TERRA STATE COMMUNITY COLLEGE Fremont, OH POLICIES AND PROCEDURES

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1 THE COLLEGE SHALL ESTABLISH A TRAVEL REIMBURSEMENT POLICY FOR EMPLOYEES WHO ARE CONDUCTING OFFICIAL AND NECESSARY COLLEGE BUSINESS WHILE TRAVELING. Travel Expense Reimbursement Procedures Allowable transportation expenses consist of those direct expenditures made by employees in meeting their actual, necessary, and reasonable expenses while traveling on official college business. These expenses shall be reimbursed subject to the limitations as set forth below. A. Required Documentation 1. IN-STATE TRAVEL: Prior to making any travel arrangements, employees must receive pre-approval from their direct supervisor and budget manager if not the same person. 2. OUT-OF-STATE TRAVEL: Prior to making any travel arrangements, employees must receive pre-approval from their direct supervisor and budget manager if not the same person. The Travel Request form details all estimated costs involved with attending the conference. Use of this form for travel not requiring an overnight stay is at the discretion of the supervisor/budget manager. 3. When submitting the travel reimbursement form, the following documents are required: a. Signed travel pre-approval form with required documentation (copy of conference registration brochure, airfare quotation/invoice, etc.). b. Original receipts for all expenses (except meals) are required. B. Mileage Reimbursement 1. Travel by privately-owned vehicle is authorized only if the employee is insured under a policy of liability insurance in compliance with the laws of the state of Ohio. If leaving from Fremont, every effort should be made to use one of the college s vehicles for the trip. Page 1

2 2. Reimbursement for travel by privately-owned vehicle shall be made to the owner of the vehicle at the Internal Revenue Service reimbursement rate for miles driven as of July 1 st of the current fiscal year. 3. A mileage radius shall be used for mileage reimbursement from Fremont to certain cities, airports and colleges in Ohio according to the chart below. For destinations not covered in the radius, actual mileage shall be used. If actual mileage is not known, Mapquest.com distances shall be the standard measure. Mileage is reimbursable from the college to the destination or from home to the destination, whichever is shorter. Mileage reimbursement to and from the various airports and colleges listed shall not exceed the stated rates. Mileage reimbursement to the various cities can vary but any deviation must be supported with justification for the variance. City Center (Round Trip) Cincinnati Cleveland Columbus Dayton Port Clinton Toledo 410 Miles 200 Miles 210 Miles 290 Miles 32 Miles 60 Miles Airport (Round Trip) Cleveland Airport Columbus Airport Toledo Airport Detroit Airport 170 Miles 216 Miles 110 Miles 170 Miles Colleges (Round Trip) BGSU Clark State Columbus State Lorain CC North Central Northwest State Ohio State 64 Miles 320 Miles 210 Miles 130 Miles 126 Miles 150 Miles 208 Miles Page 2

3 Owens CC Sinclair Univ. Toledo 60 Miles 290 Miles 92 Miles 4. When traveling by car for a one day trip exceeding 100 miles, the use of a rental car may be more economical. Check with the Financial Services department for guidance on car rental arrangements. 5. Mileage reimbursement for travel within the city of Fremont shall be allowed and reimbursed at the actual mileage as long as the employee is conducting required official college business such as recruitment and calling on business and industry. Mileage will not be reimbursed for trips made to and from lunch to discuss business issues or the occasional drive to pick up office supplies. 6. Employees who are hired to teach or provide service solely at an off-campus location shall not be reimbursed for mileage to and from this alternative work site. 7. Employees seeking reimbursement for travel within the city of Fremont or to off-campus locations shall submit a monthly travel report. This report shall be held by the employee and submitted for reimbursement at the end of each month. All other mileage reimbursement shall be documented on the travel reimbursement form along with the other expenses associated with the travel. C. Allowable Meal and Incidental Expense (M&IE) Reimbursements 1. Traveling on Official College Business a. Meal reimbursement is allowed only for travel requiring an overnight stay and/or off-campus, all day training sessions. Appropriate documentation (itemized expense report, stated business purpose, agenda, conference information, amounts, and dates) is required. Meal reimbursement, including tax and gratuities, will be made after the trip is completed, and receipts are not required. Meal reimbursement is based on the prevailing IRS per diem regulations, and can be found this way: Go the GSA.gov website Type GSA per diem in the search box Page 3

