SECTION
700 - FINANCE AND BUSINESS
706.05 TRAVEL REGULATIONS
INTRODUCTION
While institutions of the University System shall be
guided by general travel regulations set forth in Business Procedures Manual, Volume I, Revised, these
policies incorporate certain specific regulations and limitations particular to
the employees of Georgia Perimeter College.
In requiring certain of its employees to travel in the
performance of their duties, Georgia Perimeter College will reimburse those
employees for reasonable and necessary expenses that are incurred while
traveling away from their official headquarters and places of residence. In cooperation with regulations promulgated
by the State Auditor's Office, the Office of Planning and Budget and the Board
of Regents, Georgia Perimeter College has adopted the following regulations
regarding travel of employees on official business of the University System.
TRAVEL
AUTHORIZATION
Employees required to travel in the performance of their
official duties and entitled to reimbursement for expenses incurred shall have
prior authorization from their immediate supervisor and the Comptroller's
Office for the performance of travel. A
specific authorization is required for those individuals who are required to
make occasional trips. In the case of individuals required to
travel on a regular or a continuous basis, approval may be in the form of a
standing authorization prepared each quarter. Specific authorization shall be in such form as to indicate the
itinerary, the estimated cost of travel, the mode of transportation, and the
general purpose of travel. This form must be completed with all
required approvals five working days prior to the anticipated travel.
SUBSISTENCE
(MEALS AND LODGING)
Reimbursement claims for subsistence (meals and lodging)
will be reported on a Travel Expense Statement. The date, location, and amount for each meal and lodging will be
reported. An individual taking annual
(vacation) leave while away from headquarters on official business is not
entitled to subsistence for the period of the leave. With certain exceptions, reimbursement for subsistence within a
30-mile radius (or within the county) of a person's home or residence is not
allowable.
1. Meals
Reimbursement will
be made for the actual costs of meals within certain limits. Expenses
for three meals at a rate of not more than $26.00 per day, including tax and
tips, is allowed. Charges for three
meals in excess of $26.00 per day must be explained in writing on the Travel Expense
Statement. Reimbursement of claims
for fewer than three meals per day should be evaluated in terms of the daily
limit. In normal circumstances, the
following limits shall apply:
Breakfast $ 5.00
Lunch $ 7.00
Dinner $14.00
Employees are
entitled to reimbursement for breakfast expenses if they depart prior to 6:30
a.m., and for dinner expenses if they return later than 7:30 p.m. The noon meal is not reimbursable unless
overnight lodging was incurred or unusual circumstances prevail which are
individually approved by the institution.
Meals may be reimbursed for the day of departure and return from
overnight trips subject to departure and arrival time restrictions. Receipts for meals are not required.
Reimbursement is limited to the cost of meals for the
individual employee. Reimbursement may
be allowed for meals within the 30-mile radius and for noon meals not
associated with overnight lodging, if the meals are an integral part of a
scheduled meeting and the individual is an official representative of the
institution, or if the meals are a part of a required registration fee.
2. Lodging
Reimbursement may
be made for actual lodging expenses based on reasonable rates (State,
Commercial, or Corporate rate). This
rate should be requested at the time the reservation is made. All
lodging claims must be documented by receipts.
It is expected that
reservations will be made in advance whenever practical, that minimum rate
accommodations available will be utilized, that “deluxe” hotels and motels will
be avoided, and that commercial rates will be obtained whenever possible. Many hotels and motels grant commercial
rates upon request to State employees who show identification. These rates may be exceeded, but must be
justified, if an employee stays at a higher cost motel where a meeting is held
in order to avoid excessive transportation costs between a lower cost motel and
the location of the meeting, or for the safety of the individual.
Act No. 621, passed
during the 1987 legislative session, provides that Georgia state or local
government officials or employees traveling on official business within the
State of Georgia should not be charged county or municipal excise tax on
lodging. However, sales tax should
continue to be charged since the payment of hotel or motel bills by employees
is not considered to be payment directly by warrant on state appropriated
funds. This tax exemption should be
explained at the time reservations are made.
