domestic authorization, you are locked out and not able to modify as the system auto approves. Make the necessary changes on the expense report created from the authorization.

What do I do if I created a domestic Travel Authorization and forgot to submit it? Can I finish it when I return from the trip?

Yes. You may finish the authorization after the fact.

What do I do if I had created a domestic Travel Authorization or Expense Report and then the trip was canceled?

If no Lab purchased airline or train ticket was issued you can Cancel the document. If both Travel Authorization and Expense Report were created you must cancel the Expense Report prior to canceling the Authorization. If Lab purchased ticket was purchased you must submit an ER for the cost of the ticket.

How do I get reimbursed for local travel that has taken more than 12 hours, so I get the 75% of M&IE?

Use a domestic trip type and choose Trip Duration less than 24 Hours.

Does Local Travel require Authorization?

Local travel is conducted within 150 miles of Berkeley Lab, or the primary worksite is completed in one calendar day and does not include lodging, meals, or incidental expenses (M&IE). Local travel costs do include expenses for mileage, tolls, and public transportation. Therefore, no authorization is needed.

Contact:

Tonisha Garza, IT Travel Coordinator

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