are per diem incidentals a required to be paid
Employees traveling overnight will be paid a per diem amount designed to cover the cost of three meals per day for all days of travel other than the day of departure and return. The maximum per diem for three meals is $28.00 per day for travel within most areas of Georgia. Generally, meals and certain incidental travel expenses are reimbursable on a per diem basis (not actual expenses) for overnight official business travel outside the traveler’s official station. The College will reimburse meal expenses based on a fixed allowance. College Travel Regulations refer to the fixed allowance as the Meals and Incidental Expense (M&IE) Per Diem. The following subsections provide requirements for meal expense reimbursements. Stephanie White/Photodisc/Getty Images. Per diem, which means “per day” in Latin, constitutes a form of payment to cover expenses incurred on business trips. Permissible expenditures for per diem pay include food, lodging and incidental expenses, which include room service, laundry, dry cleaning, tips and fees. The federal government maintains a handful of laws regarding per diem expenses, including a chart of permissible per diem rates. [10] Do I pay the same rate each day the employee is travelling? [11] Is there a per diem rate for lodging? [12] Can I pay a combined rate for Lodging, Meals, and Incidental Expenses? [13] What if the combined rate I pay my employees is less than the federal per diem rate? 1 If a specific city is not listed, use the “Other” rate shown for that country. 2  The M&IE portion of the maximum per diem rate covers the cost of meals as well as incidental expenses. 3  Printouts of appropriate rates for the time of travel must be attached to the travel voucher for reimbursement. The M&IE per diem shall be paid directly to the traveler even where it can be shown that one traveler incurred the expenses on behalf of another. The applicable M&IE per diem, or fraction thereof, is payable to the traveler without itemization of expense or receipts. Meal expenses will be paid for the federal per diem (less the federal “incidentals” allowance) rate established for the travel destination. The TechWorks Employee T&E System will pull rates effective at the time of travel for the travel location where the employee spends the night. On a travel departure or return day, 75% of the Meals per diem is reimbursed. For example, if the M&IE rate allows a $46 total reimbursement, $36.00 [($46 - $5 = $41 x .75) = $30.75 + $5 = $35.75 which is rounded up to $36] would be allowable on a travel departure or return day. I. General Meal Per Diem Guidelines. Meals are reimbursable on a per diem basis (not actual expenses) for overnight official business travel outside the traveler’s Primary Work Station. The T&E System will provide the proper per diem amounts based on travel to specific cities. Daily meal allowances include taxes/meal tips and are divided into breakfast/lunch/dinner amounts to allow travelers to deduct specific meals, where required. Per diem expenses do not require receipts to be provided. The law further stipulates that all per diem rates be established in accordance with the cost of living in each city. An employee who abandons an assignment before completion due to illness or emergency should still receive a per diem for each day spent on assignment.
Yes