[Tracy Yaklyvich, MBA]

We are looking for travel expense policy best practices and curious about others receipt requirements.  Are receipts always required or do you have a dollar threshold?  What is the threshold?  Are requirements the same for staff and volunteers?  How do they differ if no?

Would greatly appreciate your input.

Have a great day!

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Tracy Yaklyvich, MBA
Controller
American Society of Health-System Pharmacists
Bethesda MD
tyaklyvich@ashp.org
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[Kathleen Bauer]

?Great question!  My company does require receipts for everything except meals, hotel tips and mileage.  We use the GSA website to calculate Per Diems and trust our employees on hotel tips.  We calculate their mileage using our Concur Expense software.

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Kathleen Bauer
Ohio Shared Information Systems
Cincinnati OH
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[Kimberly Lomax]

We have a $25 threshold on receipts.  For meals, we have to show a detailed receipt rather than just the credit card receipt to make sure that the meals are falling within our meal guidelines (no excessive booze and we define what’s an acceptable cost of a meal so you can’t spend $100 a plate for dinner).  IRS guidelines require detailed receipts for hotels, so no matter the dollar limit, that’s always required (not that anyone would stay in a hotel under $25).  Our threshold used to be $75 which was more desirable for us accounting folks, but it was changed based on management at the time.

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Kimberly Lomax
Manager, Financial Systems
Rayonier
Wildlight FL
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[Sara Young]

We require receipts for Taxi (or Uber or Lyft or whatever), hotels and air (including baggage).  Mileage is calculated by using the US Government allowance for mileage.  Tips, obviously have no receipts, and everything else is covered by Per Diem. 

We also allow a reasonable explanation for why a receipt isn’t included and just have the manager sign off on the extra cost.

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Sara Young
US Accounting Manager
Landmark
San Francisco CA
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[Michelle McDonald]

Our policies are basically the same as Kimberly Lomax outlined:

We have a $25 threshold on receipts. For meals, we require a detailed receipt rather than just the credit card receipt to make sure that the meals are falling within our meal guidelines (no excessive booze, who participated if it’s a group meal, total meal cost/person although this is a little subjective). IRS guidelines require detailed receipts for hotels, so no matter the dollar limit, that’s always required.  

We strongly encourage those with lost receipts to contact the restaurant, etc. to request a replacement receipt but not everyone does this.   So we created a missing receipt affidavit form that can be submitted, signed by the employee’s manager, if a receipt is lost and “can’t be” replaced.

Michelle

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Michelle McDonald
Director of Finance and Accounting
The Annenberg Foundation
Los Angeles CA
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[Carmelyn Jacobsen]

Tracy,

 

We require detailed receipts for all charges.  For cases of lost receipts, we ask the traveler to acquire a copy directly from the establishment.  If after a few tries this is not successful, the traveler is able to ask for an exception from Controller or CFO which required a request in writing with detailed information (i.e. if restaurant, print the menu and mark the items consumed and total with tax & grat must equal or come close to the amount of the credit card charge, etc.).  This request is then reviewed and approved/denied on a case by case bases. 

 

As for gratuity, there is a percentage threshold of what the company will reimburse (i.e. 20%) for dining, uber, etc. –OR- a daily cash gratuity not to exceed a value per day (i.e. $20).

 

My suggestion would be to compose a T&E policy that clearly delineates what is required, what is acceptable, and what additional approval is necessary.  We apply all rules across the board to employees, volunteers, independent contractors and vendors unless a contract stipulates otherwise.

 

I hope this helps.

 

Carmie Jacobsen

Accounts Payable Manager

Accounting & Finance

Pebble Beach Company

P: (831) 649-2757

C: (831) 277-7981

Proud Host of the 2019 U.S. Open

http://www.pebblebeach.com

 

 

——Original Message——

Our policies are basically the same as Kimberly Lomax outlined:

We have a $25 threshold on receipts. For meals, we require a detailed receipt rather than just the credit card receipt to make sure that the meals are falling within our meal guidelines (no excessive booze, who participated if it’s a group meal, total meal cost/person although this is a little subjective). IRS guidelines require detailed receipts for hotels, so no matter the dollar limit, that’s always required.  

We strongly encourage those with lost receipts to contact the restaurant, etc. to request a replacement receipt but not everyone does this.   So we created a missing receipt affidavit form that can be submitted, signed by the employee’s manager, if a receipt is lost and “can’t be” replaced.

Michelle

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Michelle McDonald
Director of Finance and Accounting
The Annenberg Foundation
Los Angeles CA
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[Shari Bruno]

?Hi

We require receipts for everything and use a missing receipt affidavit for items such as hotel tips, or when receipts are lost. We don’t require detailed meal receipts, though most employees provide them, and don’t have a per diem, but we do have suggested meal guideline amounts with the understanding that there are situations when meals will exceed the suggested amount.  Our travel policy gives the approving manager the ability to refuse reimbursement for any expense and trust that they are insuring that meals are not excessive in cost, or alcohol purchase. We don’t allow missing receipt affidavits on hotels, rental cars, or airline tickets, and require that those receipts have full detail.?

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Shari Bruno
Accounting Operations Manager
Bible League International
Crete, IL
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[Tracy Yaklyvich, MBA]

thanks to all for your thorough responses!  Have a great day.

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Tracy Yaklyvich, MBA
Controller
American Society of Health-System Pharmacists
Bethesda MD
tyaklyvich@ashp.org
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