2022 TQI Travel & Living Expenses (T&L) Policy
This document ensures that employee travel is consistent with the business objectives of TQI. It also ensures fair and equitable treatment of employees by defining procedures for authorized business travel and guidelines for expense reimbursement.
A critical balance must be sought when requesting travel. This is the company's need for cost-effectiveness, client value and the employee's need for quality services and support. Employee travel should be via the lowest cost alternative, consistent with good business practices. Neither luxury, nor sub-standard modes of transportation and accommodations shall be used.
Employee travel and the expenses associated with it will be authorized only in circumstances which are clearly consistent with the mission of TQI. It will be the responsibility of each manager to ensure that all employee travel meets this objective and that reimbursement is made only for actual, reasonable business expenses in connection with authorized travel. In order to maintain control over expenditures, any expense submitted which does not comply with the guidelines of this procedure will not be reimbursed, unless accompanied by an approved, valid exception by management. Expense reports must be submitted in a timely manner (within 3 business days of the completed trip). Any use of corporate credit cards without advanced approval by the President or Vice President of Client Services will be considered a violation and may result in termination and/or prosecution. Under no circumstances will cash advances be permitted. Any and all unauthorized charges, associated interest, collections fees and damages will be the responsibility of the offender.
Local travel, considered to be within a sixty-mile radius of employee’s office shall not be a consideration except for per diem.
Employees must submit the following documentation in their company issued expense report:
- Air/Rail – original passenger receipt.
- Hotel – hotel folio plus credit card receipt or other proof of payment.
- Car Rental – credit card receipt or rental agency invoice.
- Approved Entertainment – credit card receipt or register receipt for all expenses.
- Meals – credit card receipt or register receipts for meal expenses over $5.00.
All travel and living (T&L) expenses incurred in conjunction with this agreement will be reimbursed monthly as accounted for. T&L expenses may include rental car, parking fees, mileage fees, baggage fees, travel to/from airports, flights, hotels and $98.00 daily meal per diem. TQI maintains corporate discount agreements with Avis, Delta Airlines, the Marriott family of hotels and the Inter-Continental family of hotels. All corporate discounts will be passed to our clients and ministry partners. Airline fees will be invoiced upon booking and due upon receipt. Daily incidental fees per the IRS will be assessed at $5.00 per person/per day.
To help reduce T&L expenses, TQI will, whenever plausible, meet via conference call, web meeting or video conferencing. In addition, we will utilize our mobile office for on-site visits which require an overnight stay as the mobile office unit is available.
Round-trip automobile, air and rail travel time will be invoiced at $55.00 per hour. Travel time will not be considered a part of the contracted hours. Travel time will be actual hours or portions thereof. It will include:
- $0.585 cents per mile (per 2022 IRS standard). This figure is subject to change and is linked to the IRS standard.
- Point-to-Point time from originating office to client office and back to the originating office.
Round-trip flight travel time will be invoiced at $55.00 per hour. Travel time will not be considered a part of the contracted hours. Travel time will be actual hours or portions thereof. It will include:
- Point-to-Point time from originating office to client office and back to the originating office.
- Air travel time will be limited to 1-hour security and check-in time (2 hours for international flights)
- 45 minutes for layover / transfer time for multi-leg flights
- An air/train-travel surcharge of $20.00 per leg will be assessed for all flights/trains to/from client destinations and included in airline/rail fees.
- Baggage fees, where applicable, will be invoiced and included in airline fees.