Concur Travel

NOTE: Only trained and onboarded departments should be using Concur.
The Concur Project Team is training the campus community in phases. If you have not been trained on Concur, please continue to use the pre-existing travel process

 

Welcome to Cal State LA’s Concur Travel resource center. Here you can find the latest updates, access comprehensive training materials, and learn more about how Concur is helping to streamline our campus travel process.

Concur Overview

Concur is a comprehensive web-based tool that integrates travel request and expense reporting with a complete travel booking solution for CSU faculty and staff. All CSU campuses are transitioning to Concur to streamline paperwork for travel, shorten approval/review times, and improve audit/payment cycles. Concur also offers the SAP Concur Mobile App to manage expenses and business travel on a mobile device and/or tablet.

Highlighted benefits include:

  • Streamlined travel and expense experience, including convenient booking options directly within Concur.
  • Improved visibility of travel expense and approval status.
  • Easier receipt capture and documentation.
  • Seamless transition between desktop and mobile app experience.
  • Email notifications and reminders of submissions and approvals.
  • Built-in automated features for travel policy compliance, CSU and campus specific policies, mileage calculation, currency conversion, and more.

Updates

Please be aware of the following important updates:

  • Effective August 19th, 2024:
    • One-Stop Travel Services will no longer accept RFTs outside of Concur for faculty, staff, and group domestic travel.
    • All new domestic travel requests and subsequent expense reports should be submitted through Concur.
    • Direct travel bookings with One-Stop will be limited, with additional booking options available through Concur.
  • Transitioning to Concur: The Division of Administration & Finance has worked with campus departments and colleges over the past year to implement Concur for processing domestic travel requests and expense claims. International travel will be included in the upcoming Concur implementation phase. Non-employee travel, including individual student travel, will continue to follow the traditional RFT/TEC process.
  • Zoom Office Hours: Starting Friday, August 9th, Travel Services will host Zoom office hours for Concur travel inquiries every other Friday from 10:30 AM to 12 PM. An online sign-up form will soon be made available.
  • Booking & Payment Options: Travelers can book their own travel through Concur once their travel request has been approved.
  • Cash Advances: Early reimbursement of expenses and individual cash advances for travel are no longer offered. Cash advances will only be issued for group travel and exceptional cases. Group leaders (faculty/staff) seeking a cash advance should complete the Cash Advance Setup Form before submitting a travel request in Concur.
  • Submission Timelines: The approved domestic travel request should reach Travel Services at least 10 business days before the trip start date. Submit all expense reports as soon as possible, and no later than 60 calendar days after the trip end date.
  • Effective January 1, 2024, the CSU travel policy has changed to location-based per diem for domestic meals & incidental expenses (M&IE) to comply with federal guidelines. Concur has been configured for location-based M&IE per diem and the rates are automatically updated. To learn more, please use the link below.

Help & Training Resources

Tutorial Videos

PDF GUIDE

Tutorial Videos

 

Ways to Book Your Travel

 

Can I book through Concur?

Can I book outside of Concur?

Flight

Yes, recommended since charged directly to department

Yes

Hotel

Yes

Yes, recommended if using conference group rate

Car Rental

Yes, recommended since contracted CSU rates already incorporated

Only by directly contacting One-Stop/Service Center

Registration Fee

No

Yes

 

Ways to Pay for Your Travel

 

Personal Card*

GET Card

P-Card

Charged directly to dept via Concur

Registration Fee Yes Yes Yes No

Flight

Yes

Yes

No

Yes, recommended

Hotel

Yes

Yes

No

No

Car Rental

Yes

Yes

No

No

Meals & Incidentals

Yes

Yes

No

No

*If using a personal card, you will be reimbursed after returning from travel once your expense report has been processed

PDF GUIDE

Tutorial Videos

 

Pro Tip 1: Learn how to add your meals & incidentals to your Concur expense report: Concur Expense Report Guide to Location-Based Per Diem

Pro Tip 2: Review your Expense Report Checklist prior to submitting your Concur expense report.

Pro Tip 3: Sign up for direct deposit for employee reimbursement instead of receiving a physical check. You can initiate this request by emailing One-Stop Financial Services at [email protected]

PDF GUIDE

Tutorial Videos

 

Pro Tip: Check your junk mail if you are not seeing email notifications regarding Concur approval requests. Note that an Approver must approve or send back a Concur travel request within 10 calendar days of receiving the request for approval. If an Approver does not act on the travel request within this timeframe, the request will be automatically forwarded to the Approver’s direct supervisor for approval, according to HR.

You can view where your travel request or expense report is pending in the approval workflow.

For pending Travel Requests: Go to Requests > Click on your active request > Request Details > Request Timeline

For pending Expense Reports: Go to Expenses > Click on your active request > Expense Details > Expense Timeline

Contact your Resource Manager if you are interested in applying for a GET Card.

PDF GUIDE

If you are a group leader traveling with students and are seeking a cash advance, please complete the Cash Advance Setup Form prior to submitting a travel request in Concur. Cash advances will only be issued for group travel and exceptional cases.

PDF GUIDE

Note that cash distributed to students by the group leader must be acknowledged in writing at the time of receipt. Don't have a solution to obtain signatures? Download the Advance Signature Sheet for Student Group Travel.

Check out our regularly updated FAQ for answers to frequently asked questions.

For a more comprehensive review of Concur functionality, check out the CSU systemwide user guide for Concur. Note that Cal State LA is not processing international travel through Concur at this time.

Contact Us

Can’t find what you’re looking for? Contact One-Stop Financial Services for all your travel-related needs.

  • Phone: 323-343-5430
  • Email: [email protected]
  • Address:
    One-Stop Financial Services
    Student Services Building, Room 2380
    5151 State University Dr. Los Angeles, CA 90032-8524