Creating a Travel Authorization

   Overview   

For Domestic trips, complete the Domestic Pay by Employee and Domestic Direct Bill UGA lines.

 

For International trips, complete the International Pay by Employee and International Direct Bill UGA lines.

 

Failure to complete the details sections accurately will result in your travel authorization being denied. You will then need to create a new travel authorization and begin the approval process again.

 

Fiscal Year Blanket Travel Authorizations are available for in-state travel only and with the following guidelines:

  • Only issued for a single traveler and cannot be for an entire department or unit.
  • Each travel event must have consistent travel purposes.
  • All travel is to the same locations.
  • Travel activities are for the individual listed on the Travel Authorization
  • Return dates coincide with the Fiscal Year and expire on June 30th.
  • Expenses must comply with UGA Travel policy.
  • Out-of-state or international travel are not allowed.

A Travel Authorization is a form that an employee submits to acquire the permissions needed to receive reimbursement for travel and provide the University with some expense estimates. Travel Authorizations will be required for all out-of-sate (which includes international) travel, and some departments may require TA's for in-state travel. UGA policy considers travel out-of-state if the travel is more than 50 miles outside of Georgia.

In this article, you will learn the steps to create travel authorizations for out-of-state travel in the UGA Financial Management System.

1. Step 1

Employee Self Service page displayed with Travel Authorizations tile highlighted.

First, log into the UGA Financial Management System.

On the Employee Self Service homepage, click the Travel Authorizations tile.
 
 

2. Step 2

Travel Authorization Search page displayed with "Add Travel Authorization" button highlighted.

Click the Add Travel Authorization button.

3. Step 3

Travel Authorization page displayed with the *Description field highlighted.

The Travel Authorization page is displayed. This page allows you to add information to create a new travel request.

Enter a brief description of the trip purpose in the Description field. 

Example shown here: "Spring Conference 2024".

Important: The "Notes" functionality should be used to clearly define the trip's "business nature." Travel Authorizations are to ensure upcoming university travel by an employee is appropriate, reasonable, and confirm the business nature of the trip. Additional information on the use of the Notes field can be found below in Steps 36-39. 

4. Step 4

The *Business Purpose dropdown menu is highlighted.

The Business Purpose field is used to categorize the travel based on type. Please select the appropriate type of travel based on whether the travel is for In-State, Out-of-State (which includes international), or Group Travel. 
Dropdown menu is opened to display 4 options. The Out-of-State Travel option is highlighted.

Click the appropriate Business Purpose option.

Note: You would choose "Out-of-State Travel" for international travel.

Example shown here: Out-of-State Travel.

6. Step 6

The Comments field is highlighted.

The Comments field should not be used. Nothing entered will display to approvers in workflow.

7. Step 7

The Billing Type dropdown menu is highlighted.

The Billing Type can only be set to Default.

Click the Billing Type drop-down menu.

8. Step 8

Billing Type dropdown menu is opened to display 1 option. Default Value option is highlighted.

Click the Default Value option.

9. Step 9

The Accounting Tag field is highlighted. The mouse is hovering over the search icon.

You can enter an Accounting Tag into the Accounting Tag field, if applicable.

An Accounting Tag is a ten character "short cut" for populating financial information. The Accounting Tag will populate the associated accounting details, except Budget Reference, which must be entered manually.

10. Step 10

The Accounting Default button is highlighted, underneath the Details header.

To enter the ChartField details manually, click the Accounting Default button.

11. Step 11

The Travel Authorization Defaults page is displayed, with the Bud Ref field highlighted.

The Travel Authorization Defaults page is displayed. You can enter accounting details for the travel authorization here. The Bud Ref is the fiscal year to which the expense should be charged.

Enter the Budget Reference into the Bud Ref field.

Example shown here: "2024".

12. Step 12

The Fund field is highlighted.

Enter appropriate information into the Fund field from your department's chartstring.

Example shown here: enter "10000".

13. Step 13

The Program field is highlighted.

Enter appropriate information into the Program field from your department's chartstring.

Example shown here: enter "16300".

14. Step 14

After scrolling to the right, the Dept field is highligthed.

Be sure to review the accounting details before closing the window. Use the scrollbar at the bottom of the window to review the entire chartstring.

Note: If the department code lists "74999999", you MUST change that to reflect the appropriate unit, college, or school. Failure to change this field will result in your TA going to the wrong approval workflow.

15. Step 15

The Dept field is still highlighted.

Enter appropriate information into the Dept field from your department's chartstring.  

Example shown here: "6106".

16. Step 16

6106 is entered into the Dept field, causing 2 search results to be displayed below. The Finance result is highlighted.

Click the corresponding Department link.

Example shown here: Department 6106XXX2.

17. Step 17

The Class field is highlighted.

Enter appropriate information into the Class field.

Example shown here: "11200".

18. Step 18

The Done button is highlighted.

When you are done entering the accounting information, click the Done button in the top right corner.

19. Step 19

The Travel Authorization page is displayed. The *Travel From field is highlighted.

Enter the location from which you are traveling in the *Travel From field.

Note:   When selecting a domestic travel location, search by state name, then city name.  If the city does not appear, select the state option labelled "Standard Rate" (non-high cost).

When selecting an international travel location, search by country name, then city name.  If the city does not appear select "Country, Other."

Example shown here: "Headquarters".

20. Step 20

The word "head" is typed into the field. The "Headquarters" option is displayed below.

