A. Guidelines For Travel
I. As an agency of NYS, we are to adhere to the policies and procedures of the NYS Office of the State Comptroller as best we can. Individuals will be reimbursed for all ordinary and necessary expenses incurred on behalf of or during the course of conducting CUNY Graduate School of Journalism business. All expenses should be within reasonable limits and should be beneficial to the institution. A travel authorization request form will need to be submitted and approved prior to making any lodging or transportation reservations.
II. While in travel status, only breakfast and dinner are reimbursable, lunch is not.
III. New York State will reimburse you for the use of a personal automobile while conducting CUNY Graduate School of Journalism business. The per-mile reimbursement rate is intended to cover all automobile costs including gasoline. Please check the OSC website for the current per-mile reimbursement rate. If you used your personally owned automobile during your trip, please fill out a Statement of Automobile Travel form and submit it along with your State Travel Voucher.
IV. When submitting a request for travel reimbursement, be sure to include the following:
- A State Travel Voucher (Staff & Faculty)
- A Standard Voucher and GD-11 Expense Sheet (Non-employees)
- Original receipts for all expenses incurred
- A flyer or brochure announcing the event
- A Statement of Automobile Travel (if personal automobile was used)
V. Prior to booking a hotel, be sure to check the Per Diem rate for your primary destination. Per Diem rates are the allowance for lodging (excluding taxes), meals and incidental expenses. The General Services Administration (GSA) establishes per diem rates for destinations within the Continental United States. They are categorized by location and month of year.
- Meals & Incidental Expenses (M&IE) are broken down into the following maximum amounts depending on the M&IE total your primary destination falls under:
| M&IE Per Full Day Total | $46 | $51 | $56 | $61 | $66 | $71 |
| Breakfast | $9 | $10 | $11 | $12 | $13 | $14 |
| Dinner | $37 | $41 | $45 | $49 | $53 | $57 |
| First & Last Day Total | $34.50 | $38.25 | $42.00 | $45.75 | $49.50 | $53.25 |
- Incidental expenses include fees and tips given to porters, baggage carriers, bellhops, and hotel maids.
- Please try to obtain the government per diem rate for lodging. You may print out a Tax Exemption Certificate for Hotels from the OSC website when arranging hotel accommodations in New York State.
- If you are unable to find lodging within the allowable per diem rate, please obtain approval from the Office of Budget & Finance before making any arrangements.
VI. Reimbursable miscellaneous expenses include the following
- Reasonable parking charges
- Taxis
- Local bus and subway fares
- Tolls
- Baggage expenses
- Baggage transfer and storage expense
- Internet Connection fees
- Supplies and materials
VII. You may use the Travel Card for travel expenses when:
- You are on official State business, and
- You are in Travel Status
When employees are on assignment at a location more than 35 miles from both their official station and their home, they are considered in travel status and are thus eligible for reimbursement of travel expenses.
Examples of allowable expenses include transportation, meals, gas, tolls, parking, conference fees, telephone charges related to official State business, and unanticipated work supplies. The Office of Budget & Finance may authorize other expenses.
Examples of expenses not allowed include entertainment, charges associated with non-work related events, expenses for non-State employee business associates, meals associated with business meetings, the expenses of a spouse or other family member, and telephone charges not related to official State business.
VIII. Please be sure complete a Travel Voucher for each trip you take, even if all of your expenses were charged to your T-Card and you aren’t requesting a reimbursement of out-of-pocket expenses. State auditors like to see that all purchases made on the T-Card are also listed on a Travel Voucher.
IX. For further details, please read the OSC Travel Manual.
