Travel in the Peach State

• When do I need a travel request for in-state travel?

  When an overnight stay is required.

  Mileage expenses do not require an approved travel request unless the traveler's department requires the form.

• Am I exempt from any taxes in the state of Georgia?

  State employees traveling for business in Georgia are exempt from local (county, city, municipal) occupancy taxes regardless of the pay method used.

  If the payment is issued directly from the University (i.e. check or P-Card), they are also exempt from state sales tax.

  Travelers should provide the hotel/motel tax exemption form to the hotel when checking in to receive the exemption.

• Do I need to deduct my normal drive to work?

  If you are traveling on a normal workday (Monday – Friday), yes.

  Concur will complete this for you in the mileage calculator.  Check the box in the bottom left to deduct one-way commute miles, or the box located next to your home address to deduct round trip mileage.

• Are the meal per diems different for in state travel?

  The State of Georgia does not use the GSA rates for in-state travel. The rate is published as the State of Georgia Meal Allowance.

  The per diem rate for Georgia is $50 per day ($13 breakfast/$14 lunch/$23 dinner), reduced to 75% ($37.50) on first/last days of travel.

• Do I receive per diem if my trip is not overnight?
  No, Board of Regents does not allow single day meal per diems.
• What do I do if I need to rent a car?
  • All in-state vehicle rentals for employees must be completed through Enterprise or Hertz.
  • Bookings must be made in Concur or by contacting Travel Inc. (770-291-5190) to be direct billed to the University and be under the state liability insurance coverage.
  • Fuel Service, refueling, navigation, satellite radio and other options must be declined. These expenses are non-reimbursable.
  • The allowable vehicle classes are Compact, Intermediate or Full size. Vans may be rented if there are 4 or more travelers. Vans up to 12-passenger must be rented through Enterprise or Hertz. 
  • If you did not receive a final receipt, it should be obtained from Enterprise or Hertz to attach to the expense report.    
• Can I stay in a hotel less than 50 miles from campus and my residence?
  Travelers on state business are allowed lodging expenses when their destination is located more than 50 miles from their residence AND they are away for more than twelve (12) hours. Exceptions require pre-approval from the Agency Head (President’s Office) prior to travel. The Travel department will facilitate obtaining the Agency Head approval.
• Can I book outside the system if I find a better rate elsewhere?

  All employees are required to make reservations through Concur or Travel Inc. per statewide Travel Policy. 

  Submit any Exception requests prior to the trip start date.  You must submit a request to the Travel at service.kennesaw.edu/ofs for review and approval. Provide a clear business purpose for the exception. 

• Can I book my lodging outside of Concur if there is a conference rate?
  Yes, state policy does allow lodging reservations outside of Concur when obtaining a conference rate.
• Can I get a cash advance to assist with out of pocket cost?
  Yes, this is allowable, if you are a qualifying employee whose annual salary is $50,000 or less. The cash advance request should be submitted through Concur.
• When should I submit my expense report?

  Expenses should be submitted within 10 days of your trip completion, but no later than 45 days. Expenses submitted 60 days or more from the trip completion will be considered taxable income.

• I have available expenses on my Concur profile. What do I do with those?
  Any available expenses should be imported into the expense report for the trip where the expenses were incurred.
• Some of my expenses (hotel, registration) were paid by P-card or Payment Request. Do I need to include them on my expense report?
  No, these are not entered on your expense report. Reporting in Concur would create a duplicate entry on your department’s budget, as they were paid by another method.
• Who needs to be in the approval flow of my travel request or expense report?
  Your default manager will automatically be included. You should add your business manager. If you have expenses allocated to a different speed chart/budget, you should include the approvers for that budget as well. The request or report may be delayed if they are not added prior to review by the Travel Team.