Does your company have a travel policy?

[Tidybuoy]

I'm curious to know what other company's travel policies state - specifically are there spending limits on meals. The reason I'm asking is because I need to establish a policy for my company. We are fairly large with over 25 manufacturing plants, and I can't believe we don't have a policy.

Recently, one of my employees turned in an expense report for a training class she attended. She paid for lunch and dinner for two people and turned in $160 for dinner and $125 for lunch. This was in Chicago and the receipt did not include any details - just the signature page with total amount.

My corporate office rejected the amounts. We do not have regular travelers in my plant and so I need to establish a policy so that everyone knows in advance what is expected. At a former company, we had spending limits for "big City" vs small, but it's been a long time, so I am hoping to hear what other companies are currently doing.

Thanks!

[masraum]

It's been a few years since I traveled, but the last time that I did travel, I think it was $50 or $75/day for one person. You have to turn in receipts. For small amounts, I don't think anyone would complain about it just being the CC receipt showing the tip and total, but for larger amounts, they'd probably require an itemized receipt.

They have more stringent rules on if the meal includes multiple people, alcoholic drinks, listing everyone included, getting pre-approval, etc....

I think the daily amount has gone up to $100/day now.

[id10t]

When we are out of area - even driving to another college 35 minutes away - we get a per diem for each meal. I typically turn a profit since there is no accounting other than meal times on first/last days ( out before 7 to get breakfast paid when leaving and in after 6pm to get dinner on return day) it hust gets added to my next paycheck

[Seahawk]

For government contracts, including DoD, the GSA schedule rules:

https://www.gsa.gov/travel/plan-book/per-diem-rates

We generally use the GSA schedule for engineering and others since it helps with our DCMA audits...we will pay actual costs when needed but they are very proscribed in terms of amounts, including buying food and libations for others...

[Ayles]

I haven't traveled for bit either, in my last role it was a $125 per diem (which seemed extremely fair at the time). If you hosted a lunch the senior member in attendance had to be the one covering. I once used my corp amex to pay for my boss's lunch and it was a huge pain to resolve.

We used an expense website and had to turn in/scan itemized receipts in order to get our amex balances paid.

I think almost $300 for a day as stated above is a pretty big outing and you are probably reimbursing for alcohol... Which, my last company would reimburse if you had a beer with dinner. But beyond that I would never put more than one on the company card.

[mjohnson]

Originally Posted by Seahawk

For government contracts, including DoD, the GSA schedule rules:

https://www.gsa.gov/travel/plan-book/per-diem-rates

We generally use the GSA schedule for engineering and others since it helps with our DCMA audits...we will pay actual costs when needed but they are very proscribed in terms of amounts, including buying food and libations for others...

Like seahawk and many others, I've lived under that system. It is very reasonable, and in some places like big cities, actually really good as it is location-based (gsa.gov) - the price seems to be set by three normal meals at restaurants and in reality who of us actually get "three squares" when on travel? The typical HI Express/Residence Inn breakfast was not considered in the math but meals included as part of the work (and on the agenda) were deducted.

Our operation (FFRDC under DoE) simply gave you the M&IE regardless of if you used it. Of course, any overpayment would be income and should be reported (contact your tax critter). From my experience at least, I was certain to use up all of my per diem.

As fed contractors (and not congress or the supreme court) we were, in writing and we actually stuck to it, very limited in receiving or granting freebies. I was never in the orbit of expensing meals for visitors but I'm sure it could be done.

A non-gubm't business could just cut-n-paste for a pretty straightforward system. It's simple and would probably keep any auditors satisfied.

[Bill Douglas]

At my last job at Unilever, they disapproved of me buying a whole bottle of wine with my dinner. I was fine with that so had about five or six glasses instead.

[Arizona_928]

State and federal per diem is a fun one. Now i just have a gsa travel card…

Tips are often not included, need an itemized receipt, etc. when it was on the state’s dime.

[Tim Hancock]

I don't too much, but our electrical engineers and our service dept travels often.

We use a per diem type system that I believe is similar to the govt.

We don't have to turn in receipts for overnight lodging, meals or mileage. We just fill out a form and get paid $150 for overnight lodging, $64/day food (reduced for less than 24hrs) and currently $0.67/mile if we drive our own car.

Anything else like airfare, tolls, parking or entertainment of customers requires a receipt and is reimbursed for exact amount.

There are separate higher rates when traveling in "high cost" areas like big cities or overseas.

This works out pretty good as the younger folks can pocket some quick extra money when on the road if they choose to stay in cheap hotels and eat PB&J sandwiches for lunch. It also keeps folks from going crazy with fancy hotels and fancy dining that used to get charged to our company prior to adapting the per diem system.

I always choose to drive my old high mileage cars and I rarely spend much money on fancy dining when on the road so I typically make out ok in regard to my expense checks. That said, I don't stay in crap hotels anymore so I don't typically make out in that regard.

To help encourage "going on the road" for engineering supervision, installs or start ups some of our depts also get a $100/night extra travel "stipend".

I hate traveling for work as it often involves long days in a UAW auto plant, but new young hires can supplement their income nicely by going on the road.

[Rick Lee]

I've worked places that just mirrored the GSA guidelines and I worked for a German company that would figure the per diem for the amount of time on the road and advance me via direct deposit, no receipts required and I was on my own for anything over. This was especially nice when traveling with bosses who often put everyone's meals on their own tab and we got to keep the per diem.

