Travel-Related Dependent Care

In limited circumstances, UCSF employees may be eligible for reimbursement of dependent travel expenses directly associated with official University business travel. Additional dependent care costs that exceed regular expenses incurred because the employee is traveling on official University business may also be reimbursed in limited circumstances.

To be eligible for reimbursement, the expenses must meet all the following criteria:

• Be incurred as a direct result of and occur during the UCSF employee’s official business travel
• Be consistent with the University of California G-28 travel policy
• Be temporary costs that are above and beyond the employee’s usual expenses for dependent care

Reimbursement for the employee’s dependent travel and travel-related dependent care may be requested for a spouse, domestic partner, dependent-care provider, and dependents in the following scenarios:

• While an employee is on travel status for official University business
• A prospective employee for a faculty or high-level administrative position is visiting UCSF for final interviews

The traveler should clearly demonstrate a genuine need that would significantly hinder their professional or academic development and advancement if reimbursement is not provided, and when there are no viable alternatives available.

Pre-approval from the employee’s department and/or control point must be obtained before any travel-related dependent care and dependent travel costs are incurred. It is the responsibility of the employee and the employee’s department to obtain and retain the records of the pre-approval before incurring costs.

Expense reports submitted to request reimbursement for the employee’s travel related dependent care and dependent travel must also be approved by the individuals who have authority to approve exceptional travel in each control point.

As good stewards of university resources, it is important for approvers to thoroughly review and consider these expenses before granting approvals.

Employees should consult with their departments on funding for these expenses. The employees and their departments are solely responsible to ensure all costs are allowable per any special provisions of the grant, contract, gift, or the funding agencies regulations or policies.

Travel expenses of the dependent or dependent care provider cannot be charged to either federal or state funds.

Dependent care costs that directly result from travel to a conference for a federal award are generally allowable on federal funds if the cost of dependent care is above and beyond what would normally be incurred.

Various non-state and non-federal funds controlled by the University may be used to fund a spouse, domestic partner, dependent-care provider, and dependent travel.

Examples of circumstances where dependent care expenses and dependent travel expenses may be considered for reimbursement include:

• Two UC employees with joint dependent care responsibilities are on University business (e.g., conference, meeting, training, etc.)
• An employee on University business travel has a dependent who requires 24-hour care
• Prospective faculty on the final interview needs to bring their dependent(s) to the interview

Examples of possible expenses that may be considered for reimbursement while an employee is on official University travel include:

• Additional dependent care support at home or at the travel site outside of working hours while the employee is traveling. The expenses must be above and beyond normal childcare expenses.
• Travel expenses for dependent or dependent care provider to accompany the employee on travel.
• Cost of shipping expressed breastmilk for employee’s child at home while the employee is traveling.

The above are only examples to illustrate possible scenarios and are not intended to be a comprehensive list.

Employees or their MyExpense delegates should follow the instructions below to submit MyExpense reports to obtain reimbursement. Reimbursements can only be paid directly to the employee. Expense reports should be submitted within 45 calendar days of the expense date. 

1. Log into MyAccess and click on the MyExpense link
2. From the MyExpense homepage, click + Start a Report
3. Complete the Report Header including:
   • Enter the Business Purpose: “Dependent Care”
   • Enter the SpeedType or funding chartstring information (obtain from your Department Administrator)
   • Select the Expense Type: Miscellaneous Employee Reimbursement
   • Click the Create Report button
4. Click the Add Expense button. Select the Expense Type: Authorized Dependent Care under the section 3: Misc. Employee Reimbursement
5. Enter details for the expense. Then in the Receipt section (if you do not see the section click Show Receipt link), click the Add Receipt button to attach required supporting documentation including:
   • Detailed receipt(s) showing the paid expense(s)
   • Documentation of business reason of travel showing travel dates. Documentation may include a conference flyer, meeting invitation, agenda, etc.
   • Any additional support of eligibility for the expense
   • Click the Save Expense button
6. Submit the expense report

Do not attach any confidential information in the expense report.

Reimbursements for dependent travel expenses and travel-related dependent care are taxable to the employee and will be reported as taxable income via the UCPath payroll system. 

For more MyExpense instructions, please refer to the Creating and Submitting your Expense Report guide.

For questions on navigating and accessing MyExpense, please contact Supply Chain Management’s Response Team.

• For breast milk storing or shipping expenses related to official business travel, use Milk Stork. Visit UCSF’s Milk Stork page for more information on the program
• For Back-Up Care options while traveling, visit Back-Up Care Resources
• For information on Postdoctoral Scholar types childcare reimbursements, visit the Postdoctoral Scholar Childcare Reimbursement Process
• For additional details, review UC G-28 Travel Policy.