Procedures for Obtaining a Cash/Travel Advance
Taken from University Travel Policy 3.2
Cornell records a travel advance in the general ledger when a cash payment is made to the traveler prior to official university travel. Travel advances are provided in the following situations:
for non-Cornell employees, such as visitors or students;
for travelers ineligible to obtain a corporate credit card or travelers who have not yet obtained that card;
when a travel expense bill is due before a trip is taken;
when the trip requires the use of travelers checks.
Travel advances should be in close proximity to the travel dates. They should be cleared within 30 days after completion of the trip. The timely clearing of advance accounts is the responsibility of the traveler. However, a unit must provide an unrestricted account that will be charged for a travel advance account that is not cleared or otherwise collected.
Caution: The value of an advance that is not properly cleared may result in denial of subsequent advances, disciplinary action, and/or reporting the amount as taxable income to the traveler.
In order to receive a Travel Advance you will need to contact your Accounting Service Center Accounting Representative with the pertinent information such as, dates of trip, destination, business purpose, how much you are requesting for the lodging, food, and transportation, and the account number that will be used as the source of repayment.
The following steps will be completed by the Accounting Service Center:
- Complete the Travel Advance Request Form explaining the reason for the travel advance based on the information the traveler provided. The form is available on-line
- Attach a copy of any travel bill due.
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Have the traveler sign the Travel Advance Request Form.
Note: By signing the cash advance request form, the traveler agrees to submit a Travel/Expense Reimbursement Voucher within 30 days of the completion of your trip. You also acknowledge that failure to do so could result in disallowance of travel advances or reductions in reimbursements for other travel expenses in the amount of the advance.
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Obtain approval from your unit's authorized signer.
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Attach the completed form to the back of the payment request cover sheet and send to the Division of Financial Affairs, c/o Disbursement Review and Tax, 341 Pine Tree Road via campus mail.
Any advance that is not used for the trip must be returned to the university immediately after travel. If a trip is cancelled, the unused advance must be returned immediately and deposited to the travel advance account. You may not clear the advance with expenses for trips other than the trip identified with the cash advance request form.
Caution: Failure to account for advances properly can or will result in the suspension or cancellation of advance privileges.
Corporate Credit Cards - Travelers should use their corporate credit cards for travel expenses. This is the preferred method of payment because it provides insurance coverage for business travel. The university's corporate credit card vendors are American Express and Diners Club. (See University Policy 3.4, Corporate Card, for further details). Contact the Accounting Service Center for the current application procedures.
In order to receive a Cash Advance you should obtain cash for travel using your corporate credit card (Diners Club only) at an ATM.
Note: A PIN number is required. Call Diners Club Customer Service, at 800-234-6377 to select your PIN. Cornell discourages the use of cash because any loss or misappropriation is not covered by insurance. Cornell will pay reasonable ATM fees when cash is required for university business travel. Because our American Express program does not include access to cash, these cardholders may request a Diners Club card for use in ATM machines.
Traveler's Checks - If your trip requires the use of traveler's checks, you should obtain the checks directly from a bank. If you need a travel advance to cover this cost, see the "Travel Advance" section of this document. Cornell will reimburse fees when the traveler's checks are used for university travel.