Some difficulty may
be encountered in communicating with the hotel or motel that state employees
are exempt from the excise tax. A form
has been developed that should be presented to the hotel or motel to provide
documentation that the identified employee is on official state business and
qualified for exemption under the provisions of Act 621. It should be noted that the provisions of
this Act only apply to lodging expense incurred while traveling on official
business and that any personal lodging expense (even if incurred at the same
hotel or motel, before or after the official business related travel) would not
qualify for the exemption.
When a room is
shared with other college employees on travel status, reimbursement will be
calculated on a pro rata share of the total cost; however, when a pro rata share
of lodging cost is claimed, the expense statement must show the name or names
of the employees with whom the room is shared.
The simplest method would be for each employee to ask for a separate
bill for his/her share of the room cost.
An individual on travel status accompanied by husband, wife, or other
individual who is not an employee on travel status will only be entitled to
reimbursement at the single room rate.
Lodging expense will not be allowed for other than
overnight accommodations. Lodging
expense will not be allowed in the Atlanta area.
TRANSPORTATION
1. Vehicle
Use of common
carrier or private aircraft will be left to the discretion of the Comptroller's
Office. A traveler will be authorized
to choose between a personal vehicle, a common carrier or private aircraft only
after a careful analysis of the distance, timeliness and overall costs of a
trip have been considered.
Reimbursement for the most economical mode of transportation, consistent
with the purpose of the travel, will be authorized.
Reimbursement for
transportation expenses incurred when using personally-owned vehicles will be
at the legally authorized rate per mile for the actual number of miles traveled
in the performance of official duties.
Effective July 1, l995, the mileage rate is $.25 per mile. The
initial point of departure will be either the individual's residence or
headquarters, whichever is nearer the destination point. The
initial point of departure on weekends or holidays, however, should be the
individual's actual point of departure.
No transportation costs will be allowed between an employee's place of
residence and his official headquarters.
Reimbursement will not be allowed for expenses other than those incurred
by the employee in travel status.
Payments to friends or other individuals will not be allowed. Employees should attempt to travel together
when applicable. Actual odometer
readings will be reported; however, personal mileage will be excluded in
determining the mileage for which reimbursement may be made. Claims exceeding mileage computed by the
most direct route from the point of departure to the destination (due to field
visits, picking up passengers, etc.) must be explained on the Travel Expense
Statement.
An employee on
required College business will be reimbursed for local mileage provided these
miles are in excess of the daily commute between home and office. Reimbursement for local campus travel will
be limited to the following:
South
to North 22 South
to Gwinnett 31
South
to Central 10 Central to Gwinnett 21
Central
to North 13 North to Gwinnett 19
Claims for local
mileage must show points visited and the return location. A
point-to-point explanation is required.
The authorized
mileage rate is to include the normal expenses incurred in the operation of a
personal vehicle. In addition, parking
and toll expenses will be paid for official travel in a personal or state
vehicle. (Low-cost, long-term parking
or automobile storage should be used.) Receipts for parking and toll expenses
should be provided when possible; if not available, a written explanation must
be made on the expense statement.
Use of
commercially-leased vehicles will be left to the discretion of the
Comptroller's Office.
Commercially-leased vehicles should be obtained from the state
contracted rental agency according to the conditions of the state
contract. Employees will be reimbursed
for costs associated with official use of such vehicles.
Transportation by
common carrier will be by scheduled plane or rail. Reimbursement will be made upon presentation of an original
ticket stub, receipt, or other documentary evidence of expenditure. According to law (l978 S.B. 73, Act l369),
officials or employees traveling by commercial air carrier will not be
reimbursed for that portion of first class air fare which exceeds the amount of
the next lowest fare for the flight on which such official or employee is
traveling unless:
(A) space is not otherwise available;
(B) a licensed medical practitioner
certifies that because of a person's mental or physical condition specific air
travel arrangements are required;
(C) The Commissioner of Public Safety
certifies that specific air travel arrangements are necessary for security
reasons.
