Business travel

 

General

The rules and procedures which apply to business travel and credit/debit cards are available on SU’s homepage, under the staff/personnel/travel link "Resor".
A few points that are relevant to consider in connection with travelling are given below.

  • Keep all original receipts
  • Keep any information related to exchange rates (e.g. currency exchange receipts)

Example 1

An employee travels (“business trip”) from Stockholm to Hamburg to participate in a conference. The conference ends on Wednesday.
The employee chooses to remain in Hamburg Thursday-Friday, for "private reasons" and pays for accommodation with his own funds.
He/she travels home from Hamburg to Stockholm on Friday.
The ticket for the return trip on Friday is no more expensive than it would have cost to travel home from Hamburg to Stockholm on Wednesday.

This scenario is OK and does not entail any benefit taxation for the employee


Example 2

An employee travels (“business trip”) from Stockholm to Hamburg. The conference ends on Wednesday.
The employee chooses to go from Hamburg to Berlin (or to another place or another country) - privately and with his own funds and pays for accommodation in Berlin.
He/she travels home from Berlin on Friday.
This will be considered a private trip and a benefit for the employee, if Fysikum paid for the trip home. This is as the business trip is considered having been interrupted by the fact that he/she left Hamburg. An employee who is on a business trip cannot therefore change the route or final destination for private reasons without tax consequences. Furthermore, an employee cannot use the cost of the business trip as a monetary "pot" to then change the travel route for private reasons. However, he can of course cancel the business trip well in Hamburg and pay for his own return trip from another place if he has applied for and been granted leave.

 

  • Complete a travel account in Primula after your return. Reimbursement for cases older than three months after the end of the trip will not be paid out.
  • Completed PDF format including purpose of the trip, project number, date, destination etc. shall be attached in PDF format and digitally signed/ approved by the project owner, – see PDF template
    Template approval travel expense claim (226 Kb)
  • For more information how to report Meals/Allowance in travel bill
    Guideline for meals/allowance in your travel bill - primula
  • All supporting documents to your travel bill/ expense claim shall be scanned and attached digitally in Primula.
    Original receipts are to be given to your contact at the Administrative division for archiving purposes. Digital documentation need not be printed.
    For questions concerning travel bills, expense claims and wellness benefits, please contact reserakning.utlagg@fysik.su.se.
    Travel bill/ expense claim, including supporting documentation and approval, received by the Administrative division prior the 5th of the month for reimbursement, will be included in that month’s salary payout.
  • Why state the purpose for travels, entertainment and expenses?
    As employees we need to assign purpose for business travel, purchase, entertainment. The reason is to improve the internal control and ensure that the legal framework is followed. By clearly declaring the purpose it is also easier to prove that we follow the rules when audited by external or internal auditors.
    For internal or external entertainment, name and organization of participants shall be specified in Primula as well as above mentioned purpose of the entertainment.
    Stockholm University regulations for representation is found here (in Swedish).
 

Travel

Stockholm University has a travel agency services agreement with Amex GBT. All business trips shall therefore be booked through Amex GBT. However, it is possible to purchase train tickets directly from SJ. SU also has a local taxi travel agreement within the Stockholm area.
Environmental considerations should always be considered when you book business travels. If you have the opportunity to choose train or boat/ferry instead of flight, that is the suggested option.
Stockholm University has a travel policy (Swedish only). It is not allowed to use Uber or Airbnb for business travel.

 

All flights must be booked through the travel agency Amex GBT.
An updated travel profile is required to book through Amex GBT. If you have any questions about your travel profile – contact your HR-administrator.
Information about booking and link to the online booking system can be found on Medarbetarwebben.

 

Stockholm University and SJ AB have an agreement on rail journeys. Train tickets can be booked through Amex GBT or SJ. More information can be found in guide for train booking (Swedish only). Contact your administrator to get the department's account number.
Each single travel shall consider the environmental impact, the cost for the trip and the opportunity to work during the trip. If the price difference between first class and second class is justifiable, it may be possible to buy a first-class ticket if the project owner and research financier’s terms allow.

 

SU has a taxi travel agreement within the Stockholm area. All business travels by taxi shall therefore be booked through one of the suppliers, Taxi Kurir or Sverigetaxi.
Both suppliers are part of Cabonline. To book a taxi, use Cabonline’s app, website or call 08-744 95 60.
To register a Cabonline account:

  • Download the app Taxi Cabonline or go to https://boka.cabonline.com/en
  • Enter your university email address (@fysik.su.se) and request a password
  • Register your mobile phone number
  • Payment is made by travel account (resekonto)

To book a taxi by phone, use the phone number registered in your profile.
Payment by travel account only applies to pre-booked travels. If you have not pre-booked your taxi, you will have to pay directly after completed journey.

For more information, please contact the administrative division.

 

Travel arrangements shall be made via the travel agency with which Stockholm University has signed an agreement (Amex GBT). In exceptional cases, a business trip with own car can be accepted. In those cases, the Head of Department shall approve this before departure.
The project owner is responsible for sending the application to the Head of Department. Use the form  Business trip with own car (in Swedish).

