| By :
Mark Etinger
Running a business has a lot of various details and decisions that need to be made, things that we often don't think about until they become an issue. Travel and expense policies are one such detail. When a business is a start up, it may be that travel isn't really necessary, so you don't worry about putting these policies into place. But once things grow and travel is more prominent, you need to set things up to be clear, not only for your employees, but for the IRS as well. A travel and expense policy should cover which employees get reimbursement for their travel. Some companies opt to have any and all company related travel covered, no matter where the employee is in rank in the company. Others allow higher ups to get reimbursed and new employees to have a certain amount of time or a certain position with the company to get these perks. Others will put a budget per person, as in, how much per year they can be reimbursed before they go over the limit. All of these are viable options and should be considered based on budget. These budgets should be set specifically. For example, you may want to say that only $20 worth of lunch is covered and $30 on dinner a day. It prevents employees from spending too much on the company's dime. It should also detail spending on things like car rentals and airlines, how much mileage is covered and the maximum coverage of ticket or rental costs. Payment should be covered in your travel and expense policy. Some companies will choose to reimburse later, after the employee makes the payments out of their own pockets. But in some cases, expenses may be too great for them to cover on their own first and a payment will have to be made pre-trip. For reimbursements, this part of the policy needs to be clear on when an employee should expect reimbursement after they return. Consider that even with policies set in place, changes are often going to be made at least on an annual basis, taking into consideration yearly revenue, the IRS mileage schedule for businesses to make deductions (which changes sometimes more than once a year), and changes for lodging and food budgets -as rates change over the years. With all of this set in place, you'll be well prepared for your next business expense reports. You'll also keep your employees well informed about all the different rules and policies so there aren't a ton of questions coming your way every trip!
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