Cognitive Science > About > Room and Travel Resources > Purchase Method Guide

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The below information is meant to help guide department members on the preferred method of purchase for common business expenses in the Department of Cognitive Science. Regardless of payment method, all receipts and tickets should be saved and turned over to department staff. Contact Sue Potterfield for help initiating a purchase or to answer questions.

Grad Students and postdocs should have written faculty approval to use funds before initiating a business purchase. PhD students in particular have a specific approval procedure to follow.

Paying for Travel

Air, Rail, Lodging: There are several booking/payment options. JHU expects business travel to be booked using its managed travel program (Options 1 – 3). Discounts with preferred suppliers are built into Concur and TripLink. Reminder: Air travel conducted on sponsored (grant/fellowship) funds must be on American Flag carriers, even if more expensive. Also see FAA Policy.

  1. Book on Concur using a personal credit card, then request reimbursement from the department. Pre-trip reimbursements are allowed when you use Concur. They must adhere to the “60 day rule.”
  2. Book on Concur using our travel ‘ghost card’. The WTI travel agency will act as an intermediary. This method can significantly offset your out-of-pocket travel expenses.
    • Complete an online Guest/Group Request form. If appropriate, identify an advisor, PI, or staff as your Travel Arranger so they are copied on agency emails and itineraries. Depending on how much help you want from the agency, you can be very broad or very specific about your preferred travel options in the form. Tip: They can book lodging in conference room blocks if you give them the requisite information. Contact staff for help with the billing information.
    • Department staff will review the request.
    • If approved, a WTI agent will be in touch with options or a proposed itinerary. They will book it once you confirm your selections.
    • Air and rail tickets will typically be charged right away with email confirmation. Lodging is often charged after the trip; please collect hotel folios before returning home.
  3. Book external to Concur using TripLink. TripLink’s partner suppliers can auto-sync to your Concur account. If a vendor is also a Hopkins preferred supplier, you will see JHU rates and discounts on the external provider’s website. TripLink is part of Hopkin’s managed travel program. These expenses can be reimbursed before your trip. You must first configure the My Travel Network section of your Concur profile to use TripLink capabilities.
  4. Book external to Concur, not using TripLink. This is the least preferred option. These expenses cannot be reimbursed prior to travel. Be contentious of your purchase date so you can submit the reimbursable expense after your trip and still meet the “60 day rule.”

Ground Travel: This typically includes taxis/ride-shares, personal vehicle mileage, tolls, parking fees, buses, metros, etc. All must be paid out-of-pocket and reimbursed after your trip. It can also include rental cars, although that is a less common mode of business travel. (Read JHU policy on rental cars.) Please price compare and choose the most reasonable option for your travel destination.

Membership & Conference Fees: These are non-travel expenses. It is strongly preferred that you charge a departmental P-Card to avoid unnecessary out-of-pocket expenses. Alternatively, these fees may be purchased using a personal credit card and reimbursed. Department members should make these purchases as early to take advantage of the best possible rates. Sponsored (grant/fellowship) funds cannot pay for memberships.

MTurk/Prolific: Do not set up an individual account to purchase services from Mechanical Turk, Prolific, or other similar services. You must use a department account and P-Card.

Preferred Suppliers: JHU has partnerships with airlines, hotels (incl. AirBnB), rail (Amtrak), ground transport (Lyft, FreedomCar), rental car agencies (Enterprise), and parking facilities (FastPark) with whom they have negotiated rates. Rates are built into Concur and TripLink. Booking externally, you still may be able to leverage a few partnerships by following prescribed instructions.

Research Subject Payments: There is specific procedure. Please consult staff. Also see “MTurk/Prolific” section.

Research & Office Supplies: Generally, research purchases should be paid directly to the vendor rather than paid out-of-pocket with intent to seek reimbursement; the Purchasing Office provides a variety of means.

Sales Tax: The University does not reimburse for sales tax on purchases of goods in states (including Maryland) where the University has a sales tax exemption. This will come up most often for out-of-pocket business meal and retail purchases. Request a sales tax certificate before making a reimbursable purchase.

Reimbursement Procedure

All reimbursements are processed through Concur Expense and must be submitted in Concur within 60 days of the transaction date or the reimbursement becomes taxable income. Pre-trip reimbursements are allowed only for purchases made using a Johns Hopkins managed travel program (Concur, TripLink). All other reimbursable travel expenses must be submitted after the trip.

First, before seeking reimbursement, ensure that the responsible staff person has Delegate Access to your expense reports. Then, follow the relevant procedure below.

  • Faculty: Complete a CogSci Reimbursement Form, gather all receipts and documentation, then email them to Sue Potterfield.
  • Students & Postdocs: Create a Concur Expense Report and upload all receipts. (See Concur ‘how-to’ help.) Fill out the expense report general information. Use the earliest and latest transaction dates for the start and end dates. If you do not know the budget information, skip it. Upload and attach each individual receipt to the report. Do not submit the report. Notify Sue Potterfield (your Delegate) the report is ready for review. Relay any details about the expenses that may not be clear in the report (ex: split lodging expense with someone, use multiple funding sources, etc.). The Delegate will fix any errors, clear up questions/concerns, input billing information, then submit on your behalf.
    Note: If you miss the 60-day deadline, your reimbursement becomes taxable. Late expenses must be submitted to Sue Potterfield accompanied by a Reimbursement Form.

updated 12/28/21