4 Choose Per diem rates lookup. Enter your destination city and state to see the Meals & Incidental Expense value, which is the per diem total allowance for your destination Click on the link Meals & Inc. Exp. and refer to the column headed by the value of your destination s M&IE total allowance for the allowances for breakfast, lunch, and dinner Meals for partial day travel will be reimbursed according to the corresponding meal values in the GSA per diem M&IE column for your destination. Consideration will be made for travel and waittime spent at a transportation terminal. Departure Day Return Day 12:00 AM - 8:59 AM Breakfast, lunch, dinner None 9:00 AM - 12:59 PM Lunch, dinner Breakfast 1:00 PM - 6:59 PM Dinner Breakfast, lunch 7:00 PM - 11:59 PM None Breakfast, lunch, dinner b. If one person pays for another person's meals thereby claiming double the per diem rate, justification must be noted on the reimbursement request and the budget codes must be itemized. c. Employees shall not be reimbursed for any meals that are included in the cost of a conference registration fee unless justification is provided on the travel reimbursement form. The daily rate will be adjusted accordingly to the value of those meals that are not included in the conference registration fee. This includes requesting reimbursement for choosing to purchase a meal rather than eating a meal included in the registration fee as well as choosing to leave the conference early and purchase a meal that would have been included in the registration fee had the employee stayed for the entire conference. The meal reimbursement will be reduced according to the corresponding meal values in the GSA per diem M&IE column for your destination. d. Employees can be reimbursed for expenses incurred for optional events sponsored by the conference as long as a meal is included in the cost. e. Employees shall complete the travel reimbursement form in order to be reimbursed for meals. f. Under no circumstances will employees be reimbursed for alcoholic beverages. Page 4

5 g. The college credit card shall not be used to purchase meals while on travel status (see exception for business meeting meals Section (C) (2) below). h. The college P-card should not to be used for meals. If the P-card is mistakenly used for meals the receipt must be kept and uploaded to the Fifth Third website. 2. Business Meeting Meal Reimbursement a. Business meeting meals are reimbursable only if there is at least one non-college person at the meeting. Reimbursement shall be for actual expenses up to the daily rate. Meal expenses greater than the daily rate will not be reimbursed and receipts are required. Expenses for alcoholic beverages are not reimbursable. Supporting documentation must include date, place, amount, business purpose and names of attendees. Employees shall complete a travel reimbursement form in order to be reimbursed for business meeting meals or the college credit card can be used for this expense. 3. Other Meal Reimbursement a. Reimbursement to employees who purchase meal(s) for their staff are not allowable unless the employees are required to work through lunch/dinner and cannot leave their desk. If reimbursement is approved, supporting documentation must include date, purpose, amount, and names of employees. Employees shall complete a direct pay form in order to be reimbursed. b. Reimbursement for food expenses to support an internal staff party (i.e., resignation or other special event) is not allowable. D. Lodging Reimbursement 1. In order to receive reimbursement for lodging expenses, the following criteria must be met: a. Conference must be held at least 60 miles from employee's home and begin on or before 9:00 a.m., and b. Conference must be held outside the county of the employee's residence, and Page 5

6 c. Conference must be held outside the College s service area. 2. Reimbursement for lodging expenses shall be actual and reasonable as long as the following requirements are met: a. A detailed receipt is required and only room charges, tax, parking, and allowable phone call charges (see below) shall be reimbursed. All other allowable charges, including room service (meals), shall count toward daily rates. If using a college P- card the itemized receipt must be uploaded to the Fifth Third website. b. Reimbursement shall be at the single standard room rate. Any deviation must be justified. If there is no justification for a reimbursement request for double (or more) occupancy, two-thirds of the amount requested for room and tax shall be reimbursed. c. To help define "reasonable," the following rates shall be used as a guideline: $91 /in-state; $162/out-of-state. 3. If an employee chooses to stay at a private dwelling in lieu of a hotel, that is a personal choice and no reimbursement will be made. 4. Any tips for hotel services (i.e., maid, bellhop, etc.) are included in the M&IE daily rate. 5. The college shall reimburse the cost of phone calls as follows: a. All business calls are reimbursable. These calls must be marked as "B" (Business) on the hotel bill. b. One phone call home each day within a reasonable limit (i.e., five minutes) is reimbursable. These calls must be marked as "BP" (Business/Personal) on the hotel bill. c. Any other personal calls shall not be reimbursed to the employee. 6. Many hotels have a discounted rate for "state" employees. When making reservations, request "state rates." A business card may be required to be eligible for these discounted rates. Page 6

