In State Travel

Employee Travel Reimbursement Expenditure Rules

Hotel/Motel Expenses  - Actual lodging costs up to $115.00 per day will be reimbursed by PISD when work for the district prohibits returning home for the night.  PISD is tax exempt from hotel/motel occupancy and sales taxes.  An itemized original receipt for all lodging reimbursements is required by Accounts Payable. 

Exceptions to the $115/room are to be approved by the appropriate Associate Superintendent.

·         State Tax Exemption - If the hotel/motel is within the State of Texas, the Texas Hotel Occupancy Tax Exemption form should be completed and submitted to the hotel/motel at the time of check-in. (available at: http://www.pasadenaisd.org/Finance/Forms/Hotel.pdf).  PISD employees should not be charged the 6% state tax.  All travelers should try to ensure that hotel/motel personnel remove such taxes from the bills.  In the event that the hotel/motel will not remove the charges, indicate the amount charged under “incidental expenses” for reimbursement.  Prudent use of district funds is encouraged.

·         City Hotel Occupancy Taxes - PISD is not exempt from paying for city hotel occupancy taxes.  The district will reimburse this expense.  Itemize this expenditure under “incidental expenses”.

Meals/Tips - Meal expenses (including tips) for overnight travel up to $36 per day with no receipts required will be reimbursed.  This reimbursement is not necessarily to cover the total cost of meals while the employee is traveling, but to reimburse reasonable incremental costs of meals the employee may incur by virtue of such business travel.  The following chart indicates departure and arrival times from and back to Pasadena to calculate meal eligibility.

To Be Eligible for         You Must Leave Before           or                  Return After

If a meal is provided in a function being attended, such as a banquet included in conference registration, that meal will not be eligible for reimbursement.  For example, if the lunch were paid for in conjunction with the registration, the maximum amount eligible for reimbursement for that day would be $24 (Breakfast and Dinner).  The amount paid for the lunch is irrelevant.

Meal reimbursement for trips where overnight travel is not required will be based on the following criteria and will be reported as taxable income as per IRS rules:

·An employee must clear a 50-mile radius from their work location.

·         Requires the signature of Associate Superintendent.

·         No receipts will be required.

·         Reimbursement rules will be the same as overnight travel.

Personal Telephone Calls - When overnight travel is required, personal phone calls will be reimbursed up to $5.00 per day if they are charged to the hotel/motel bill.

Business Calls - All business calls will be reimbursed provided appropriate documentation (hotel bill, cell phone bill & etc.) is attached.  Calling cards do not provide documentation to be able to be reimbursed. Receipts Required!

Mileage Allowance - When a personal vehicle is used for district business travel, mileage will be reimbursed at a rate of 50.0¢ per mile effective January 1, 2010.   Travel between January 1, 2009 and December 31, 2009 will be reimbursed at 55¢.  The mileage reimbursed will be limited to the map mileage between the points of origin and destination according to the state mileage tables.  Whenever possible, budget managers should coordinate the travel of personnel by carpool when more than one person travels to the same destination in the same length of time, even if they are not necessarily attending the same function.  A list of cities that tend to be the most common destination for PISD travelers has been added indicating the mileage that will be reimbursed.  The list has calculated the mileage from Pasadena to the indicated cities, with no in-town travel reimbursed. 

Rental Vehicles - Costs of rental vehicles shall be reimbursed under incidental expenses with receipts required (including gasoline tickets.)  The use of rental vehicles should be exercised very judiciously and only in situations where the cost of using a taxi would exceed the cost of the rental vehicle.

The district now covers all insurance associated with rental on the vehicle.  Any additional insurance purchased will not be reimbursed.

To avoid higher gas rates charged by the rental companies, fill the gas tank before returning the rental car.  Also, be sure to examine the invoice for accuracy before leaving the rental office.  Reimbursement for rental car expenses will occur when expenses are listed on the Employee Travel Reimbursement form.

Airfare - All air travel must be tourist class/coach when class/coach is available.  Due to ever changing technology advances, Internet usage has increased.  Many employees have begun to use the Internet to place air travel reservations.  If airfare is purchased over the Internet, accounting will require the sheet received with the confirmation number  that shows that the employee paid for the ticket on their charge card. Reimbursement for repayment of airfare made through the Internet should be placed on the Employee Travel Reimbursement form.  Original receipts are required.

Taxi Fares, Parking and Tolls - Taxi fares, parking and toll fees will be reimbursed at actual costs including gratuity.  Original receipts are required.

Supplies/Materials - Supplies or materials purchased while an employee is traveling on PISD business cannot be submitted for reimbursement on the travel reimbursement form.  These purchases will be reimbursed using a requisition designated to Accounts Payable for check writing.  Since the district is tax exempt, the district encourages prudence when paying for purchases without providing the tax ID number.  However, taxes will be reimbursed if charged.  Supplies or materials paid for by PISD through this reimbursement process becomes the property of PISD and must be retained by the district.  Tax Exempt forms are available at:
 http://www.pasadenaisd.org/Finance/Forms/Sales_Tax.pdf 

In State Overnight Trips - Approval of an employee’s immediate supervisor will be required on the travel form.  A campus-based employee needs the approval of their principal.  All employees are required to have the signature of their immediate supervisor to receive reimbursement for in state overnight trips.  Principals, Directors and others who report to an Associate Superintendent would need their prior approval.  Each Associate Superintendent needs approval of the Superintendent or Designee.

Superintendent and Board Members - Will be reimbursed actual cost of expenses. Receipts are required.

Spouse Travel - On occasion when a spouse may accompany an employee on a business trip the employee/spouse will be responsible for any additional cost associated with traveling.

Receipts - To reiterate, there should be no receipts submitted to the business office with travel reimbursement requests for gasoline (except on rental vehicles), food, snacks, or personal items.

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Last modified: 09/16/09