Business trip with own car (in Swedish) (178 Kb)

During a business trip with own car, a mileage compensation will be granted to the employee. The trip must be documented by keeping a driving record. Use the template on page 3 in the form or make sure to document the following:

  • Meter reading on departure and return home
  • Specify the different stages during the journey

The decision and the driving record must be attached to the expense claim when returning home.

 

If you wish to travel with third parties in connection with a business trip, you may book their ticket separately on your own.
Fysikum does not book and reimburse for private traveling attendees at the employee's mission.
It is possible for employees to book a ticket for private traveling through Amex GBT, which then might charge a service fee.

If you are staying at a hotel in conjunction with a third party in connection with a business trip, you should deduct 25 % per third party person of the hotel cost on your travel bill.

 

 

Travel claims

A travel claim must be completed immediately after returning. Requests for reimbursement that are more than three months old will not be considered for reimbursement.
All supporting documents to your travel claim must be attached to Primula including the digital approval from the project owner, see attached PDF.

Template approval travel expense claim

Original paper receipts are to be given to your contact at the Administrative division for archiving purposes. Digital documentation need not be printed.
Travel invoices including documentation and approval received prior the 5th of the month are paid on salary the same month
Each travel claim is a separate case, and must be complete without reference to previous claims.

A complete travel claim contains:

 

  • Digital approval from the project owner (see PDF template which must be correctly filled)
    Template approval travel expense claim
  • Complete information about Department (402) and Project Number is required. 
  • The travel itinerary from Amex GBT or similar documentation, e.g. boarding passes and/or tickets, that confirm that the trip was made and the date of the trip
  • The purpose should be clearly stated on the approval form (see PDF). The purpose can also be stated in Primula under tap Complete -> Add messages. The same purpose shall also be stated for any supplier invoice connected to the travel claim.
    Template approval travel expense claim
  • Supporting documents for expenses, e.g. receipts, bank statements or similar that confirm that the claimed expense was made by the claimant.
    • Original paper receipts are attached to Primula print out by tape
    • If a receipt is difficult to read, an explanatory text shall be written alongside.
    • Digital receipts/digital supporting documents need never to be printed
  • Travel claims connected to EU-projects also require a travel journal. N.B. foreign VAT is never deductible and shall therefore be reported separately. For question, please contact reserakning.utlagg@fysik.su.se

There is a manual on the university's website (https://hrinfo.pa.su.se/minsida.pdf) with detailed instructions. The online-form also has help-icons ”?” which provide additional information.
A few additional clarifications, such as regarding costing, are given below:

Costing/signing
If you have the project number, the costing tool can be used to obtain the full costing information, which includes information as to who needs to sign the travel claim. Project numbers can be obtained from the project owner/supervisor.

You must give full costing information. Fill in the lines:

  • Dep:t (department number, i.e., 402 for Fysikum/Department of Physics)
  • Project (the project number which will be charged)

Per diem

The per diem is supposed to cover the increased living expenses incurred during a business trip, such as meals, local travel, and additional minor expenses.

The basic rule is that the full per diem will be paid. The size of the per diem is regulated by the Swedish Tax Agency. The per diem is determined based on the travel times that you entered into the travel claim (which must match the times in your travel plan). The per diem is reduced if you have not paid for all your meals yourself. Furthermore, if you have not requested compensation for costs related to accommodation, a nightly per diem can be added - click the "Private overnight stay" box to fill in the details.

Meal deduction

If you have paid for all meals yourself, click the box "all meals paid by the traveller". If not, you have to specify which meals have been paid by someone else; click on "Meals".

Guideline for meals (278 Kb)

Interuption in travel

If you did not work on certain days during the trip, e.g. holiday, sick leave or other reasons, these must be indicated in the form. Note that holidays and other leaves must be requested (and approved) in the usual way.

  • For breaks which last the entire day, e.g., holiday, then these times must be entered as 06:00 to 23:59
  • Breaks cannot be made on the days of departure and return
  • Costs incurred during these breaks will not reimbursed

Outlay/expense

  • Each receipt shall be reported separately as a separate cost item ("new line") in Primula
  • Tipping within Sweden is not compensated
  • Only Swedish VAT shall be reported (please note that for EU/ERC projects, specific accounting principles apply)
  • The exchange rate for each cost item/receipt must be shown with e.g. exchange-rate receipt or bank statement
  • If the hotel receipt contains items for meals (e.g. breakfast) these shall be deleted, and the cost subtracted from the total amount claimed (SU does not directly compensate for meals, as these costs come from the per diem)

Add messages

In some cases, clarifications may be required, such as: if hotel costs refer to other people than the traveler; whether the expenses are related to any kind of contract/agreement; costs for temporary mobile subscriptions, etc. Use the Add message box in the travel claim form in Primula to motivate and clarify the issues, and attach all relevant documents to your travel claim.

 

 

When registering, the amount and any VAT must be indicated by selecting the appropriate % rate. If no VAT is indicated, select only health care. In the case of direct debit, no VAT should be deducted, but select only wellness. Please note that the payment date must be the 25th and it is important to specify the type of health care. You need to have been employed during the whole year to be entitled to the maximum amount of 3000 SEK.
Original paper receipts, after being scanned into the Primula file, should be attached to the Primula printout and sent to the Physics administration department for archiving. Please note that digital receipts are not printed out but are only attached to the file.

Information about health care on the Stockholm University website (Opens in new window)

 

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