[company name] Travel and Expense Reimbursement Policies 

Last updated: [last updated date]

About

This document covers the policies related to all business travel for [company name] and both travel-related expenses and general expense reimbursement.

Travel

This travel policy is established to ensure efficient, safe, and cost-effective travel arrangements for team members when traveling for business purposes. The policy outlines the guidelines and procedures to be followed by all team members and helps [company name] efficiently and effectively manage reimbursements and expenses.

Please note that our company-wide meet-ups are managed slightly differently but the policies still apply.

Travel Authorization

Except for Company-wide Events, all travel must be authorized in advance by the team member’s respective Manager. 

Team members should submit their travel requests at least one month prior to the travel date, except in cases of emergency where advance approval may not be possible.
 

Travel Booking

Team members book travel themselves unless otherwise planned or agreed.

Team members are encouraged to make travel arrangements through our list of recommended online booking tools (see appendix)

All costs must stay within the approved budget. If additional budget is needed, approval from your manager is required.

Air Travel:

Economy class tickets should be booked for all domestic and international flights unless there are exceptional circumstances approved by your manager.

Flights should be booked well in advance to obtain the most cost-effective fares, considering the overall trip cost and duration.

Business travel assumes round-trip tickets to and from your place of residence. Air tickets are reimbursable up to the approved budget amount. 

Travel budget is calculated based on a team member's place of residence to the destination and back for the approved travel dates. 

You may  travel from a different location than your primary residence or fly to or back from a different location, as long as the cost of doing so stays within the budget approved for the trip. Anything above the budget needs to be covered by the team member.  

You are allowed to purchase tickets for different travel dates than approved for the trip. In this case, flight costs will be reimbursed according to the approved budget. All extra costs related to different dates other than  approved dates are covered by the team member.  

For the approved travel duration of less than 3 days, check-in luggage fees are the responsibility of the team member unless there are special circumstances and pre-approved. [company name] will pay for hand luggage fees. For the longer travel duration, check-in luggage fees will be covered by [company name]. 

Seat selection such as extra legroom seats, or any other additional services are covered by the team member.    

Flight Modification or Cancelation  

All ticket modifications, including cancellations, are managed by team members.

If [company name] determines that modification or cancelation is needed, those expenses will be reimbursed

Accommodation:

Airbnb, hotels, and bed & breakfast accommodation are acceptable solutions. Budgeted per-night rates will be based on the total cost including all fees. Please note that safety, comfort, and accessibility should be key considerations.

Team members must adhere to the rates established or get approval for going above those prior to purchase.

Check beforehand hotel terms (check-in and check-out time, if breakfast is included, hotel location, etc.).  Expenses related to not adhering to hotel terms will not be reimbursed.

Arriving early or staying later for personal reasons is generally fine. All costs associated with these variances are the responsibility of the team member.  For the avoidance of doubt - only expenses on approved travel dates will be reimbursed.

If you want to stay at a more expensive accommodation for personal reasons, team members are responsible to pay for the difference.

Ground Transportation:

During your trip you may need transportation, including:

To and from your home and the airport,

To and from the airport and your accommodation,

To and from business meetings and events,

To and from your home to the accommodation/business meetings and events (in case no air travel is required).

Team members should use cost-effective ground transportation options such as public transportation or shuttle services, depending on the circumstances and destination. Safety and accessibility is a primary goal so the use of taxis, Uber or other car services are acceptable when deemed to be the most appropriate option. 

In certain circumstances, car rentals may be approved and limited to economy or compact cars unless a larger vehicle is essential for business purposes such as accommodating a large number of team members.

Transportation expenses related to personal trips are not reimbursable.

Travel Expenses and Reimbursement Policies

Expenses Eligible for Reimbursement:

[company name] will reimburse team members for pre-approved, reasonable and necessary travel expenses incurred during authorized business trips, including transportation (flights, trains, taxis, etc), accommodation, meals, and incidentals, subject to the following guidelines.

The below-stated approved Expenses – in addition to airline travel, transportation and accommodation - will be reimbursed. These costs have been included in the initial approval and budget request submitted via the [company name] procurement process.

