Claiming for travel expenses on HEP business

Staff (and non-STFC Students) Claiming on Atlas, LHCb, Atlas Upgrade, MicroBOONE, DUNE

Before you travel

Seek approval for your trip.
The details here have changed, so please read the following carefully and ask if you are not sure. In general, you must fill in an approval form of some sort (either a Visit Notice or the Pre-travel request form). This will ensure that all travel has been pre-approved, and will allow the subsequent claim to be processed without further reference to the Budget Holder (and hence hopefully speed up the payment of expenses).

In most cases, you should complete a Visit Notice (VN) via a web form or by other means. There are some cases when VNs are not required (some budgets don't need them for UK claims below a certain threshold - see the notes below or ask your Local Claims Approver for more information. If in any doubt, fill in a VN.). If you determine that a VN is not needed, then fill in the pre-travel request form, arrange to get it signed by the Local Claim Approver and then give it to the Rutherford Hub Administration.

For VNs, select the appropriate link from the list below:

ATLAS, LHCb, DUNE, GridPP

Web submission

Others

Download form

Those using the web form will have their VN automatically forwarded to the appropriate persons for approval and will receive an e-mail acknowledgement when the VN is approved. You may need to register at the website before you can submit a VN. You should take a copy of the completed web form (either via printing or a screen grab) and forward this together with the e-mail approval to the Rutherford Hub Administration.

Those using the downloaded form should complete it and forward it to the VN Approver for the appropriate budget. Once you have received back the approved VN you should forward it to the Local Claim Approver for that Budget Code here at Cambridge. This may well be the same person as the VN approver. You should then forward the form to the Rutherford Hub.

VN Approvers and Local Claim Approvers are listed here:

You may then make the arrangements for the trip (including applying for travel insurance - as detailed on the main travel page).

If you think you will need to claim an advance to purchase flights etc., please contact the Rutherford Hub Finance Administration.

After the trip

A new claims system has been introduced by the University and has been adopted by the Cavendish Lab. in 2022 so new claims should use the new system. The system is called SAP Concur. Follow the link for more information. There are perhaps two noteworthy things about the new system. The first is that receipts are now uploaded as images and it is not necessary to keep originals. The second important point is that, in order to smooth our reclaims process, you should ensure that the budget code information (see below) is entered in the "Notes to approver" box. Payments are by BACs as before. The system seems to have carried over bank details from the previous system. Apparently there is also an app that you can use to upload receipts as you go.

HEP has a ring-fenced account to track these expenses (KG KGCJ GAAA), and we will invoice STFC based on amounts charged here each quarter. You should quote this number on your Cavendish Expenses Claim (use the "Notes to approver"), together with the relevant Project Code and Task Number. It is very important that this is done correctly: items which are not claimed back correctly from STFC will fall onto the groups own resources.

You must claim actual expenses, with receipts. There are also upper limits on what can be claimed for certain classes of trip. All expenses must be reasonable.

Claims should preferably be submitted within one month (and certainly no later than three months) after the trip - the sooner, the better though.

Although claims may be submitted as frequently as required, there is a note to the effect that large numbers of small claims are discouraged as the University pays for the service "per claim".

Amounts up to £5 may be claimed without a receipt but you have to enter a reason on the claim if you do this. Bank account statements are not accepted.

Notes:

The VN needs an estimate of the cost and you should try to make this as accurate as reasonably possible and in particular not to forget any major costs, e.g. transport to the airport or the air-fare!

UK trips likely to cost more than a specified limit will now require a VN. The limit is typically £200, but you should check the limit specified for the Budget to be used, as it can vary (for example, the limit is £300 for GridPP travel). A VN will also be required for regular lower cost UK trips such that you claim more than the same limit per quarter from the budget. Thus it is only infrequent UK trips that cost less than the limit (i.e. typically £200) that do NOT require a VN. If in doubt submit a VN.

Claims will generally be paid according to the rules and procedures of the University. However, claims will be checked to see that they are reasonably consistent with any criteria set by the Budget Holder and the STFC guidelines. STFC expects that the value of claims should not differ substantially from the current PPD travel guidelines and the STFC Expectations - see this document

For copies of the Default VN and further information see: here

Travel not related to a specific experiment (Conferences etc.)

Travel not related to experiments (typically programme support on project code STAK00026) will for the time being continue to be processed by RAL.

Travel by group members to conferences and similar events using group funds (from the consolidated grant, local project grants and internal resources) must be approved in advance using the pre-travel request form.

So that it is clear, Theory staff and students must also submit a pre-travel request form so that approval can be given ahead of the trip.

Leave the Cavendish budget codes blank on your claim form - they will be filled in at a later point.