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Travel and Expenses

Click here to download the full Travel & Expense Policies Document

AMERICAN EXPRESS CARDS

• American Express charges cannot be expensed unless they are downloaded from the company card area.  If recent AmEx charges do not appear in the company card area, wait a day, or submit your report without the charge and include it in the following week’s report.  NOTE: It is best to include both hotel and meal per diem on the same report.
• If you choose to enroll in the America Express Rewards program, the yearly fee is your personal responsibility.
• Here are the help numbers for American Express issues:
  • Kim (x2359) : questions regarding payment to American Express or reconciling their bill
  • Carley (x2328): questions on how to submit an American Express charge on their expense report
  • **If a coach has a concern or question about a charge (or if their card is being declined), they should call the number on the back of their card.

EXPENSE REPORTS

• Attach your travel itinerary (airfare or train) to your weekly report.  If you have more than one flight or train trip during the week, attach all itineraries.  If you are travelling locally, no itinerary is needed.
• Receipts are not required for uploaded charges, EXCEPT FOR HOTEL. Hotel receipts must be submitted with the expense report. The IRS regulations require a detailed receipt for all hotel charges.
• Receipts are required for all CASH purchases $25.00 and over.
• Receipts are required for all EXTENDED TRAVEL MEAL items.

TRAVEL RESERVATIONS

• All travel reservations should be made via Concur and/ or World Travel. Concur Link
• For reservations or ticket changes, please call 877-549-1571 or email greenteam@worldtrav.com 
• For Concur technical support email greenteam@worldtrav.com Please include a description of your issue and any screen shots of error messages you received.

CONCUR

• Online Concur Tutorials: click https://www.concurtraining.com/toolkit/en/getting-started/end-user to access tutorials which provide general information about navigating Concur Travel and Concur Expense. These tutorials are interactive and also provide audio.
• If you are a first time user to Concur please be sure to update your profile and complete any required fields. You can access your profile by selecting “Profile” at the top of the page. You must complete the required fields in your profile before you can begin booking in Concur or use the Concur Mobile app.
• If you enter credit card information into your profile, be certain to select the boxes as to how the card should be defaulted. This will ensure that the correct information is sent over to the agency for processing.

AIR TRAVEL

• All flights should be booked online through Concur, or if necessary by calling World Travel.
• Flights should be booked a minimum of 3 weeks in advance (but no more than 5 weeks in advance).
• The most cost-effective alternative should be selected unless it causes undue burden (for example, getting into a location at night and then having to drive several hours).
• You can expense the cost of the flight as soon as the charge comes through on your card. Include the booking fee from World Travel and use the BAGGAGE/MISC TRAVEL category.
• Attach your flight itinerary to the expense report on the week that you actually travelled. This is not your flight receipt but the itinerary that shows departure and arrival times. If you have more than one flight during the week, attach all itineraries.
• While coaches are free to accumulate frequent flyer credits for personal use, that should not determine the carrier selected. The lowest fare should be selected even if it is on an alternate airline.
• SFAF will not reimburse costs for paying extra for certain “select” seats on a flight.
• Discretion should be used in making ticketing changes. Justification for the change must be explained on the expense report.
• Unused tickets from cancelled flights must be used as soon as possible so that the cost of the ticket will not be lost. When booking flights in Concur, every new reservation will “kick out” to World Travel if an unused ticket is on file. World Travel will review the new reservation against the unused ticket on file and will apply if applicable. If it’s applicable, they will void the original and apply the credit and an updated receipt will be emailed to you stating that the unused ticket was applied.
• TSA pre check: SFA will reimburse coaches for the cost of a TSA pre check. Please use the “Baggage/Misc Travel” when entering the expense into your weekly report.

CAR RENTAL / PERSONAL CAR MILEAGE REIMBURSEMENT

• Rental cars may be used for travel over 100 miles. Less than that, personal cars should be used. In deciding whether to drive a personal car or to use a rental car, the most cost effective option should be chosen. You should calculate pick up and drop off times, parking fees and extra day rental’s to determine which is the cheapest.
• Enterprise / National is SFA’s contracted vendor. Our Account number is XZ18571.
• In most cases, the rates for National and Enterprise will be the same.
• Please use National when available for expedited service. Reserving the midsize sedan at National allows you to bypass the counter and choose any vehicle in the aisle as a free upgrade.
• The midsize sedan is now the most cost effective option, and economy is no longer a contracted class.
• Please only book compact through full-size sedans for one-way rentals, as other vehicle classes incur an additional mileage fee upon return of the vehicle.
• A full sized car is appropriate only when there are three or more coaches traveling together.
• Be sure to sign up for the Emerald Club in order to receive perks.
• Whenever possible, please use Concur to book your car. In cases where there is no availability, the Emerald Club APP will show more availability for travelers with elevated status.
• Do not purchase additional insurance when booking a rental car, even though they ask every time. (SFA has insurance for rental vehicles.)
• SFA insurance does not cover personal vehicles. Coaches are expected to maintain adequate insurance coverage.
• Rental cars may not be kept over a weekend unless pre-authorized.
• “Extras” such as GPS, sun roof, etc. which incur additional cost are not authorized.
• SFA will reimburse employees for the use of personal automobiles according to the IRS mileage rate.  Check the link for the latest mileage reimbursement rate: Personal car mileage
• When driving your personal car, the auditors request that you enter each “leg” of your trip separately. For example, one entry for your drive TO the school and then another entry for your drive back home FROM the school. Each entry needs to include an address for the TO and the FROM. If it is a well-known public location, like an airport, you do not need to enter the address, just the name. But for schools and your home, you need to enter the address.
• A copy of the SFA auto insurance card is here. Do not purchase additional insurance when booking a rental car, even though they ask every time. (SFA has insurance for rental vehicles.)
• Make sure to download the “AxiKit Accident Report Kit” APP in case you have a fender bender in a rental car. You can find it in the APP Store. Use HMSFLEET for both the ID and Password.

