Travel by personal owned vehicles is permitted if in the best interest of the University. Use of a personal owned vehicle will be reimbursed at the current IRS mileage rate. Account managers shall plan the travel of all employees under their authority to achieve maximum saving and efficiency.

Official State of Texas Mileage Guide

The Official State of Texas Mileage Guide is the legislative approved form of documenting miles between two city points. The intention of the guide and the law is that mileage is calculated based on the shortest possible distance from center point to center point.

Important Points

• This mileage rate covers depreciation, maintenance, repairs, gasoline, oil, insurance and vehicle registration fees. These are not additional reimbursable items.
• Parking and toll cost will be reimbursed when properly documented on the travel voucher form.
• If the mileage exceeds the distance listed in the Official State of Texas Mileage Guide, the employee must itemize the additional miles on a point-to-point basis.
• If the mileage is less than the distance listed in the mileage guide, the employee may only claim the actual miles traveled.
• Mileage between an employee's residence and place of employment will not be reimbursed.
• If the travel occurs during non-working hours, the amount of the reimbursement may not exceed the reimbursable amount between the employee's place of employment and the duty point.
• Mileage incurred by a person driving an employee to the airport is reimbursable if the employee can show that additional mileage is less than the cost of the parking the employee's personal vehicle at the airport.
• If a traveler wants to drive to an out-of-state location instead of flying, the cost of the lowest available airfare, the reasonable mileage cost to the airport and the reasonable parking expense that would have been incurred at the airport had the employee flown may be claimed. This must be explained on or as an attached memo to the travel expense reimbursement form.

Coordination of Travel (Four-per-car rule)
Coordination of travel must occur when two or more employees are traveling to the same duty point.
When two to four employees have the same itinerary for the same dates, the mileage for one single vehicle carrying all the employees will be reimbursed.

Employees who are not able to coordinate travel in one vehicle because of work related reasons may be reimbursed for their mileage expenses, with prior written approval by the appropriate vice president. The approval must be attached to the travel expense reimbursement form. No blanket approvals. Each trip must be approved separately.