Quick Tips
Be Mindful of Sponsor Requirements
Only expenses directly related to a sponsor's project should be charged to a sponsor.
Be Aware of Flight Restrictions
Some sponsors specify that you can only fly with U.S. carriers. Make sure to check the sponsor terms for flight restrictions before booking your flight.
Provide Comparison Quotes
When booking complex travel that includes multiple purposes or personal stays, you must obtain comparison quotes to attach to your expense report.
Be Aware of Airline Fees
Before booking, know what fees are not allowed on sponsored accounts (e.g., extra legroom seats, ticket class upgrades).
Requirements for Sponsored Travel
When traveling on a federally funded award or sponsored funds, please keep the following in mind:
- All items on a travel expense report must provide a direct benefit to the project.
- Travelers should refer to Kuali Coeus for any travel restrictions in place by the sponsor. Travelers unsure about allowable costs should contact their Research Administration Services (RAS) representative or RA-Help@mit.edu before booking travel or incurring any travel expenses.
- If a sponsor has specified terms that require a U.S. carrier, a United States Flag Carrier must be used.
- If a sponsor has terms that require an airline that is included in the Open Skies Agreement, only Flag Carriers of the countries listed in the Fly America Act may be used.
- Airline costs that are reimbursable under MIT policy but cannot be charged to a sponsor (such as a business class airline ticket) must be itemized and allocated. The economy rate obtained at time of booking needs to be itemized as airfare, and the difference needs to be itemized as airfare difference and allocated to a non-sponsored account.
For help navigating U.S. carrier requirements or the Open Skies Agreement, contact travelsupport@mit.edu or MIT’s Preferred travel agency, The Travel Collaborative, at 617-497-7400.
Which Expenses Can I Charge to a Sponsor's Project?
Expenses must be directly related to the project to be included on the travel expense report and charged to the sponsor.
- Poster printing for a conference that directly benefits the project
- Materials purchased that directly benefit the project
- Checked baggage fee
- Overweight or oversized baggage fee
- Change fees due to rescheduled conferences or sponsor-mandated meetings with documentation of the date changes
- Paper ticket fees
- Materials purchased in an emergency during travel
- Non-recoverable expenses
- Phone or computer cables that break during travel
- Airfare, hotel, rental cars, or any other travel purchased with frequent flyer miles or rewards points and/or cost for frequent miles or rewards points
- Costs incurred by unreasonable failure to cancel transportation or hotel reservations
- Fines for automobile violations, including parking tickets
- Personal auto repairs, insurance deductibles, and surcharges
- Lost or stolen tickets, cash, or property
- Travel accident insurance premiums
- Travel insurance (trip protection or trip cancellation insurance)
- Car rental insurance for domestic travel
- Expenses not directly related to the performance of the travel assignment
- Headphone or movie rentals, magazines, newspapers, books
- Toiletry items, medications, health club/gym fees
- Personal credit card late fees or finance charges
Complex Travel Arrangements
Trips With Multiple Purposes
Sometimes you may need to book one trip for multiple purposes, such as flying to California for a two-day meeting with a sponsor before flying directly to a conference in Seattle that is unrelated to the sponsored project.
When booking travel for a trip with multiple purposes, a comparison quote must be obtained at the time of booking to show the exact airfare for the sponsored-related portion of the trip. The quote must be attached to the travel expense report in Concur.
Business Travel That Includes Personal Stays
You may choose to arrive early or delay your return from a sponsored travel trip for personal reasons, such as presenting research at a two-day conference in Hawaii and then staying for a week of personal vacation.
If a traveler arrives early to a sponsored-related event or delays their return for personal reasons, a comparison quote must be obtained at the time of booking to show the exact airfare for the sponsored-related portion. The quote must be attached to the travel expense report in Concur.
No personal expenses may be charged to the MIT Travel Card.
Upgrading to Business Class/First Class
MIT policy allows for certain upgrades on air travel, but those upgrades are not always allowed on sponsored accounts. Always check the terms of your sponsored travel in Kuali Coeus before booking.
When booking travel for a trip with multiple purposes, a comparison quote must be obtained at the time of booking to show the exact airfare for the sponsored-related portion of the trip. The quote must be attached to the travel expense report in Concur.
If you are traveling on a sponsored account that only reimburses the lowest available economy rate, but your flight meets the requirement to upgrade under MIT policies, you must itemize and allocate this charge in your expense report. To do this, charge the lowest available economy rate (from your comparison quote) as expense type "Airfare" to the sponsored account and then itemize the difference in fares using expense type "Airfare difference" to a non-sponsored account.
For example, if your flight to California has a lowest available economy rate of $300, but you paid $500 for that flight with an MIT-allowed business class upgrade, you can charge $300 (airfare) to the sponsored account and charge $200 (airfare difference) to a non-sponsored account.