IF YOU HAVE A CAR ACCIDENT

• Stay calm, be safe and don’t admit fault.
• Open the “AxiKit Accident Report Kit” APP and go to the Home Screen.Follow each step, in order, that is listed on the Home Page. This will walk you through how to file a claim.
• A copy of the SFA auto insurance card is here.
• If you do not already have the “AxiKit Accident Report Kit” APP downloaded, you can find it in the APP store. Use HMSFLEET for both the ID and Password.
• Lastly, please make sure to follow-up and let Kim Curley in Finance know about your accident.

HOTEL AND OVERNIGHT STAYS

• SFAF is tax exempt in some states. When staying at a hotel in one of these states, present the certificate to the hotel upon check-in so that you are not charged for tax.  Click each state for state tax exemption certificates. FL, IN, KY, MA, MD, NJ, NY, NV, PA, TN, TX, UT, VA, WI
• World Travel strongly advises SFA not to use Airbnb’s for safety considerations. Unless there is a dire situation, please stick to using hotels. We would prefer that someone stay at a hotel, even if that means their drive to the school may be a little longer.
• All hotel reservations should be made through Concur. If you are booking outside Concur, it will hinder our negotiating power and increase our risk in terms of knowing where everyone is in case of emergency.
• Considerations for selection of a hotel should include safety and cost. Parking charges and hotel taxes should also be factored into the cost consideration.
• When staying with family or a friend (versus a hotel) while traveling on SFA business, a note should be made on the expense report.
  • A host gift up to $25/night is reimbursable with a receipt. Please enter the host gift under the HOTEL expense category in Concur.
  • A host gift would be something like a gift card (if you’re looking to do something like cash). A gift card would also have a receipt to attach, as well as, an American Express charge.

MEAL PER DIEM WITH AN OVERNIGHT STAY

• According to IRS guidelines, the Foundation cannot pay you a meal per diem unless there is an overnight stay.  Without an overnight stay, the IRS considers the payment as income to the employee.
• If you stay overnight with friends or relatives (versus a staying at hotel), please note this in the description field, and we will pay meal per diems for the locality of your overnight stay.  A host gift up to $25/night is reimbursable with a receipt. Please enter the host gift under the HOTEL expense category in Concur.
• Tips are not reimbursable; tips are a part of your per diem.  Please do not claim tips for bags, parking or hotel daily cleaning. 
• How to calculate a meal per diem:
  • Determine the location where you will be working.
  • Look up the location-specific information at www.gsa.gov/perdiem.
  • On the results page, click “Meals & Incidentals (M&IE) Rates” to jump to the M&IE rates table.
  • Find the row for your specific location and note the amount listed for “M&IE Total.”
  • The M&IE Total is the full daily amount you can receive for a single day of travel when that day is neither the first nor last day of travel. 
  • Meal Per Diem Percentages: 20% breakfast, 30% lunch, 50% dinner of the M&IE Total.
  • Make sure to subtract a meal percentage if a meal was provided for you through work.
  • Please use the table below for your first and last day of travel.

EXTENDED TRAVEL MEAL REIMBURSEMENT

• According to IRS guidelines, the Foundation cannot pay you a meal per diem unless there is an overnight stay.  Without an overnight stay, the IRS considers the payment as income to the employee.
• We will reimburse your actual and reasonable meal expenses if you drive over 100 miles or travel by airline or train during the day. 
• Please enter these meals, individually, under the EXTENDED TRAVEL MEAL expense category in Concur.
• Receipts are required for any and all Extended Travel Meal items.
• Please use your own cash or personal card to pay for your meals during your travel day (not your corporate AmX). 

PASSPORTS

Passport/Visa needs are provided by our trusted partner, Travisa.  Travisa is enthusiastic about fulfilling your travel document needs easily, securely and quickly.  All service fees for passport/visa services are collected directly by Travisa at time of service.  Please reference the World Travel Service account number for discounted pricing.

Travisa offers Visa and Passport services by calling 877-876-3266, emailing customerservice@travisa.com or going directly to their website. Please reference account code 401838 when calling or emailing. (Monday – Friday, 7:30am – 8:00pm CT)