Concur/Travel Arrangements

Concur Travel is a cloud-based software application which allows you to book your desired travel needs with our Travel Management Company, ALTOUR. Think of Concur Travel as the ‘store front’ with ALTOUR being the fulfillment agent behind the scenes. This online booking platform allows UMBC to streamline the travel process, offering an integrated ‘one stop shop’ for booking travel.

Request is your pre-approval mechanism. You can draft estimates, attach quotes, and submit to your approvers ahead of travel. Travel booked via Concur Travel flows seamlessly into Request for ease. No PDFs needed.

Expense is how you track and manage your receipts after a trip to seek reimbursement.

• Authorization Request (fka. Pre-approval) – The concept of pre-approval is now called an Authorization Request in Concur. Requests no longer expire on the start of your trip, and if you fail to get approval before travel, you’ll still need to go back and get your request approved to be able to submit your report for reimbursement (with an additional explanation as to why you didn’t get it done).
• Expense Report (fka. Reimbursement) – The concept of reimbursement is now called an Expense Report. All travelers will need to submit an expense report after travel, even if not seeking a reimbursement. The expense report tracks all of your expenses for the trip, and you allocate the expense to chartstring(s) to track how it’s being paid.
• Travel Allowance (fka. Per Diem) – The concept of Travel Allowance is the reverse mindset from per diem in the Travel System. The rates are still based on the GSA for domestic and State Dept for international. Instead of specifically adding the meals that you want to claim per diem on, you will now add a Travel Allowance and exclude the meals that you do not wish to claim per diem for. For more information, see the guideline for Adding a Travel Allowance. The first and last day are rated at 75% of the destination per diem and the incidental costs are automatically included in each day when you claim a Travel Allowance.
• Authorized Approver and Cost Object Approver (fka. Travel Approver(s)) – The concept of approvers are now split into Authorized Approvers tied to the department in which you work, and Cost Object Approvers tied to the department(s) in which you allocate costs.
• Sunset of the Next Higher Authority (NHA) role – The Next Higher Authority is no longer used in Concur, and instead requests will route to the authorized approver.
• Use of Primary Name – For UMBC Employees, it may be surprising to see your primary name in Concur instead of your preferred name. Since Concur facilitates your travel as a ticketing and booking mechanism, the name used in Concur must match the identity on your legal identification such as licenses and passports.

A completed W-9/W-8 BEN Tax Documentation is necessary to initiate your Concur Profile.  Once you have submitted your form and it has been entered into the system, please wait 24 hours for the information to be uploaded into Concur.

FAQ – How do I set up my profile?

SAP Concur is the UMBC solution for the travel request/approval process, travel booking, electronic receipt capture, and expense management.

• Concur replaces our prior custom Travel System 2.0.
• Concur can be accessed via desktop and/or mobile application.
• Concur allows travelers to assign delegates who can assist them in booking travel and preparing expense reports.
• There are FAQs to answer the most common questions about Concur and the travel process.
• To log in to Concur, go to umbc.edu/go/concur.

Travelers/Arrangers should additionally complete entering the profile information in Concur that will aid you in your travel experience, including:

• Travel Start Address
• TSA Known Traveler Number
• Passport number
• Airline/Hotel rewards numbers
• Any additional information that is missing

FAQ – How do I use Request 

Pre-approval/authorization to travel is required before starting the trip or prepaying any portion for the following travel types:

• Out-of-state
• In-state with overnight stay (includes Washington D.C.)
• International

Travel within Maryland or Washington, D.C., with no overnight stay, does not require an authorization request.

Travel requests must be completed and approved before any travel begins or expenses are prepaid to ensure coverage under Workers’ Compensation. Tickets will not be authorized, and reimbursements will not be processed without an approved request. The traveler may complete the request or designate someone to complete it on their behalf.

If travel is not approved prior to departure, a request must be submitted and approved retroactively before any reimbursement can be issued. The traveler may not submit an expense report until the request has been approved.

FAQ – How do I upload receipts on the go?

While on your travel, take advantage of our mobile applications that will allow you to upload documents/receipts as they come in.

All travel expenses, regardless of the traveler’s affiliation with UMBC, must be submitted through the official expense report process. Expense reports should be submitted within ten (10) business days following the conclusion of travel, and no later than sixty (60) calendar days. Reports submitted after 60 days may be treated as taxable income to the traveler, in accordance with IRS regulations.