Reimbursement Procedures

Review the allowable miscellaneous expense and non-reimbursable expenses before your trip.

Allowable Miscellaneous Expenses

Allowable expenses for reimbursement include, but are not limited to:

  • Taxi
  • Parking Fees
  • Baggage Fee
  • Ferry & Bridge Tolls
  • Telephone — Actual documented personal phone calls will be reimbursed in the following manner: Maximum reimbursement for each trip shall be the result of multiplying the number of nights away from home by $3.00. Council 6 is $2.00.

Non-Reimbursable Expenses

Non-reimbursable expenses include, but are not limited to:

  • Annual fees or interest for personal credit cards
  • Upgrades, extras, seat selections (including travel insurance, trip protection, etc)
  • Late payment fees, penalty fees or interest on state-issued purchasing card
  • Expenses of traveling companions or family members
  • Expenses related to vacation or personal days while on a trip
  • Loss or theft of personal cash or property
  • Entertainment or recreation costs, including movies
  • Passports
  • “No-show” charges
  • Optional travel or baggage insurance
  • Traffic or parking tickets
  • Incorrect or incomplete expense reports
  • Laundry or valet service is only reimbursed at the actual cost not to exceed $16.00 per week for each week after the first 5 consecutive days that the employee is in travel status without returning home.

Memberships

The preferred method to initiate payment for memberships and subscriptions is with a purchase order or BSU purchasing card, rather than requesting reimbursement on an employee expense report. Memberships and subscriptions must be paid for in the appropriate fiscal year of their occurrence. Please do not leave memberships until the end of the fiscal year to pay, nor try to pay for them in a different fiscal year than they occur.

Please see Procurement for details.

Special Expense Approval & Reimbursement

Special expenses include, but are not limited to:

  • conference registration fees over $1000
  • banquet meals that exceed the State maximum meal allowances
  • special expenses for the handicapped employee who is in travel status
  • student-related travel items a staff/faculty is paying for
  • expenses incurred for international travel when expenses exceed out-of-state maximum reimbursement limits

A Special Expense Request form should be completed & approved prior, except in emergency situations. Itemized receipts are required for special expense meals.

Travel Advance

Once a Travel Request has been approved and is on file with the Travel Office, employees can seek a Travel Advance Agreement for upcoming travel.

Students should only seek an advance if there is no faculty/staff on the trip and if it will become a financial burden. If faculty/staff are traveling; the amount needed to cover the student(s) costs should be included and noted on their travel advance agreement. A Special Expense Request form will also need to be completed if faculty/staff are paying for student items. See Student Travel Advance Agreement for what advance can/cannot be used for.

Item Can This be Included in Advance?
Airfare Yes
Baggage Fees Yes
Conference Registration Yes
Taxi, Bus, Train Costs Yes
Meals Yes
Mileage No

Obtaining a Travel Advance

And approved Travel Request form will need to be on file. Employees should submit a Travel Advance Agreement Form. Advance is obtained through the employee’s bi-weekly paycheck. A paper check will only be issued if there is not sufficient time to request a payroll advance; however, the traveler must submit documentation as to why the timeline does not allow for a payroll advance. This documentation should be signed by a supervisor.

Please submit advance paperwork at least 3 weeks in advance of travel. Only one outstanding advance is allowed at a time, advance must be at least $50.00.

Upon your return, a final expense report should be submitted with applicable receipts within 28 days after final date of travel, make sure to include the items you received the advance for.

Travel Office Purchasing Card

The Travel Office has a purchasing card that can be used towards a few employee travel expenses. An approved Travel Request Form must be on file. Please contact the Travel Office in order to set up a day/time to come book. Please ensure you are contacting the Travel Office a day or two in advance to check days/times for booking availability.

It is up to the person traveling/booking the reservations to ensure that the correct details are selected. It would be the responsibility of the person traveling/booking if the reservation needs to be canceled and a fee is assessed. Please make sure you double-check your reservations!

Items the Travel Office P-Card Can be Used For

  • Flights
  • Online conference registrations
  • Student hotel rooms — immediate paid receipt required. Personal credit card will be needed upon check-in for any incidentals. (sites like Expedia, Priceline, Travelocity)

Rewards Program Policy for Airline, Hotel, Other

Minnesota State requires any credits or other benefits issued by an airline, hotel, credit card or other reward programs to a public employee, who uses public funds to pay for BSU/NTC travel, to accrue to the benefit of the public body providing the funding. This includes hotels that may provide free lodging after staying a specified number of days. Employees or board trustees who frequently fly and have airline frequent flyer programs for their personal travel shall obtain a separate airline frequent flyer program number to record and report receipt of credits or other benefits when using state funds or remove the frequent flyer number before booking travel. Employees must certify that they have not claimed frequent flyer rewards or hotel rewards for personal use when applying for travel reimbursement. Any benefits received belong to the state.

Personal Travel During Work Travel

If an employee is combining personal travel during their work travel, the employee can only be reimbursed for expenses that are incurred during the work portion of the trip. Ex: if you are flying and leaving three days prior from your work event because those three days are personal travel, you will need to pull an estimate flight for just the days required to travel for the work event. This document will need to be included with your Travel and Vehicle Request.

