Reimbursement Policies

Per strict university policy, BCLT/Berkeley Law requires that speakers seeking reimbursement pay their own travel expenses and submit receipts (see below) for reimbursement. We cannot pay for or book travel arrangements or lodging reservations on your behalf.

Lodging

The following hotels are most recommended, as they offer UC discounted rates:

Flying to SFO/OAK

This link provides information on access to Berkeley, CA through local airports and local transit from each airport. While travel times vary considerably, travelers should plan at least an hour and thirty minutes to get to Berkeley from SFO by car, and about forty-five minutes from OAK.

UC Berkeley Reimbursement Policies

  • Berkeley Law can only reimburse coach/economy class airfare. First-class, business-class, and premium economy/economy-plus are not reimbursable. 
    • If you choose to purchase a first-class or business-class ticket, you will only be reimbursed for the cost of a basic economy class ticket that complies with policy. You must collect comparables (screenshots of the cost of basic economy tickets) when you book the ticket; after-the-fact comparables are not sufficient for reimbursement. If you do not collect comparables, you may not be reimbursed for the cost of the ticket(s).
  • The pre-tax per night hotel maximum is $333.00. Requests for multiple nights will be considered on an individual basis.
    • The maximum daily reimbursement amount for hotel expenses is $333 before taxes and mandatory hotel fees. If there is no hotel available under the pre-tax maximum, you may be reimbursed for the higher amount only if you collected comparables (several examples or a screenshot of a search that shows no lower-priced hotels were available) at the time of the reservation. After-the-fact comps are not sufficient to demonstrate there were no hotels within policy available within a 2-mile radius. If you cannot provide real-time comparables, you may be reimbursed only up to the campus maximum of $333.00 per night pre-tax.  This is a campus-imposed policy.
  • Receipts are required for all purchases. All receipts must show proof of purchase and the method of payment.
    • Save all receipts and make a notation of the business purpose on the receipt for your records, e.g., “Uber to/from airport and hotel.”
    • We can only reimburse on proof of charge—we cannot reimburse reservation confirmations, itineraries, etc.
    • Proof of payment receipts demonstrate that a credit card has been charged (last 4 digits of your card) or that cash has been paid. A valid receipt also includes the payee’s name, the amount, the date and place of payment, and what was purchased. Ensure the traveler’s name appears on the receipt (e.g., the hotel folio shows the registered guest who paid is the same person being reimbursed).

International Visitors

If you are a visitor from outside the US, please inform us and review this website for guidelines for additional considerations: https://travel.berkeley.edu/report-expenses/travel-reimbursements-foreign-visitors

Submitting Your Reimbursement 

We process all reimbursements once an event has concluded. Send receipts to Abril Delgado (abrildelgado@berkeley.edu) to initiate the reimbursement process. If you are not yet a “vendor” in the UC Berkeley system (i.e., you have never received reimbursement from UC Berkeley previously), you will need to become a vendor. You will receive an invitation email before the reimbursement process is initiated.

Please redact any personal, sensitive, or confidential information, such as your home address, Social Security number, date of birth, and/or credit card numbers, except for the last four digits.

IMPORTANT DEADLINE DISCLAIMER

BCLT must receive all receipts for expense reimbursements within 30 days of the program to allow time to process your reimbursement within the University’s time limit. Unfortunately, we will not grant exceptions. If we do not receive it within 30 days, we may report your reimbursement to the IRS as personal income or otherwise deny it.