Monthly Archives: March 2013

Important Travel Policy Change – Maximum Limits for Reimbursing the Cost of Lodging

The CSU has implemented a maximum lodging rate of $175 per night, excluding taxes, for in-state and out-of-state travel, including Alaska, Hawaii, and US possessions. This rate is effective for business travel occurring on or after April 1, 2013. Rates in excess of this amount must be pre-approved by a campus vice president or designees in accordance with the campus approval process, and must include the business purpose for the necessity to stay within certain facilities.

Why are we doing this?

The Bureau of State Audits has recommended on behalf of the California State Auditor that the California State University establish maximum limits for reimbursing the cost of lodging and provide guidelines that allow for exceptions to such limits only under specific circumstances.

How will approval be handled at San José State?

In order to utilize our existing travel authorization process in Financial Transaction Services (FTS) and avoid changes to existing travel approval structures, all campus AVPs have been delegated authority to approve lodging rates in excess of the $175 per night limit for all travel within the state of California; out-of-state travel currently requires the approval of the appropriate Vice President, so no change is required.

When submitting the Request for Authorization to Travel, the traveler must identify lodging rates exceeding the established $175 per night limit in the Additional Trip Details field, and provide explanation/justification for the higher rate. When routed for approval, the designated AVP/VP will need to review the Additional Trip Details field to verify the justification is appropriate.

All university travelers with trips occurring on or after April 1, 2013 that received authorization prior to the policy change and have lodging in excess of the established rate limit, will be required to upload documentation indicating AVP approval when submitting the Reimbursement request.

Please be aware that the established lodging limits do not apply to travel funded through Auxiliary Organization funds.

The SJSU Travel Guide will updated shortly to reflect these changes.

 

Spring 2013 What’s Up? Meeting Scheduled

Our Spring 2013 What’s Up? presentation is scheduled Monday, April 22, 2013, from 10:30am to 12:00pm, in Engineering 189. Held twice a year, the Finance What’s Up? presentation is designed to keep the campus informed of the latest news, updates, and goals for the departments within our service group.

All members of the campus community with procurement, accounting, and/or budgeting responsibilities are encouraged to attend. No reservation is required. We hope to see you there!

Presentations from past What’s Up? sessions are available on the Finance Website. If you have any questions, please contact FinanceConnect at 924-1558.

February Accounting Period Close

For employees who track or manage department budgets, the month of February 2013 is now closed in the CFS system.

This means that the General Ledger (GL) system will not accept any more entries with a February Journal Date. (February transactions can still be entered into the GL, but the Journal Date must be changed to 3/1/2013 or later.)  For that reason, we do not close the month until most transactions, in particular payroll and billings, have fed to the GL.  Periods currently open are March 2013 through June 2013.