[1990C4S]

Make life easy for everyone. Have clearly defined per diems (I think ours is $12, $14, and $24 right now) with defined claiming rules. Do you get the breakfast per diem if the hotel has free food? What time do you need to leave home to qualify for the breakfast per diem? How late do you need to be home to claim dinner etc. If your boss pays for dinner and expenses it, do you still get the allowance? Etc.

It seems like overkill. Until people start arguing about it.

No one wants to claim exact amounts by using receipts.

[David]

Ours is $125 per day (used to be 25/25/60 B/L/D) but it's not like they fire you if you exceed it and if a customer is involved or some other reasonable excuse, we can go over.

Also no receipt needed if under $75 for any expense unless cash reimbursement for over $25

[wildthing]

Individual meals are capped at $100 per day within the US and CA. I think it's $150 in UKI and EU. It might be $75 or $100 RoW.

Meals & Entertainment with clients and partners is a different limit.

[MBAtarga]

My employer uses around $125/diem for food. Meal costs have to be itemized, but receipts not needed for meals <$25. Hotel and rental cars are handled off a website so price restrictions apply to them. I usually stay at hotels that include breakfast - so I can spend more on dinner/alcohol

[Alan A]

It’s $125 a day. No receipts for meals under $20 iirc.

Meals with clients or co-workers that you pay for assessed differently - requires names and titles. The amount of grief you get depends on the per capita cost, the reason (client meals are easier to get through unquestioned) and how senior you are.

I try to avoid traveling - hate filling in the forms.

[red-beard]

Originally Posted by mjohnson

Like seahawk and many others, I've lived under that system. It is very reasonable, and in some places like big cities, actually really good as it is location-based (gsa.gov) - the price seems to be set by three normal meals at restaurants and in reality who of us actually get "three squares" when on travel? The typical HI Express/Residence Inn breakfast was not considered in the math but meals included as part of the work (and on the agenda) were deducted.

Our operation (FFRDC under DoE) simply gave you the M&IE regardless of if you used it. Of course, any overpayment would be income and should be reported (contact your tax critter). From my experience at least, I was certain to use up all of my per diem.

As fed contractors (and not congress or the supreme court) we were, in writing and we actually stuck to it, very limited in receiving or granting freebies. I was never in the orbit of expensing meals for visitors but I'm sure it could be done.

A non-gubm't business could just cut-n-paste for a pretty straightforward system. It's simple and would probably keep any auditors satisfied.

The only problem is that business travelers rarely get the hotel rates that federal employees are offered.

I travel to Boise ID a lot. The government rate is $165/night. For most hotels, good luck getting that rate. A business that adopts the GSA rates would have a problem getting the employees into decent hotels

[930addict]

If the event was out of town we would get paid a set amount for breakfast lunch and dinner. We didn't need to turn in any receipts for food it just showed up in our next check. It was up to us to stay below or at that limit and I usually came out ahead. We would need to turn in receipts for travel expenses like Uber to and from hotel to job site etc. Of course the company always took care of the lodging and airfare arrangements. We were able to use our preferred airline and even use our frequent flier miles. I recall also having a say in the hotel choice/location. They did not reimburse for tips for housekeeping.

[mjohnson]

Originally Posted by red-beard

The only problem is that business travelers rarely get the hotel rates that federal employees are offered.

I travel to Boise ID a lot. The government rate is $165/night. For most hotels, good luck getting that rate. A business that adopts the GSA rates would have a problem getting the employees into decent hotels

Yes to that bit of reality. There is a GSA rate for every specific city above the general CONUS but hotels certainly aren't required to offer that rate.

I'm not sure of a solution beyond the "smell test". Done reasonably and ethically - that's fine but often those two conditions don't completely apply. Humans gonna' human...

[mjohnson]

Originally Posted by 930addict

If the event was out of town we would get paid a set amount for breakfast lunch and dinner. We didn't need to turn in any receipts for food it just showed up in our next check. It was up to us to stay below or at that limit and I usually came out ahead. We would need to turn in receipts for travel expenses like Uber to and from hotel to job site etc. Of course the company always took care of the lodging and airfare arrangements. We were able to use our preferred airline and even use our frequent flier miles. I recall also having a say in the hotel choice/location. They did not reimburse for tips for housekeeping.

This.

Our org simplified to receipts only for car, car gas, airfare, hotel and misc reimbursable > $75. Someone finally figured out that chasing and accounting for every receipt wasn't worth the time. We did have to use our own credit card for all charges but air and hotel was all done through a central system. If you chose to go over the limit you'd pay the difference for rooms and get only the lowest fare quote in the system on the day you bought the tix.

It worked far more simply and efficiently than I would have expected from a joint who's motto should be "Making the Simple Nearly Impossible since 1943"

[Seahawk]

Originally Posted by mjohnson

Yes to that bit of reality. There is a GSA rate for every specific city above the general CONUS but hotels certainly aren't required to offer that rate.

I'm not sure of a solution beyond the "smell test". Done reasonably and ethically - that's fine but often those two conditions don't completely apply. Humans gonna' human...

We will pay actuals between GSA and hotel reality costs but it has to, on government contracts, come out of a different pool of money.

I am in the process of bidding a contract with Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA) this week...all our travel, etc. is directed in the RFP to GSA schedules: We would be non-compliant if we did not cite those rates.

That said, travel should not cost our folks money so we make the required adjustments in B&P dollars, G&A, etc. In terms of paying for "dinner and drinks", we always discuss in advance...there are rules there as well