Employees may choose one of two methods for reimbursement for overnight travel, but cannot mix methods per day. Breakfast and dinner are reimbursable meals, lunch is not.
Binghamton University considers our core work hours to be from 8am to 5pm; we apply the 7am to 7pm rule for meals to be reimbursed. Any variance from this schedule will need extra supporting documentation from the traveler.
Day Trip Reimbursement
Travelers may be reimbursed for breakfast and/or dinner for day trips based on departure and return times. Travelers are entitled to reimbursement for breakfast if they have to leave at or before 7:00 AM, and/or dinner if they return home after 7:00 PM.
Travelers without meal receipts are reimbursed $5.00 for breakfast and/or $12.00 for dinner.
Travelers with itemized meal receipts are reimbursed up to the maximum amount of the meal per-diem allowance (Method 2) specified for the particular area of travel.
Day trip meal reimbursements are considered taxable income and are reportable as income to the IRS.
Unreceipted Method
The Unreceipted Method (Method 1) provides a flat rate allowance for meals, lodging and incidental expenses regardless of where lodging is obtained, including lodging with relatives or friends. Rates are established based on the city or county where lodging is obtained or the location to which the employee is traveling (whichever is less), and such location must be indicated on the Request and Authorization for Travel form. No receipts are required when using this method. Current rates are as follows:
| Location | Per Diem |
| New York City and Nassau, Suffolk, Rockland and Westchester Counties | $50 |
| Cities of Albany, Binghamton, Buffalo, Rochester, Syracuse and their respective surrounding metropolitan areas | $40 |
| All other locations in New York State | $35 |
| Out of State (this includes any out of state tax) | $50 |
These amounts are broken down as $5 for breakfast, $12 for dinner and between $18-$33 for lodging. Travelers using this method may also be eligible for an additional $5.00 for breakfast on the day of departure, if they leave at least one hour before their normal work start time. They may also be eligible for an additional $12.00 for dinner on the day of return if they return at least two hours later than their normal working time.
Receipted Method
The Receipted Method (Method 2) provides reimbursement of actual lodging costs and an allowance for meals based on federal reimbursement rates for the county of lodging. Since rates are based on location of lodging, the street address, city and state must be indicated on the R&A form. Itemized receipts are required for lodging, but not for meals, as the hotel receipt/folio serves as your "meal" receipt unless your department requires them.
Please note: Cleaning fees charged on any Airbnb stays are a non-covered service and will not be reimbursed. Any taxes/fees charged for lodging at a New York State hotel will not be reimbursed. A valid lodging receipt/folio is needed to reimburse any lodging charges and proof of fiscal liability may be requested.
For each day the traveler is in overnight status, the traveler is eligible for reimbursement for lodging up to a maximum lodging per diem and a per diem allowance for meals. The meal per diem is for dinner the first night and breakfast the following day. If breakfast or dinner is provided on the travel event, those meals are not reimbursable.
Travelers using this method are also eligible for an additional per diem breakfast if they have to leave at least one hour before their normal work start time the first day, and/or dinner if they return at least two hours later than their normal work ending time on the last day of travel. In these cases, breakfast and/or dinner will be reimbursed up to the maximum amount of the meal per diem allowance specified for the particular area of lodging.
Maximum lodging rates exclude taxes. For travel within New York State, travelers must provide a New York State Tax Exemption Certificate (ST-129) to the hotel. For travel outside of New York State, state and local taxes are NOT included in the maximum lodging rate and will be reimbursed in addition to the per diem amount.
Lodging over per-diem justification policy
On occasion, travelers may be unable to find a hotel at a rate that does not exceed the maximum federal lodging per-diem rate for the location of the travel event. If that occurs, travelers must obtain PRIOR WRITTEN approval from his/her finance office to exceed the federal rate using the Request and Authorization form (R&A). On the R&A form, there is space available to give such a justification.
Conference site-hotel that houses any conference/meeting events; staying at the conference site does not need to be pre-justified.
Conference recommended hotel-host hotel(s) for the conference/meeting-staying in host hotels need to be pre-justified on R&A (again, before trip)
NYS OSC wants the traveler to show that the lodging that was obtained was at the most economical room rate possible-compare 3 like hotels, pick the most economical and document on R&A before the travel event.
