Expense Reimbursement Policy

Sample:
[Business Name]

In the course of your duties as an employee of [Business Name],

you may be required to pay for goods/services that allow you to
do your job. Any eligible expenses that you incur on behalf of
[Business Name] will be reimbursed in full.

Qualifying Expenses.
[Business Name] will reimburse all part and full-time employees
for all qualifying expenses, including:

 Travel for business purposes.

 Conference fees.
 Accommodations while attending meetings, conferences,
etc.
 Office supplies.
 Software required for work.
 Professional certification/membership fees.

This list is by no means exhaustive. Employees should always

get approval for reimbursement from their supervisors before
incurring a work expense.

Non-Qualifying Expenses.
There are certain expenses that [Business Name] will not be held
responsible for, including:
  Lost personal property.
 Unauthorized meals/entertainment.
 Fines incurred while operating a company vehicle.
 Unauthorized flight upgrades, accommodations, etc.
 Expenses for spouses who accompany employees on
business trips.

Procedure.
In order to ensure that you are reimbursed for work-related
expenses, follow these steps:

1. Always keep receipts and submit them within 30 days.

2. Affix all applicable receipts to the expense reimbursement
form.
3. Submit the form to [manager/supervisor/accountant].

How does a company fuel

card/reimbursement work?
Car allowances and fuel cards (or fuel reimbursements) are
incredible perks to mobile employees. They receive a credit card
to buy fuel or are reimbursed for fuel receipts. While extremely
convenient to employees, these programs can be quite costly if
not managed properly.
Fuel cards are primarily used for company cars. A company
fleet is typically comprised of business vehicles of reasonable
and economical size, allowing the company to manage costs and
budget accurately. Fuel cards are a natural fit because the
organization provides the car and covers all costs.
Some organizations, however, use fuel cards with personal cars
to supplement the employee's car allowance and offset vehicle
expenses. Often employees will discover that their car allowance
isn't enough to cover vehicle costs, making a fuel card a quick
and seemingly easy solution.

With a personal vehicle, however, fuel costs can be more

difficult to manage. Providing a fuel card or reimbursement is
typically the go-to solution when employees work in areas with
high gas prices, cover broad territories, or both. Choosing
between a fuel card and reimbursement is a big decision: it
involves cost, convenience, and administrative responsibilities
for your organization and employees.

How much does a company fuel card

cost? 
The company costs from a fuel card or reimbursement are based
on three factors:
1. The gas mileage of employees’ personal vehicles
2. Reporting of business mileage
3. How proactive your policy is
These factors should not be overlooked. Below we’ll consider
each factor and how it can contribute to company costs.
 1. Employee gas mileage and fuel
cards/reimbursements
Let’s face it—your employees buy or drive vehicles that make
sense for their lifestyle and preferences. If they enjoy hunting or
camping they might purchase large SUVs or pickup trucks to
tow fifth-wheel campers for weekend and vacation trips. Many
mobile employees will use these same vehicles for business.
The vehicles employees drive may be a little “more” than what
they need to do their jobs. If a sales rep only needs a midsize
vehicle to get the job done yet drives a V8 SUV, you are going
to end up subsidizing the fuel costs with the fuel card or
reimbursement.
2. Reporting business mileage for fuel
cards/ reimbursements
The type of mileage log your organization uses should fulfill
two requirements:
1. IRS-compliant reporting
2. Managing company costs 
An IRS-compliant mileage log is the best way to ensure an easy,
error- and problem-free audit. You can use mileage log
substitutes, for example call logs and calendar appointments, but
it will take a substantial amount of time and forensic mileage log
work to calculate accurate mileage and satisfy IRS requirements.
This can prove especially difficult when employees have left the
organization. This practice will not guarantee an easy, error- or
penalty-free audit.

An appropriate mileage log should track business mileage in

real-time for the highest accuracy. A mileage tracking app is
best practice to help control fuel card costs, providing visibility
and measurement of business vs. personal use and costs. Using
the business mileage, you can measure territory size, activity,
and even the fuel economy of your employees’ vehicles. This
information can be used to develop a fuel policy and can prove
to be more useful than simply tracking either the number of
gallons and cost for each month.
3. An effective company fuel
card/reimbursement policy
Your fuel card or reimbursement policy will also steer and help
control costs. Policies should treat everyone equitably while
helping control administrative work and costs. These policies
may take the form of placing a cap on the number of times a
week a mobile employee can fill up. Organizations may also
implement a policy of limiting the days of the week one which
the fill up occur. For example, you can limit employees to either
Friday or Monday fill-ups, but not both. This will curb the
amount of weekend driving.
If you’re going to provide a car allowance and fuel card or fuel
reimbursement with personal vehicles, it pays to take proactive
steps to find tools that can assist you in managing your fuel
costs. It can also be worth it to consider adopting a policy that
can replace your fuel card while still providing a robust benefit
to mobile employees.