Meals and Entertainment

When team members are traveling, they are responsible for their own meals (vs coordinated by [company name]). [company name] will reimburse reasonable expenses for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

During team travel, [company name] may coordinate team events and entertainment. Participation is encouraged but optional.

Expenses related to personal entertainment beyond meals is the responsibility of the team member.  

Team gatherings beyond standard meals should be included in the budget request.

Visas

Visa fees will be reimbursed if pre-approved.

Obtaining any type of visa (travel/transit/business etc.) to any country is the responsibility of [company name] Team members (not [company name])

HR can provide a standard Employment verification upon request. Other supporting documents are collected and applied by [company name] Team members themselves. 

Medical Insurance

If you need medical insurance for a country you travel to for business purposes, you can purchase insurance (if pre-approved within the budget for the trip or a specific insurance budget is defined). 

Traveling with Family Members

Bringing your partner, children or other family members on a trip is fine.  All additional expenses related to these family members are the responsibility of the team member and costs will not be covered by [company name].

Accommodation: Our policy allows you to share a company-booked room with a partner or family member who wants to travel with you, as long as this doesn’t incur extra charges for the company. Based on the hotel terms you may need to pay extra for the people accompanying you. It is the team member’s responsibility to pay for these costs. 

Sim Cards

If you have a company phone, you should use your company phone and costs are automatically charged to [company name]. 

For team members without a company phone, Sim card costs will be covered by [company name] up to USD 20 (may vary between countries).

Expenses incurred for personal reasons or unrelated to business activities will not be reimbursed.

Contractor Rates and Hours

All travel is optional and you should coordinate any concerns or requirements that you have with your manager.  

For full-time contractors (40 hours per week): You should submit full-time hours for the days of the event and the days you travel to and from the event. For the avoidance of doubt, no overtime will be paid and you should work with your manager on your schedule and commitments accordingly. Example: The Company event is from Tuesday to Thursday (3 days), and travel dates are Monday and Friday (2 days). All 5 days are considered as working days and your hours should be submitted accordingly. 

For part-time contractors (< 40 hours per week): you should submit the number of hours as per your weekly limit.  For the avoidance of doubt, you should manage your participation in a way that does not impact any other contract you have with another business and no additional time will be approved unless there are specific circumstances.  If there are, this should be submitted as part of the trip budget approval request.

For part-time contractors, other kinds of business travel may require you to commit additional hours to [company name].  If pre-approved, [company name] may pay for these additional hours. These costs need to be included in the budget request. 

For full-time contractors, please work with your managers to manage commitments in a way that keeps your hours within your contracted amounts.

You may be required to travel over the weekend or travel may change your schedule. Additional hours beyond your contracted amount will not be paid for doing so; however, you can work with your manager to adjust your schedule for that week or the next to stay within your contracted hours.

Expense Claims

This expense reimbursement policy is established to ensure an efficient and timely reimbursement of incurred business expenses by team members. The policy outlines the guidelines and procedures to be followed by all team members and helps [company name] efficiently and effectively manage reimbursements and expenses.

Expense Reimbursement

For contractors, only approved travel-related expenses should be purchased on your own credit card. 

For FTEs, all travel expenses should be purchased on your corporate credit card. If an FTE doesn't have a business credit card, they should reach out to the Finance Team for the issuance.'

ANY other [company name] business expense must be purchased using a Finance approved payment method.

In order to be reimbursed for any expense

It must have been pre-approved by your Manager through the Procurement process and form.

You must have a receipt

In order to manage our budgets efficiently and effectively, all expenses must be submitted within 30 days of purchase to be eligible for reimbursement.  Exceptions may be granted with extenuating circumstances. 

Approval of expenses is obtained by the end of the month in which the claim has been raised (assuming it was raised by the 23rd of a month) at the latest.

Appendix

Tools recommended for travel arrangements

Flights:

Skyscanner.com

Google.com/travel/flights/

Websites of airlines, e.g. airserbia.com, turkishairlines.com, lufthansa.com, emirates.com, etc. 

💡The Airfare may be less expensive if you find the flight needed using one of the above-mentioned aggregators, but the purchase itself is processed via the airline’s official website.

Accommodation:

google.com/travel/hotels

Booking.com

AirBnb.com

Hotels.com

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