Travel and Reimbursements

As in years past, there will be funding available to help subsidize the cost of fellows attending the symposium. Because this year's symposium is in Texas, and we don't want y'all from them there small states trying to hoodwink us out of our money, there are some rules that may differ from years past (and some are the same or quite similar). Please read the details below, lest you make the reimbursement hard on yourself (and me).

All NSF Fellows and Invited Speakers/Participants are eligible for reimbursement of the following expenses:

  • One night's lodging

  • 1.75 days meals and incidentals per diem ($54/day)

In addition, invited speakers and panelists are eligible for:

  • Airfare to/from Austin

If you are unsure if you qualify for airfare, contact Peter Frinchaboy or Kurtis Williams.

The first section below is just for those needing airfare; the remaining sections are for everyone.

Arranging Air Travel

Those speakers and participants who are eligible for airfare are also eligible to use UT Corporate Travel to arrange air travel.

  • If you wish to use corporate travel:

    • When you know the dates you would like to travel, contact Monica Kidd here at UT:
    • Tell Monica you are calling about the NSF Fellows Symposium in January, and that you require booking of air travel. Then give Monica the following information:
      • Your name

      • Contact information (mailing address, email, and phone number)
      • Your Social Security Number/Taxpayer ID (I'd suggest not emailing this)
      • The dates you'd like to travel
      • Any other useful information, like preferred airlines, frequent flier numbers, etc. We can't guarantee any particular flight or airline, but unless your preference is markedly more expensive than other options, this probably won't be an issue.
      • Whatever other information Monica may request
    • At this point, Monica will initiate what we call a "Request For Services" and get corporate working on your travel; this may take a couple of days. You'll be notified if your input is needed and when your tickets are booked.
  • If you do not wish to use UT corporate travel:
    • Book your own air travel (coach-class restricted fares, please)

    • File a Request for Services as described in the next section.
    • Be sure to get a proper receipt! A proper receipt (according to Texas) shows that payment has been made and that there is a zero remaining balance. Note that a printout of your itinerary is usually not sufficient.

Getting Reimbursements for All Non-Airfare expenses

The hotel and per diem reimbursements are straightforward, but do have a couple of quirks, so read closely.

If you have not arranged for corporate air travel, you will need to initiate a "Request For Services" prior to your travel (retroactive ones are much more complicated and put your reimbursements at risk). To do this, contact Monica Kidd here at UT:

Tell Monica you are calling about the NSF Fellows Symposium in January, and that you need to file a Request For Services, but don't need air travel. Then give Monica the following information:

  • Your name

  • Contact information (mailing address, email, and phone number)
  • Your Social Security Number/Taxpayer ID (I'd suggest not emailing this)
  • Any other information Monica needs

Everybody: After travel, you will need to submit a copy of your hotel receipt. The receipt needs to be itemized, showing the room cost per day, and also needs to show payment with $0 remaining balance. Most hotels give you such a receipt and can print out extra copies, so this usually isn't a problem. However, credit card bills, non-itemized receipts, or receipts showing a balance due are, alas, not good enough for Texas travel.

Symposium Dinner

Because of the vagaries of travel rules, the symposium dinner is not paid in advance. You will need to pay cash at the dinner, and the per diem acts as reimbursement for that. For this reason, you won't need to submit any receipts from dinner.

Details are still being worked out, but we will let you know the cost of dinner in advance. We are working to keep costs reasonable, while still providing some local flavor.