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TEES Impact

Top Employee Travel Program Basics

  1. Avoid most out-of-pocket employee travel expenses by applying for a University/Agency credit card called the One Card. One Cards are issued in the employee’s name and can be used for many categories of travel expenses on both Texas A&M University and Texas A&M Engineering Experiment Station (TEES) local funds. One Cards may NOT be used for any other employee’s travel expenses. Expenses are allocated to the proper financial accounting system (FAMIS) account after the fact.
    • College of Engineering personnel obtain a One Card through the Texas A&M Fiscal Office
    • TEES personnel obtain a One Card through the TEES Fiscal Office's Travel Cards page 
  2. Travel reimbursement policies vary based on the source of funds used. Know your policy before you accrue travel expenses.
  3. The Texas A&M System uses a travel software called Emburse, which is an electronic travel reservation and expense system. Emburse is accessed through the Single Sign On (SSO).
  4. The Emburse Lightning tool works much like other online reservation tools: Expedia, Orbitz, etc. While travelers are not required to book reservations through Emburse, we encourage you to as this is the most seamless way to use Emburse, especially when:
    • using a One Card
    • complying with the use of Federal Funds on the Fly America Act
    • obtaining state-contracted rates on State Funds
  5. Emburse Expense reports should be submitted within 30 days of the end of your trip. If your report is not submitted within 90 days, you, the traveler, will be taxed on the trip expenses, regardless of whether you used a One Card or your expenses were out-of-pocket.
    • You are required to submit your expense reports through Emburse.
  6. All travelers should set up a profile in Emburse. Faculty and most other staff are not expected to create their own Emburse expense reports; therefore, travelers will need to set up a delegate within their department to assist with Emburse tasks. Delegates are assigned within the Emburse profile.
    • Work with your department business staff for assistance in delegate setup and creating your Emburse profile.
    • Complete the Mobile Registration section so you can add “Apps” to your smartphone to assist you while in travel status.
  7. All travelers need to review and submit their own expense reports (preferably within 30 days but definitely within 90 days). Delegates will electronically notify travelers through Emburse, and we recommend that they directly email travelers as well.
    • Ultimately, it is your responsibility, as the traveler, to submit your report on time.
  8. All travel must have prior approval, and an Emburse Pre-Approval (PA) is required. All foreign trips require the PA to be approved seven days before beginning travel.  
    • See the "Foreign Travel" page on the website for more information on foreign trips.
  9. Receipts are required for many categories of travel expenses.
    • Review the TEES Receipt Guideline, read the travel policies referenced above, or work with your department business staff to understand the rules.
    • Check with your department for any additional receipt requirements.
    • Consider adding the Emburse Mobile App to your smartphone to easily keep up with receipts.
  10. TEES pays actual meal expenses (not per diem); no meal receipt is required if a meal reimbursement request is equal to or below the General Services Administration (GSA) rate; if above the GSA, all receipts for that day are required (or all food paid on the One Card).
    • If following Federal policy, first and last day meals are limited to 75% of the GSA rate.
  11. State of Texas employee travelers are exempt from the Texas state hotel occupancy taxes. To take advantage of this, the traveler must present a Texas Hotel Occupancy Tax Exemption Certificate while checking in to the hotel. When booking through Emburse (Lightning tool), the tax is not removed automatically (nor was it in Concur).
  12. State of Texas employee travelers are exempt from the 10% Texas motor vehicle rental tax. To take advantage of this, the traveler must present a Motor Vehicle Rental Tax Exemption Certificate to a rental car company when the vehicle is picked up in Texas. When booking through Emburse (Lightning tool), the tax is not removed automatically (nor was it in Concur).