Travel Request
Use the Travel Request
form to notify Integrated Statistics of your intent to travel. First we look up your contract and make sure your contract allows travel and has money for the purpose you are traveling. Then we ask the government to approve the travel, and email you to let you know if you can go.
Do not book the travel before it is approved.
Travel Decisions
You may find yourself choosing between different modes of transport. Integrated Statistics generally follows the Federal government's
travel policies, so have a
look at those. You can always email the Integrated Statistics
office with questions.
Flight insurance is not reimbursable.
Please keep records and receipts. However, we do not need receipts for food because you get a per diem (see below) no matter what you eat.
Reimbursement
If you want to be reimbursed after your travel, you need to supply the Integrated Statistics office with receipts
and a completed Expense Reimbursement
form.
Please submit your forms promptly - that way, if there are any questions, you will still remember the answers.
You may want to look at some travel examples to see how the forms work. Please email the Integrated Statistics office if you have trouble opening the file. Adding notes to the XLS is very helpful, especially if you had a complicated trip.
Per Diem
A per diem is money that you get to spend
on food and other incidentals (including tips and phone calls).
If you are away on travel for more than 12 hours and more than 50 miles from home, then
you are eligible for 3/4 per diem. If you are away less than 12 hours, you do not get per diem. If you travel for more than one day, then the first and last day that you are on travel you are eligible for 3/4 per diem. On
the days in between you get full per diem. The current per
diems are here.
Meals and Incidentals
You can claim incidental expenses while you are on a boat.
You can claim a meals and incidentals rate (M&IE) for each day you are away from home. The rate varies depending on where you go, and you can look up rates on the Federal travel website.
Company credit card
If you are using the company credit card, you still need to come back with
receipts.
To be eligible for a company credit card, you have to have demonstrated that you can fill out an Expense Reimbursement form and bring back receipts. Company credit cards can be issued and revoked any time at my (Laura Shulman) discretion.
If you do not have a company card, use your own credit card and submit your completed Expense Reimbursement form promptly, so we can reimburse you.
If you travel often, please call the Integrated Statistics Office at (508) 540-8560 and we can discuss whether you should get one or whether you should put your travel on an office card.
Lodging
We follow the same guidelines that the
federal employees follow. If you travel more than 50 miles, then you are allowed
to get a hotel and spend the night. If you are traveling with a federal employee,
your accommodations should be separate from theirs.
When you stay at a hotel, you have to make sure that you are within government guidelines for lodging. If you stay at a place that is more expensive than the government allows for that county, then you will have to pay the difference. However, there are exceptions to that rule; for example, if the hotel has run out of rooms at that rate and you can't find another hotel within a reasonable distance. So if you are having trouble finding rooms at the rate you need, please call and we'll help you figure out if your case is an exception.
If you are on travel beyond 30 days, try to get an extended stay rate or rental unit to reduce your lodging costs. An extended stay unit with kitchen privileges allows you to reduce costs by buying and cooking your own food. Please email the Integrated Statistics office for more information.
If you have a company credit card, you may put lodging on your card. If you do not, you can use your own credit card and we will reimburse you promptly.
Automobiles
Some of you are authorized to drive government vehicles (GOVs). That has
to be in the statement of work that comes with your contract.
You also have to take a Defensive Driving class (about 4 hours long).
If you are not authorized to
drive a government vehicle, then you can always use your own vehicle.
If you
need to rent a car, make sure that it is authorized by your
contract. If you get in an accident in any car while you are working, your
personal car insurance needs to be notified. By law, your personal insurance is
used first. If you are under-insured then Integrated Statistics has an
automobile policy for liability only. This means that if you do a lot of damage
to someone else, Integrated Statistics carries some extra insurance to cover
what your personal policy does not. Integrated Statistics is not allowed nor
required to insure cars it does not own. This means that if you get in an
accident that we do not have insurance that covers your personal vehicle, the
rental car, or the government vehicle. We cannot get insurance to cover
government vehicles ever. If you rent a car, they always give you the option to
buy extra insurance and you may want to take that option. If you use a credit
card to rent a car, often the credit card comes with some type of insurance for
cars. So, you might not have to buy the extra insurance if your credit card
insures you. I cannot tell you what to do for your personal insurance but you
might like to consider getting comprehensive insurance on your own car if you
want to be insured. It probably depends on what kind of car you drive and how
often you think you'll get in accidents.
Mileage
You start counting mileage for reimbursement after you get to work.
You must reach your actual work site and return to your residence at your own expense. If you perform official
local travel during the regular work day,
only the local travel costs exceeding the normal daily commuting
costs will be reimbursed. The reimbursable amount is determined by subtracting
your normal daily commuting cost (e.g. metro fare, bus fare, car pool expenses)
from your total travel costs for the day.
Example
The same is true for the trip home, so your total reimbursable mileage for the whole trip to Rock City = 40 miles.
If you are already at work and asked to go to a different location, all the mileage should be chargeable. So if you go from Bayport to Rock City and back to Bayport, all the miles are reimbursable. However, if you go directly home from the new location, you need to subtract your normal home commuting miles. In the example above, if you go from Home - Bayport - Rock City - Home, you get the 20 miles from Bayport to Rock City. If you go straight home from Rock City, you subtract your normal commuting miles from the Rock City - Home distance. So if you live less than 30 miles from Rock City, you are not reimbursed for the trip home.
Total travel costs may include parking fees for your POV at your actual work site, should a determination be made that use of your POV is the most cost-effective and advantageous means of conducting official business; however, you will not be reimbursed mileage expenses for home to work and work to home travel in the event that you use a personal vehicle. If you commute to work via POV regularly, you cannot be reimbursed for parking at your actual work site (unless specifically covered in your contract), but may still be reimbursed for other costs associated with official local travel while away from your actual work site.
If you use your own car, keep track of the work-related miles. You can be reimbursed for the miles. The mileage reimbursement rate changes every year in January. The Integrated Statistics Expense Reimbursement form Private Auto Miles Cost row already includes the current mileage reimbursement rate. POV rates are listed here. If you are reimbursed for mileage then you cannot be reimbursed for gas receipts. You get one or the other.
Rental Cars
If possible, please use
a credit card that comes with insurance for rental cars.
Save your gas receipts.
You cannot claim mileage on a rental car.
Please send in any and all travel documents on or before the Friday you submit your timesheet to be reimbursed for it in your next paycheck. If you don't make that deadline, we do it for the following paycheck. We need a week to process travel.
Use the Integrated Statistics Expense Reimbursement form to organize your travel receipts. Please send in the receipts as well.
You may want to look at some travel examples to see how it works. Please email the Integrated Statistics office if you have trouble opening the file or have other questions. Adding notes to the XLS that explain your trip can be very helpful.
To figure domestic per diem rates or maximum lodging, please look at domestic per diem rates
For foreign rates, see
foreign
rates.
Use the ODC form if you have other direct costs associated with your project. Please describe your purchases in detail. To download this form, right-click and then use Save Target As.
If you have any questions, please call (508) 540-8560 or email the Integrated Statistics office.
Travel and Timesheet
Any hours that you spend traveling beyond your normal commuting hours are billable as hours worked.