Meals, Lodging, and Incidental Expenses
New York State has devised two methods for calculating travel expenses. The first is a flat per diem which includes both meals and lodging:
• For NYC, LI, Rockland and Westchester : $50.00
• For anywhere within a fifteen mile radius of Albany , Binghamton , Buffalo , Rochester , Syracuse : $40.00
• All other locations in New York State : $35.00
• All out of state locations: $50.00
The advantage to this method is that you don't need to provide receipts to be reimbursed .
If actual or expected travel expenses exceed the above amounts, you will find it more advantageous to use the second method, which reimburses actual expenses up to a maximum allowable.
• Current Federal per diem rates (which have also been adopted by NYS) for locations throughout the continental US may be found at www.policyworks.gov/perdiem . You can use these rates for travel within NYS as well. This list is fairly comprehensive, but call your OTPS Team member who handles your payments if you don't find your destination listed. The per diem rates include a provision for incidentals such as laundry, hotel tips, etc.
• The State Department sets the per diem rates for foreign travel, which can be found at www.state.gov/www/perdiems/index.html .
• Receipts are required for lodging, but not for meals while in overnight status. This method provides a daily meal allowance, which also includes gratuities.
• Taxes on lodging are reimbursable over the published per diem rates except in New York where GP is tax-exempt. For copies of our tax-exempt certificate, contact your OTPS Team member.
• If your lodging expenses exceed the maximum, you may use your meal allowance to offset them.
• In cases where expenses for lodging exceed the maximum per diem, provide documentation which demonstrates why the additional expense was unavoidable. If, for example, a conference requires you to stay at a particular hotel, or if all hotel rooms at or below per diem rates are booked at the time of your trip, you will be reimbursed for the full amount of the expense incurred.
• As always, attach documentation of the purpose of your trip to your travel voucher.
• A traveler staying free of charge with relatives or friends is entitled to the same meals and incidental expenses per diems as given below, but may not claim a lodging allowance.
• For extended stays, it may be more economical to make lodging arrangements other than with hotels. Whenever possible, payments to individuals, landlords or real estate agents should be made directly by RF on your behalf so that we may report rental income properly to IRS. To be reimbursed for lodging paid to individuals, landlords or real estate agents, you must be able to provide a complete W-9 form for the payee to allow us to report the rental payments to IRS as if we had made the payments directly on your behalf. See also section (b) of Confirming Purchases.
Overnight Travel
• Except for NYS-sponsored travel, the amount allowable for meals and incidental expenses on the first and last day of travel is 75% of the published per diem rate for all U.S. locations. For foreign locations, the full meals and incidental expenses allowance applies on the first and last day of travel.
• For NYS-sponsored travel, you cannot be reimbursed for lunch. The meals per diem is intended to cover dinner for one day and breakfast for the following day. If the traveler has to leave more than one hour before normal work start time on the first day of travel or return at least two hours later than their normral work ending time on the last day of travel, they are entitled to the breakfast and/or dinner portion of the meal allowance, per the per diem meal allowance specified for the particular area of travel (see NYS Meal Per Diem Breakdown).
Non-overnight Travel
• Except for NYS-sponsored travel, the 75% of federal meals and incidental expenses allowance rate is permitted for non-overnight travel if the traveler is in travel status for more than 12 hours.
• For NYS-sponsored travel, a maximum of $5.00 for breakfast everywhere and $12.00 for dinner (including gratuities) is allowed, without receipts, for non-overnight travel. With receipts, you may be reimbursed up to the maximum amount of the per diem meal allowance specified for the particular area of travel (see NYS Meal Per Diem Breakdown). These rates apply if you must leave at least one hour earlier than your normal work starting time and/or return more than two hours later than your normal work ending time.
IMPORTANT: While you don't need receipts to be reimbursed for meals at the per diem rate, written documentation of all other travel related expenditures must still accompany your travel expense voucher.
Other reimbursable travel expenses include:
• Local travel expenses, including buses, subways, and taxis. Save your receipts!
• Business phone calls. Please list the phone #, person, organization, and purpose of the call when asking for a reimbursement
• Baggage handling charges for bulky or heavy presentation items only, unless the person is physically handicapped. Attach documentation which shows that the expenditure was necessary and appropriate.
• Reasonable luggage charges assessed by transportation companies.
• Internet connection
Please keep in mind that sponsors and/or your particular award agreement may have additional restrictions.
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