Individuals who have a University Commercial Credit Card are not eligible to receive a Travel Advance, but may obtain a cash advance on their University credit card using an ATM. The maximum for these advances are $500 per billing period.  A minimum advance of $100 is suggested, to avoid unnecessary transaction fees. The University discourages individuals from carrying excessive cash for travel and recommends use of credit cards for most travel expenses.

Individuals who do not have a University credit card are eligible to receive a travel advance.  A travel advance is issued for reasonable, anticipated out-of-pocket expenses. The amount of the travel advance will be limited to $75 per day for meal allowances and miscellaneous expenses unless a specific exception is granted by the Finance office.

Please submit travel advances no earlier than 15 days before the departure date. A travel advance is requested by completing the travel advance request form and forwarding it to Tami Sabo in the Finance office.  The advance is recharged to the department, and deducted from the total trip expenses, when the individual submits his/her travel expense report upon their return.  Travel advances are limited to one at a time per individual. A second advance cannot be requested until the first one has been reconciled.

If the trip for which the advance is intended is cancelled or postponed, the individual must return the advance to Tami Sabo in the Finance office as soon as this information is known.  Under no circumstances should an individual hold an advance for longer than 30 days. If the advance is not returned within this timeframe, it will be taxed as compensation and deducted from the employee’s paycheck. 

Travel advances require that you submit an expense report within thirty days from the date of completion of travel. Travel advances which are not supported by an expense report within 90 days of the end of travel will be reported as compensation to the traveler and taxed accordingly. Please repay any unused portion of a travel advance by personal check. Checks must be payable to Wesleyan University and must accompany the expense report submission.

The Wesleyan Finance Office reserves the right to deny travel advances due to abuse of the policy.