Tagged: Travel-PCard-Expense

Effective November 3, a new Travel Suspension Approver role will be added to the Workday Spend Authorization business process for international travel involving destinations subject to the university's travel suspension. Learn what this change means for travelers and approvers.

Effective November 1, 2026, important updates to Ohio State's vehicle rental program are now in effect, including changes affecting drivers ages 18-20 and updated rental vehicle contract rates.

Beginning October 30, a new Miscellaneous Payment Request category, "Awards & Grants – Non-Student," will be available in Workday. This category should be used for payments to individuals who are not university employees when the payment represents an award or grant that is unrelated to academic performance. See the full post for examples of use.

As of October 14, two new mileage reimbursement options are available in Workday. They support both point-to-point travel and recurring business driving activities, making it easier to estimate, submit, review, and process mileage expenses.

Effective August 28, Spend Authorization approval routing in Workday will be updated to further streamline the approval process. There were some instances where these transactions were routing to both the Cost Center Managers and the Grant Managers. Read more for the specific details about this change and how it affects Grant Managers, Cost Center Managers, and Cost Center Directors.

Beginning November 1, 2026, important changes will take effect regarding rental vehicle insurance coverage for drivers aged 18-20 traveling on university business. Units and travelers are encouraged to adopt these requirements as soon as possible in advance of the effective date to avoid disruptions and ensure compliance.

Effective July 1, 2026, the mileage reimbursement rate will increase from 72.5 cents per mile to 76 cents per mile for all business miles driven from July 1, 2026, through December 31, 2026. Units and service centers may need to update tasks currently in Draft or In Progress status that were created before the July 23 system update where mileage was incurred for travel after July 1 to reflect the new mileage reimbursement rate. Contact the Travel Office with questions at travel@osu.edu or 614-292-9290.

The Travel Office is updating its review process for travel-related cash advance requests to encourage more efficient and accountable use of university funds. Under the new process, cash advance requests will receive additional review, with PCard use prioritized whenever possible. For most routine business travel, expenses such as lodging and transportation can be covered with a PCard, and travelers with one-time needs may request a temporary GET PCard. While cash advances will remain available for unique business circumstances, unit leaders are encouraged to promote early travel planning and evaluate payment options in advance.

The Travel and Expense Offices will conduct a system cleanup of aged transactions to release encumbrances, improve performance, and remove outdated items. It's important to remember that all units are responsible for reviewing and managing outstanding transactions before the July 1, 2026 deadline. Note, please do not close, approve or modify any Expense Reports or Spend Authorizations from end of business on Monday, June 29, through the start of business on July 1. Doing so will cause accounting roll forward issues that result in incorrect financial balances for the year. See the full post for more details.

This is follow-up to a prior NewsLink posts about the process and workflow enhancements to the Travel, PCard, and Reimbursement processes in Workday. Informed by feedback from the President’s listening sessions, these updates coming from the Office of Business and Finance are designed to reduce administrative burden, simplify requirements, and improve the overall user experience. See the full post for details.