The WS/FCS In-County Travel Mileage Reimbursement Policy
A Guide To…
The WS/FCS In-County Travel Mileage Reimbursement Policy
When you travel on school district business to locations within the boundaries of Forsyth County, school district policy AR 4133 “Travel Compensation and the Use of School Vehicles” governs the procedures you are to use in paying for your travel expenses and in obtaining reimbursement for them. This brochure explains the policy and how you can get reimbursed for your properly approved in-county travel expenses.
WINSTON-SALEM/FORSYTH COUNTY BOARD OF EDUCATION POLICY 4133 states that “The rate of mileage reimbursement shall be established by the Board of Education. Reimbursement shall be paid for the use of privately owned vehicles when used on official school business as approved by the employee's department head in accordance with the criteria established by the superintendent in an administrative regulation.”
The Administrative Regulations associated with Policy 4133 read as follows: “Administrative and support personnel who are required to travel about the county in the course and scope of their employment shall be given direct mileage reimbursement at the standard Internal Revenue Service (IRS) approved rate… for the actual miles they have driven.”
It is important to note that any travel for which you expect reimbursement must be performed while carrying out “official school business as approved by the employee’s department head.” Any miles traveled for personal or non-work-related reasons must be subtracted from your odometer readings when making a claim for reimbursement. In the absence of actual odometer readings, distance estimates are available from many Internet websites.
The IRS-approved rate changes from time to time, and so does the rate approved by the Board of Education. Although the IRS rate typically changes on January 1st, more recently it has also been adjusted during the course of the year. The Board of Education has not always adopted the IRS-approved rate immediately due to budget considerations, but they often do by the beginning of the following fiscal year.
COMMUTING RULES
It is important to note that “commuting costs” (as defined by the Internal Revenue Service) are not reimbursable costs under Board of Education policy. Policy 4133 also states that “Travel from the place of residence to the initial work location and from the last work location home shall not be eligible for reimbursement even though these locations may vary from day to day.”
Basically, for someone who works at more than one job location from time to time, the regulations only allow reimbursement for mileage driven after your arrival at your first work destination in the morning, and before your final destination for the day.
SCHOOL DISTRICT GASOLINE CARDS
The use of school district-issued gasoline cards is strictly for OUT-OF-COUNTY travel only. Use of these cards for anything other than out-of-county travel expenses is a violation of Board of Education policy and may result in disciplinary action.
OBTAINING REIMBURSEMENT
In order to be reimbursed for your In-County Travel Expenses, you must first have been given job responsibilities which require you to travel between locations within the County. You are only entitled to reimbursement if the locations you travel to are all necessary for you to go to because of your duly assigned job duties.
Also, you must request reimbursement within a reasonable time, or your authorization to receive reimbursement for your expenses will expire. Typically you are expected to request reimbursement within 30 days of the end of the month in which you traveled. Reimbursement requests for prior fiscal years may be denied due to the fact that annual budgets do not provide for travel reimbursements from prior years.
To obtain reimbursement, complete one of our online forms found on the WS/FCS website. They may be found under the Financial Services Department’s website page under “Travel Forms.” Complete the form online and print it out. You will need to obtain your Principal or Supervisor’s signature before forwarding it to the Financial Services Department for processing.
Please be sure that all information required is completed! Incomplete forms cause delays in reimbursement. Also, please be aware that the distances you have claimed on travel reimbursement forms are often audited for accuracy, and may be reduced without notice if deemed excessive.
The Financial Services Department strongly recommends that employees who travel complete their own travel reimbursement forms rather than asking a secretary or anyone else to do it for them. Completing your forms online is quick and easy, and it will save you, and everyone involved in the approval process, a lot of time and effort.
ACCURACY + COMPLETENESS = SPEED!
When submitting travel reimbursement forms, be sure that:
· ORIGINAL receipts for all expenses other than gasoline are included
· All required personal information is complete.
· All destinations are clearly identified (use addresses when visiting sites not operated by the school district), and all mileage shown – including round-trip - is accurate and complete.
· All required approval signatures are obtained.
The Financial Services Department strives to make all mileage reimbursement payments within two weeks of receiving your completed requests.
Please contact the Financial Services Department at 727-2821 if you have any questions about this policy or how it is administered.