Managing Finances Abroad
Cash Advances
Most faculty will receive a cash advance to cover group meals, tips/honorarium, museums/site visits, etc. The total amount will be calculated and emailed to you for your approval prior to sending authorization to the Business Office for disbursement. Receipts are required for all monies disbursed with the exception of meal per diem funds, which is addressed below. All cash advance funds will be deposited into your bank account prior to the start of your program.
Please review the Eckerd College Travel Policy, the Eckerd College Accountable Plan Expense Policy and a TEV/Cash Advance Clearance form in this folder for more detailed information.
Pages 7 & 8 of the Travel Policy provide detailed guidance regarding cash advances. All recipients should review these pages within the policy and are familiar with the expectations and timeframe for clearing the advance, after their travel.
As a summary:
All receipts (especially meal receipts) must be itemized.
Any non-receipted expenses will require an attempt to contact the vendor, and obtain original/reprint receipts.
If that fails, or a vendor(s) does not issue receipts, a brief summary of the expense(s), dates, amounts, beneficiaries, and business purpose of the expense(s) is required.
All receipts and any remaining funds (exact cash or check payable to "Eckerd College") must be accounted for and returned to the Business Office attached to a completed Cash Advance Clearance Form (attached) within five (5) business days. One form per recipient.
If the cash advance is not cleared within thirty (30) days of travel, the funds may be reported to the IRS as income, and future advances will not be issued, per the discretion of the Controller.
Global Education Per Diem
This per diem process is for the Office of Global Education, specifically faculty-led, international travel only. Per diem expenses are for faculty meal expenses while abroad only. For all other expenses, the College’s Travel and Accountable Plan Expense policies still apply.
To review the per diem amount for your program, please check the “Faculty Budget” tab (second tab) of your program budget (found in Google Drive folder)
Global Education per diem rates are set by the Office of Global Education.
The Office of Global Education will determine and document which programs will utilize a per diem rate, along with the rate assigned, prior to travel. NOTE: Per diem rates must be consistent for all trips to the same region.
- Per diem rates will be for daily meal expenses while abroad only. Receipts are not required. All other travel-related expenses are to be handled with an existing process, as listed in “Reminders for Travel Outside of Per Diem Process”, below. Receipts must be provided for all non-meal expenses, and for domestic meals during travel.
Reminders for Travel Outside of Per Diem Process
For College-sponsored travel expenses including: domestic travel, Global Ed semester programs or non-Global Ed programs, one (1) of the following existing College policies may be used, in appropriate circumstances as outlined below:
Cash Advance - (Faculty and staff): Prior to travel, submit a Cash Advance request with budget manager approval, for funds in USD. With Business Office authorization, a Cash Advance will be issued, and must be cleared by utilizing the proper Cash Advance Clearance Form accompanied by receipts within thirty (30) days of return. In conformity with the College’s Travel and Accountable Plan, a cash advance may become taxable if not properly cleared or;
Reimbursed after travel -(Faculty, staff and students): After travel, submit a Travel Expense Voucher, along with detailed receipts and budget manager approval within thirty (30) days of the traveler’s return.
Student Meal Stipends
Students participating in the WT 24 Programs listed below will receive meal stipends. These funds will be directly deposited into their bank accounts prior to the start of the program. Students will be responsible for bringing cash or accessing these funds as needed throughout the program. Receipts are not required.
Eckerd WT: Business & Sport in Australia
Eckerd WT: Integrative Therapies: Dolphins - Curacao
Eckerd WT: Trekking Patagonia in Chile
Eckerd WT: French Language Immersion in Geneva
Eckerd WT: Odysseys of Ancient Greece
Eckerd WT: Nepal - Plants and Pilgrimage
Eckerd WT: Language Immersion in Salamanca
Eckerd WT: Sundance Film Festival
For questions about financial resources abroad, please contact:
Kathy Aamodt, CCU Collegium and Global Education Administrative Coordinator
727.864.8231