| Owner / assigned to: | Accounting |
|---|---|
| Scope: | Company-wide |
| Approver: | Niklas Pavlika (Head of Finances) |
| Status: | Effective |
|---|---|
| Valid from - to: | 01/27/2023 - |
Purpose
These guidelines regulate the reimbursement of travel expenses for employees on business trips in Germany and abroad.
Provisions
All employees at the company headquarters, in the branch offices or employees at remote workplaces submit their applications for reimbursement of travel expenses, advance payments and their travel expenses and material costs via the portal https://reimbursement.mycompany.com.
Every employee receives their personal user access to this portal after applying via the HR department.
Rules
Business trips
A business trip carried out on behalf of the employer must be approved electronically by the supervisor before the trip begins and costs are incurred. Excluded from this are business trips within the place of work or residence and daily appointments of less than eight hours within a federal state (field trips, errands).
Entitlement to travel allowance
In principle, travel expense reports should be submitted as soon as possible, but no later than three months after the end of the business trip. Six months after the end of the business trip, the entitlement to reimbursement of travel expenses expires. In the case of trips abroad, a travel plan must also be attached to the business trip application and a travel report to the travel expense report.
Travel and flight reimbursement
The following rules apply:
- When traveling by public transport, the necessary costs of the lowest class will be reimbursed. The travel expenses include also the expenses for surcharges and surcharges for trains and reservation fees. The costs of a Bahncard are reimbursed proportionately up to the amount of the purchase price, as they lead to savings in the case of business trips.
- The costs for the taxi and rental car will only be reimbursed in justified cases. Justified cases are:
- The main means of transport or the apartment cannot be reached in any other way,
- the place of business cannot be reached otherwise or on time,
- the state of health of the employee makes this necessary,
- the journey must take place between 11 p.m. and 6 a.m.,
- there is a concrete danger to the employee,
- heavy or bulky luggage must be carried.
- Parking fees are reimbursed up to €12 per day.
- Flight costs will only be reimbursed if there are business reasons (due to appointments) or economic reasons (time and cost savings) and in the amount of economy class. Approval for the flight and the assumption of costs must be obtained from the supervisor before the start of the business trip together with the business trip application. Bonus miles earned for work may only be used for work.
Overnight stays
Accommodation costs that cannot be proven with receipts are to be reimbursed at a flat rate of €50 per night. If the accommodation costs are higher, they will be reimbursed insofar as they were unavoidable and reasonable. An overnight stay of up to €120 is usually considered reasonable. Costs for overnight stays that exceed the maximum amount of €120 will only be reimbursed if there is a justified exceptional situation (trade fairs) and the supervisor has approved the assumption of costs before the start of the business trip together with the business trip application.
Roles and responsibilities
Roles and responsibilities related to this policy
| Role | Currently assigned | Responsibility | Supporting documents |
|---|---|---|---|
| Head of Finances | Niklas Pavlika | Review the accuracy of the policy | n/a |
| Financial accountant | Tina Rimbaud | Processing of travel expenses and material costs | n/a |
| Head of HR | Monique Reed | Grant access to the billing portal | n/a |
| Direct manager (team or department lead) | accordingly | Approve trips | n/a |
Definitions
Definition of key terms in this guideline:
- Travel costs: All costs that arise in connection with a trip, such as transport costs (travel costs by car, train, plane or ship), accommodation costs, additional meal expenses and ancillary travel costs.
- Material costs: Costs that cannot be assigned directly to an order, with the exception of salaries and ancillary salary costs. Here, for example: additional room costs, insurance or repairs.