Lodging and Accommodations

Employees are asked to use their discretion in selecting reasonably priced accommodations. Remember to ask for the Government Rate, many motel/hotels in MN have cheaper rates for State employees.

Employees must stay at a licensed lodging facility. Employees cannot be reimbursed for staying at the house of a relative, friend or personally-owned property. (this includes Airbnb, VRBO, campsites, etc.)

  • Original receipts are required for all types of lodging, including campground fees.
  • If lodging costs were shared between employees, it should be noted on the expense report. One employee should use the original receipt for reimbursement and the other should use a copy.
  • The State of Minnesota allows reimbursement at a single rate. The employee should have the establishment certify single rate on the receipt.
  • For student hotel rooms — see Travel Office Purchasing Card. If you have to pay for student hotel rooms personally, an approved Special Expense Request needs to be completed & approved.

IRS Tax Policy on Expenses

Business expenses are to be submitted for reimbursement within 60 days after the expense was incurred. If not submitted within 60 days, the reimbursement becomes taxable for federal, state, FICA and Medicare: and withholding must be taken. Example: If you purchase an airline ticket, pay a registration fee or incur any other expense related to your travel more than 60 days prior to your trip date, you must submit your paid receipts along with an expense report before the 60-day deadline in order to avoid tax implications. You will be reimbursed for those ‘pre-trip’ expenses and then you will follow up with the remainder of your expenses at the end of your trip.

Receipts

Original itemized receipts are required for all expenses except:

  • Meals
  • Taxis
  • Baggage assistance in the form of a gratuity or tip
  • Parking meters

Credit card statements or canceled checks are not acceptable receipts.

Receipt Information

Receipts should be itemized and show the following:

  • Name and location
  • Dates
  • Detailed description and amount of each item charged, such as lodging, meals and telephone
  • Total amount and date paid by the employee

A notarized Affidavit for Travel Receipts should only be used as a last resort for an unobtainable receipt. Employees should always try to obtain the original receipt. We have on-campus notaries, remember to bring a photo ID.

Food Reimbursement

Employees are to claim actual expenses for meals, but reimbursement cannot exceed the maximum amounts listed below. Maximum rates are set by labor negotiations and Department of Employee Relations. These rates may change for any or all of the different Unions each time contracts are re-negotiated.

Certain major out-of-state metro areas are reimbursed at a higher rate.

Food Cost Limits

For members of bargaining units: Commissioner’s Plan, MSCF, Administrator’s Plan, Managerial Plan, MSUAAF, MMA, MNA and IFO.

The MnSCU Administrator and MSCF plans provides for higher meal reimbursement rates for Hennepin and Ramsey counties in Minnesota as well.

Meal In-State & Out-of-State High-Cost Metro Areas
Breakfast $10 $12
Lunch $13 $15
Dinner $19 $23

For members of bargaining units: AFSCME, MAPE and MGEC.

Meal In-State & Out-of-State High-Cost Metro Areas
Breakfast $9 $11
Lunch $11 $13
Dinner $16 $20

Meal Reimbursement Eligibility Requirements

Meals in Bemidji are non-reimbursable when in travel status. Bemidji is considered an employee/student “home” location.

The breakfast meal is allowed when your trip begins before 6 a.m.

The dinner meal is allowed when your trip ends after 7 p.m.

The noon meal is allowed when the employee is 35 or more miles from his/her work station providing that the assignment extends through the normal lunch period.

Special meals, such as banquet meals exceeding the maximums, require the filing of a Special Expense Request in advance of the event.

According to IRS regulations, reimbursements for meal expenses on trips not involving an overnight stay are taxable income. Therefore, when the expenses are paid, federal, state, FICA and Medicare taxes will be withheld from the employee’s pay and the amount of the expense will be included in wages on the employee’s W-2 form. The overnight stay distinction applies whether or not the employee incurs a lodging expense. (For example, if the employee stays with friends or relatives at no charge, any meal expenses for that trip are considered Meals With Lodging (not taxable,) even though there will be no lodging expense reimbursement.)

Employee Expense Reports

  • All signatures must be original.
  • If you requested an advance through payroll you need to submit that report within 28 days.
  • Your expense report should be filled out in its entirety; including name, home address, bargaining unit, Payroll State employee ID #, etc. All receipts must be originals. All forms of canceled checks and copies of credit card bills do not substitute for original receipts. Remember, the time that your trip started and ended must be on your report.
  • At the close of the fiscal year, all travel expense reports must be submitted to the Travel office. If not received by the deadline issued by the Travel office; the expense will be charged against the next fiscal year budget.
  • After all documents are approved, originals come to the Travel Office, box #5.
  • An employee should only be submitting expenses for.
  • Employees should not be covering other employees’ expenses. If needed an employee can seek an advance.
  • Failure to complete the form properly and promptly may result in expense items being disallowed and/or payment delayed.

Canceled Trips

If your trip is canceled, notify the travel office immediately. If a refund is received for items paid with BSU/NTC funds, this should be returned to the travel office to be deposited into the designated account. If a voucher is received, the travel office should be notified of the voucher received as these are only to be used for future BSU/NTC related travel.