Penalties and
charges resulting from the cancellation of airline reservations (or other
travel reservations) shall be the institution's obligation if the employee's
travel has been approved in advance and the cancellation or change is made at
the direction of and for the convenience of the institution. If the cancellation or change is made for
the personal benefit of the employee, it shall be the employee's obligation to
pay the penalties and charges. However,
in the event of accidents, serious illness, or death within the employee's
immediate family, or other critical circumstances beyond the control of the
employee, the institution will be obligated to pay the penalties and charges.
Super Saver Rates -
When traveling by common carrier to conduct official State business, employees
traveling to their destination earlier than necessary and/or delaying their
return to avail the institution of reduced transportation rates may be
reimbursed subsistence for additional travel days if, in the opinion of the
appropriate authority, the amount saved in transportation costs due to the
early and/or delayed travel is greater than the amount expended in salary and
additional subsistence. Prior written approval of the appropriate
authority is required.
Limousine or taxi
service will be reimbursed between the individual's departure point and the
common carrier's departure point; between the common carrier's arrival point
and the individual's lodging or meeting place; and between the lodging and
meeting places if at different locations.
It is expected that limousine service will be utilized when available
and when arrival or departure is during daylight hours. Although receipts are not necessary for such
items of transportation, a point-to-point explanation is required for each such
item reimbursed. Baggage handling
(porterage) may be reimbursed when actually incurred in moving luggage into or
out of lodging places and common carrier.
Employees traveling
in state vehicles (from the state motor pool) should purchase gas at state
owned facilities when feasible. All
such purchases should be made with a state credit card.
Employees sharing a
ride with another state employee using either a state or personal vehicle, and
not claiming reimbursement for mileage, should indicate in the automobile record
section of the expenses statement the name of the person they rode with and the
dates of the trips. Those utilizing
state owned aircraft should also indicate such as a mode of transportation.
2. Private
Aircraft
Use of personal
aircraft (owned or leased) will be authorized only after a careful analysis of
the distance, timeliness, and overall cost factors of a trip have been
considered. Reimbursement for the most
economical mode of transportation, consistent with the purpose of the travel,
will be authorized. If a private
aircraft is used, reimbursement will be at the rate authorized for use of a
personal vehicle ($.25 per road mile) for the most direct route from the
employee's residence or headquarters to the destination point(s), whichever is
nearer.
MISCELLANEOUS
EXPENSE
Registration fees
required for participation in workshops, seminars or conferences which an
employee is directed and/or authorized to attend will be allowed when supported
by a paid receipt or copy of a check showing payment. Any part of registration fees applicable to meals will be
reported as a meal expense and not as a registration fee, if the costs can be
separately identified.
Expenses for
official telephone and telegraph messages which must be paid for by the
traveler are allowed. The expense
statement must indicate the origin of the communication, the person contacted
and justification for it. Postage
expense incurred relative to travel will be allowed.
Expenses for
stationary, supplies, and stenographic or duplicating services may be allowed
if reasonable. Any such claims should
be accompanied by a written explanation and invoice. Claims for laundry, valet
service, theater entertainment, and alcoholic beverages are not allowed and
will not be reimbursed.
REIMBURSEMENT
PROCEDURES
Responsibility for
auditing, approving, and reimbursing Travel Expense Statements is vested in the
Comptroller or his designated representative.
Georgia Perimeter College Business Office personnel will process completed
and approved travel statements in an expeditious manner. Claims will be paid
weekly whenever possible. Each Travel
Expense Statement must be approved by the employee's supervisor before
submission to the Comptroller's Office.
Forms for travel
reimbursement shall be the standard form approved for use by the University
System. All forms, Prior Approval for
Travel, Travel Expense Statement, and the Tax Exemption Certification may be
obtained from the Business Office. No
other form will be utilized.
Revised 9/15/90
Revision: “DeKalb College” replaced with “Georgia Perimeter College”
(8/2001)