Travel advances are only allowed for group travel and individual foreign travel. Advances may only be issued to university employees. Travelers should allow a minimum of 15 working days to process a travel advance.

Travel advances cannot be given for the purchase of airfare since this can be purchased via the University of Houston travel agency.

The travel advance form to be completed by the PI can be found in MAPP 04.02.01 and scrolling to the bottom.

The Travel Advance Application, a properly approved Voucher covering the amount of the advance, and a copy of the Travel Request should be forwarded to the university Travel Coordinator.

Travel advance checks are mailed by the Treasurer's Office to the employee's home address and may be distributed no more than 30 days in advance of the trip.

The PI and the department must clear all travel advances within 15 working days of return from the trip. Appropriate forms complete with documentation must be sent to the travel coordinator in Accounts Payable (AP) within this time. This is required whether the actual expenses are less than, equal to, or greater than the advance.

Each trip must be reported and accounted for individually.

If the expenses are equal to the travel advance, a journal must be prepaid to debited to the traveler’s cost enter and credited to the travel advance cost center. Attach the journal entry form, the travel expenditure report and all receipts, and send to the travel coordinator in AP.

If the travel expenses are greater than the travel advance, prepare a voucher made payable to the traveler that would debit the traveler cost center for his/her expenses on the trip and credit the travel advance cost center for the travel advance amount. The difference is the amount owed to the traveler. The voucher and the travel expenditure report and attached receipts must be sent to the travel coordinator in AP.

If the travel expenses are less than the travel advance, the traveler must give the business office a check for the difference. The check must be deposited using a Journal entry form and sent to the treasury office for deposit. In addition, a Journal entry form must be prepared to debit the travel expenditure amount to the traveler cost center and credit the travel advance cost center for the same amount. A copy of the deposit journal, the travel journal and the expenditure form report with the attached receipts must be sent to the travel coordinator In AP.