Click the appropriate Expense Location link.  

Example shown here: Headquarters option.

Note : You can enter Headquarters as your travel from location. Headquarters is a location set up in your travel profile.

21. Step 21

The *Travel To field is selected, and a list of location Descriptions below is highlighted.

For In-State Travel destinations all 159 Georgia counties are listed under Travel To.  Select the appropriate county.

Note: For blanket travel authorizations or multiple destinations record any additional counties using the Notes feature.

22. Step 22

The *Travel To field is highlighted.

Enter appropriate information into the *Travel To field.

Example shown here:  "Tenn".

23. Step 23

The letters 'T e' are typed into the field, generating a list of options. The Tennessee, Memphis option is highlighted.

Click the corresponding Expense Location link.

Example shown here: TN004 link for Memphis, TN.

24. Step 24

The *Date From and *Date To fields are highlighted.

Enter the appropriate departure and return dates in the *Date From and *Date To fields.

25. Step 25

The bottom section of the Travel Authorization page is displayed after scrolling down. The Details section is highlighted.

In the Details section of the Travel Authorization, employees should provide estimates of anticipated expenses for the trip.

For DOMESTIC trips, use rows one and two to provide the estimates.

For INTERNATIONAL trips, use rows three and four to provide the estimates.

26. Step 26

The Populate from Travel Authorization button is highlighted.

The Populate from Travel Authorizations button will create a new blank expense line with chartstring information from a prior TA.

Note: This is optional and does not populate any information from the prior TA such as description, business purposes, travel locations, dates, etc.

27. Step 27

The Description field in the Domestic Pay by Employee line is highlighted.

In the appropriate Pay by Employee Description field, enter a brief description of the anticipated expense types the employee expects to incur while traveling, including lodging, car rental, per diem, conference registration, etc.

Example shown here: "Lodging, Car Rental".

28. Step 28

The Amount field in the Domestic Pay by Employee line is highlighted.

In the appropriate Amount field, enter the estimated total costs of the expenses.

Example shown here: "1145".
 

29. Step 29

The Description field in the Domestic Direct Bill UGA line is highlighted.

The Details button provides a brief description of the individual Expense Line. Related chartstring informatinon is populated under the Accounting button.

30. Step 30

The Merchant dropdown menu in the Domestic Direct Bill UGA line is highlighted.

For any charges being direct billed to UGA by a travel agency, enter a brief list of the expense types of any direct-billed items in the appropriate Direct Bill UGA Description field.

Example shown here: "Airfare". 

31. Step 31

The Merchant dropdown menu in the Domestic Direct Bill UGA line is still highlighted.

This row also requires selecting a Merchant.

To select a UGA Authorized Travel Agency, click the Merchant drop-down menu.

32. Step 32

The Merchant dropdown menu is opened, with the Travel Inc option highlighted.

Click the corresponding Merchant link.  

Example shown here: Travel, Inc .

33. Step 33

The Amount field in the Domestic Direct Bill UGA line is highlighted.

Enter the dollar value of the direct billed expenses into the appropriate Amount field.

Example shown here: "469".

34. Step 34

The Total Expenses, and a notice providing additional links and info is highlighted. The notice includes a link to the Per Diem Rates, directs the user to the GSA.gov site to determine reasonable lodging expenses, and states that online booking services such as AirBnB are prohibited.

The total amount is displayed in the bottom right corner. Across the bottom, a notice and link provide for guidance in determining Per Diem Rates and reasonable lodging expense for an area.

35. Step 35

The Save button is highlighted.

To save the travel authorization to review and submit at a later time, click the Save button.

Note: After saving, you can access the saved authorization under the Pending link on the Travel Authorization Search page.

36. Step 36

The Notes button is highlighted.

The Notes feature allows the initiator to add additional information to validate the critical nature of the travel. Any information that approvers may need is entered here.

Note : The Notes feature is not accessible until the Travel Authorization has been saved.

Click the Notes button.

37. Step 37

The Travel Authorization Notes pop-up is displayed, with the Add Notes button highlighted.

Click the Add Notes button.

38. Step 38

Info is filled into the notes section, and the Done button is highlighted

Use the Notes feature to provide additional information about the name and location of the event, what you will be doing, and what funds you hope to be reimbursed from for the trip.

Once appropriate justification is entered, click the Done button.

39. Step 39

Both the Edit button and the Done button are highlighted in red.

Your notes have been saved.

The Edit function on the Travel Authorization Notes window allows you to delete a selected note and add a new one.

Click the Done button.

40. Step 40

A notice stating that your notes have been saved is highlighted at the top of the screen.

A confirmation message appears indicating that your note has been saved.  

41. Step 41

The Details section and Total Expenses are highlighted.

Before submitting your travel authorization, verify that you have completed the correct lines in the detail section. Domestic trips should use the first two lines, while international trips use the last two lines.

Failure to do this correctly will result in your travel authorization being denied.

42. Step 42

The Submit button is highlighted.

Click the Submit button.

43. Step 43

The Essential Travel Confirmation pop-up is displayed, with the Submit button highlighted.

The Essential Travel Confirmation pop-up window is displayed. The traveler is required to submit acknowledgement of UGA policy on travel and possible related health risks.

Click the Submit button.

44. Step 44

A notice stating that your travel authorization has been submitted for approval is highlighted at the top of the screen.

A confirmation message indicates that the travel authorization has been submitted for approval. A TA ID number is also generated.
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