Departments » Project Management » Resources » Traveling for Work

Expense Reimbursement

Excerpt below taken from the Vision Internet Employee Handbook, page 27-29

The Company will reimburse employees for reasonable expenses incurred for business purposes including, but not limited to, meals, lodging, and transportation. Management expects employees to treat company resources as their own and use good judgment if not explicitly outlined below. All business travel deviating from this Expense Reimbursement Section must be approved in advance by your supervisor. Expenses out of the ordinary or not in compliance with the following may be questioned. All business purchases unrelated to travel must be approved in advance by your supervisor or the Vice-President of Finance.

Employees should make all travel arrangements directly with the airline, hotel, or transportation provider after comparing prices through Expedia, Kayak, or a comparable travel site. Employees must attach a printout or screen shot of the price comparison with the expense reimbursement report.

You must submit to Finance and Administration any expense reimbursement reports before the 15th of the month following the month the expense was incurred. Reports should be approved by your supervisor and need to include
receipts and price comparisons for air travel and lodging.

I. Air Travel

If the airfare exceeds $500, you must first obtain approval from your supervisor before booking a flight. Employees must fly non-refundable coach or economy, and are encouraged to select connecting flight options, unless a nonstop
flight is available for less than an incremental $75.

Employees booking their own travel arrangements should book travel 14 21 days in advance to ensure best pricing. If there are less than 14 days remaining before your desired travel date, you must first obtain approval from your supervisor before booking a flight.

II. Ground Transportation

For transportation, reserve a rental car if it is less expensive than driving your own car. Vehicles owned, leased, or rented by Vision may not be used for personal use without prior approval.

A. Rental Car Policy

  • Employees are expected to rent economy or compact class cars.
  • Use the company's negotiated rate with Enterprise Rent-A-CarTM when less expensive options are not available. Our EnterpriseTM Company/Corporate ID number is "32C6366", and the password is "VIS".
  • In addition to Vision Internet, all employees who will drive the rental car
    must be listed on the rental agreement.
  • Legitimate rental car costs include daily rental fees, local and state taxes, concession fees, mileage fees and drop-off fees. Non-reimbursable costs include, but are not limited to, unnecessary upgrades, car repairs, tickets
    and fines.
  • Employees are expected to replenish fuel prior to returning the car rental.
  • The Company insurance policy covers employees while traveling, therefore, decline the optional insurance coverage.

B. Personal Car Policy

  • Employees are only authorized to use their personal car if they have both mobile insurance, including liability. If not, the employee is not authorized to drive his or her personal car for the Company.
  • The Company will reimburse for mileage in excess of the employee's normal commute. If the employee goes directly from home to another work assignment other than the regular work location, and the distance to the work assignment is greater than the distance to the regular work location, the employee can report the difference on his or her expense report. When an employee uses his or her personal car on approved company business, the company will pay the then-current IRS-published rate per mile (currently .575 cents per mile as of January 2015). The company will reimburse for actual tolls when absolutely necessary but the employee assumes the responsibility for all parking and traffic fines.
  • If an employee chooses to drive their personal car when the cost of using a rental car is less, the maximum mileage reimbursement will be equivalent to what the rental car would have cost. Any exceptions must
    be approved by your supervisor in advance.
  • In order to receive full reimbursement for mileage, the employee must submit a direction print out or screen shot from Google Maps, mapquest, or a similar online mapping system with the expense report.

III. Lodging

When booking your hotel, use a rate that is comparable to a Holiday Inn Express in your destination. Employees must book with the best rate, which may be AAA, state government rate, etc. If you do not see that information online, you may need to call the hotel directly.

IV. Miscellaneous Meals, Taxi, Tips, Shuttles

The Company will also reimburse the following expenses.
  • Fares for shuttle or airport bus service, where available; costs of public transportation for other ground travel.
  • Taxi fares, only when there is no less expensive alternative.
  • Cost of meals up to $40 per day.
  • Tips not exceeding 15% of the total cost of a meal or 10% of a taxi fare.
  • Employees who are involved in an accident while traveling on business must promptly report the incident to their immediate supervisor.
  • Abuse of this business travel expenses policy, including falsifying expense reports to reflect costs not incurred by the employee, can be grounds for disciplinary action, up to and including termination of employment.

Documentation