7 7. Employees shall request reimbursement for hotel expenses on the travel reimbursement form. E. Method of Travel 1. Air travel shall be the preferred method for traveling out of state. If an employee chooses an alternative method of travel (i.e., personal or rental vehicle, train, bus, etc.), justification must be provided comparing the cost of traveling by air (including mileage to and from the airport, estimated parking, taxi, etc.) versus the alternative method (including all additional M&IE and lodging expenses). A written airfare quotation must be obtained at the time the decision is made to attend the conference. Reimbursement shall be the lower of the alternative method and airfare. A rule-of-thumb when considering an alternative method of travel shall be destinations of a maximum of 600 miles (one way). 2. Employees can book flights using the method of their choice (i.e., travel agent, on-line, or directly contacting the airline). Employees shall attempt to obtain the lowest possible fare. If the employee wants the college to be direct-billed for the cost of airfare, they should contact their budget manager and request the use of the department P-card. Otherwise, employees can use their personal credit card and request reimbursement. Expenses for any unused tickets paid with college funds shall be reimbursed by the employee. 3. Employees shall request reimbursement for transportation expenses on the travel reimbursement form. Supporting documentation shall include the itinerary/ invoice from the travel agency or an on-line confirmation sheet. If the college credit card is used, the employee shall note the cost under "Prepaid Expenses" on the travel reimbursement form. F. Parking 1. Employees are encouraged to utilize the least expensive lot when parking at an airport on a long-term basis. Reimbursement shall be approved for actual expenses. 2. Receipts for all parking expenses (airport, hotel, meeting site, etc.) are required. 3. Employees shall request reimbursement for parking expenses on the travel reimbursement form. Page 7

8 G. Car Rental 1. Requests for renting a car (versus using taxis, driving in lieu of flying, etc.) require preapproval. 2. If a rental car is pre-approved, reimbursement will not exceed the cost of a midsize/standard vehicle. Any deviation from this category must be justified or the employee shall pay the difference in cost unless the deviation is beyond the employee's control. 3. Employees shall not accept additional insurance on the rental vehicle. The college's insurance policies cover the college in the event of an accident or theft. The employee's personal insurance policies (see paragraph (A)(1) above) provide coverage for the employee in the event of an accident or theft. The college shall not reimburse additional insurance purchased by the employee. 4. Employees shall request reimbursement for rental car expenses on the travel reimbursement form. Supporting documentation must include the car rental invoice showing expenses paid in full. If the college credit card is used, the employee shall note the cost under "Prepaid Expenses" on the travel reimbursement form. H. Conference Registration Fees 1. The college will pre-pay the cost of conference registration fees exclusive of optional events (unless the event includes a meal). The employee shall submit a Travel Request Form and attach the conference registration form as documentation. 2. Employees are strongly encouraged to register early to take advantage of discounted registration, airline, and hotel rates. 3. Reimbursement for conference registration fees paid directly by the employee shall be submitted on the travel reimbursement form. Supporting documentation shall include a copy of the conference registration form. If the department P-card college credit card is used, the employee shall note the cost under "Prepaid Expenses" on the travel reimbursement form. I. Tips Page 8

9 1. Tip expenses are included in the M&IE reimbursement daily rate. Therefore, no additional tipping expenses shall be reimbursed. J. Use of Cellular Phones and other Electronic Devices while Driving 1. Safe use of the cell phone is of the utmost importance. Precautionary measures should be taken if it is necessary to use the cell phone while driving. It is suggested that the speaker phone feature be utilized or a hands-free device be purchased. Page 9

10 K. Miscellaneous Expenses 1. The following miscellaneous expenses are reimbursable: highway tolls; laundry, dry cleaning and pressing (provided the employee is on continuous travel status in excess of one week without returning home); and conference-related materials (supervisor approval required). 2. The following miscellaneous expenses are not reimbursable: optional events (except as referenced in paragraph (B)(1)(h) above); alcoholic beverages; personal membership fees; the cost of travel of family members, and the cost of personal expenses incurred when combining vacation with business travel. 3. Entertainment expenses and rental charge for in-room movies/games by an employee and any expenses incurred by an employee s family are not reimbursable. L. Grant Funded Travel 1. For all grant-funded travel reimbursement, if the sponsor s rate of reimbursement is lower than the Terra State s rate that will be the rate of reimbursement. Employees need to verify with sponsor rules and regulations. M. Ground Transportation 1. Receipts for shuttle, taxi, or other ground transportation must be included with the travel reimbursement form. N. Exceptions 1. Any exception to these procedures requires approval from the President. Page 10