Travel Management

Travel Management

How to request pre-approval, advances, and submit reimbursements

All travel charged to sponsored projects must be pre-approved and processed through the Research Foundation (RF) payment/request system. Travel advance requests must be received by RF at least 15 business days before departure and include the required supporting documentation (itinerary, estimated costs, justification). After travel, travelers must submit a completed Travel Expense Voucher with itemized receipts and required supporting documents for reconciliation (RF specifies prompt post-travel submission). Both advances and reimbursements are subject to sponsor rules — if the sponsor allows reimbursements, RF requires the documentation listed on its travel pages.

Domestic travel submission requirements

RFCUNY’s standard timeline for travel advance requests is 15 business days prior to travel; PIs and travelers should plan accordingly and check award-specific sponsor restrictions which can be stricter. Expense reports and supporting receipts must be submitted promptly after travel so RF can reconcile charges and meet payroll/audit deadlines; CUNY’s travel rules also require timely submission of expense reports. If your project has unique sponsor timelines (some require earlier notice or pre-approvals), follow the sponsor’s terms in addition to RF/CUNY rules.

Fly America, per diems, seat upgrades, and travel card rules

When federal funds are used, RF follows the Fly America Act (U.S. flag carriers or qualifying code-share arrangements must be used) and RF requires booking the lowest available economy fare unless an approved exception applies. Seat upgrades, preferred seating, or first/business-class travel are not chargeable to sponsored projects. Per diem rules follow federal/GSA (or sponsor) rates and RF/CUNY per-diem guidance, and any travel charged to an RF P-Card must be reconciled promptly — RF requires P-Card transactions to be reconciled within 35 days (failure to reconcile can lead to suspension of card privileges).

Faculty Travel

John Jay College (as part of CUNY) establishes specific travel rules to ensure safety, compliance, and cost-effectiveness when faculty, staff, or students travel on official business. Faculty and staff travel—both domestic and international—must first receive approval from the Department Chair via a completed Travel Approval Form (TAF), typically submitted at least three weeks before the trip. After traveling, reimbursement requires submitting a typed and signed RF-CUNY Travel Reimbursement Voucher with all supporting documents (receipts, itineraries, agendas) to the designated department office and then to the OAR Travel Coordinator (jjay.cuny.edu & jjay.cuny.edu).

John Jay also aligns with CUNY-wide travel policies (Policy 3.042) which mandate that travel must be in the best interest of the university, use the most economical transportation method, and reimburse only actual, necessary, and reasonable expenses in economy class. Travelers must enter a Travel Authorization in CUNYfirst, provide receipts for all eligible costs, and comply with restrictions (e.g., commuting not reimbursable)—otherwise the reimbursement will be denied or travel privileges may be suspended.