SUNY ESF
Travel with State Fund

• Determining Travel Status
• GSA per diem rates
• Non-employee Travel
• Non-employee Travel reimbursements - Interview Candidates 
• Over-the-Max Travel Request
• Tax Exempt Certificate (hotel rooms)
• Travel Authorization Form (Fillable PDF)
• Travel Documentation Checklist (list of needed forms)

• Net Card Form (Fillable PDF)
• NET Card Policies (DOCX)
• NYS Auto Mileage form (PDF)
• NYS Employee Travel Reimbursement form (Fillable PDF)
• NYS Non-employee Travel Reimbursement form (Fillable PDF)
• NYS Travel Card Policies and Responsibilities 
• NYS Volunteer Form
• Online Rental Reservations - State (PDF)
• State Travel Guide 
• Travel Card Form (Fillable PDF)

• Florida Tax Exempt Form (PDF)
• Maine Tax Exempt Form (PDF)
• Missouri Tax Exempt Form (PDF)
• New Jersey Tax Exempt Form (PDF)
• North Dakota Tax Exempt Form (PDF)
• NYS Tax Exempt Form (PDF)
• Rhode Island Tax Exempt Form (PDF)

Important Vehicle Reservation Information

To reserve a vehicle, please complete the Vehicle Request Form and include the following information:

• Vehicle use and destination

• Reservation dates/times

• Desired vehicle type (car, van or truck)

• ***Drivers MUST be entered and approved through the NYS DMV License Event Notification Service (LENS) Program before reservations can be confirmed. Visit UPD, located at 16 Bray, with your Driver's License at your earliest convenience if you have not already been entered in to LENS

• 24-Passenger Bus Reservation Request Form (PDF)

• Bus Layout Template (XLS)

Please fill out this online form for Vehicle Request and Bus Request Online Form. Next day vehicle requests must be made before 2:00pm the day before your desired reservation.

This email will be checked daily and you will receive a confirmation email with relevant information once your request is approved.

For more information on the fleet vehicle reservation process, please visit the Garage webpage.

Rent in the name of New York State and sign the agreement as an agent for the State. Do not purchase the additional insurance on the vehicle when using your NYS Travel card. The rental agreement and receipt should be submitted with the Travel Voucher upon your return. Gasoline purchases as well as any other direct costs associated with the rental vehicle can be placed on the Travel card and receipts should be submitted with your travel voucher upon your return. Reasons for using a rental car may be public transportation not available or a rental car is cheaper than alternative transportation.

SUNY ESF has contract pricing with Enterprise. Please use this link for information on rental vehicles: Online Rental Reservations for ESF State Employees 

A personal vehicle may be used when common carrier transportation is not available or cost effective. Mileage will be reimbursed in accordance with the current collective bargaining agreement, regardless of the number of passengers.

Mileage Rate Reimbursement for Personal car

MapQuest or Google Maps directions should be submitted with your Mileage form as back up for the miles traveled. Charges for fuel, accessories, repairs, depreciation, antifreeze, towing and other similar expenditures will not be allowed. These are considered operating costs of a vehicle and are covered in the mileage allowance.

For employees traveling within 35 miles from both their official work station and home, travel reimbursement for personal car mileage will follow the Lesser of Mileage Rule as is stated in the OSC travel manual. No meals will be reimbursed. The Office of State Comptroller (OSC) Travel Manual also states, it is the traveler's responsibility to know State travel rules and regulations and the agency's specific travel policies and procedures.

Charges for gasoline, accessories, repairs, depreciation, anti-freeze, towing, insurance, auto club memberships and other expenditures may be included.

What can be claimed?

• If you travel from home to another location and then continue to your primary work location during the day, only the additional mileage incurred beyond the normal commute is reimbursable

• You can claim only the mileage incurred during the course of daily business for the distance greater than your normal commute to your official work station. You can only have one official work station.

• Travel Office will round down mileage totals when reimbursements are calculated.

Mileage Rates for Official College Travel

You may use a personal vehicle for official travel when an ESF owned vehicle or common carrier is not available, not cost effective, or otherwise not appropriate. Before a trip, justification may be required for use of a personal vehicle.

• OGS Travel Calculator (standard size vehicle may be used for comparison)

Mileage Rates

 

Travel reimbursements will either be direct deposited or mailed to the address currently in PAYSERV for the individual.

• Employees that receive part or all of their pay in a check will continue to receive a check for their travel/expense reimbursements. However, that check will be mailed to the same address as the one that appears on the employee's paycheck. There is no option to have travel reimbursements returned to the campus or sent to an address different from the one on the paycheck.

• Employees that have their full paycheck direct deposited to one bank account will have their travel/expense reimbursements deposited to that same account.

• Employees that have their direct deposit split across more than one account will have their travel/ expense reimbursements deposited into the account where the balance of their pay goes. For example, if you have $300 per paycheck direct deposited to Bank A and the balance to Bank B, your travel/expense reimbursement will go to Bank B. If you are unsure how your direct deposit is set up in regard to multiple deposits or if you wish to make changes to your direct deposit account, contact Human Resources.

• Employees will not receive any notification that a direct deposit has occurred, they would be aware that a reimbursement will be coming and the amount when they submit their Expense Report.

• Employee reimbursements for travel/expenses will be paid on an ongoing basis and are not impacted by the payroll schedule. Employees will be reimbursed as reimbursement vouchers are processed.

When an employee takes a day trip only and does not incur an overnight stay, the following unreceipted meal rates apply. To be entitled to these meal rates the employee must be in travel status (over 35 miles from home and official station and gone for more than 3 hours) and meet the departure and arrival time requirements for breakfast and dinner. Per IRS guidelines, non-overnight meals are taxable.

Unreceipted meal rates for day trips Guidelines for Meal Reimbursement

• If meals are included in a conference or provided by any other source, they will not be reimbursed.

• Travel Authorization must be on file prior to travel.

• The meeting/conference agenda must be provided.

• Breakfast and dinner are the only meals that are reimbursable.

• Reimbursement is not provided for lunch.

• Incidental expenses such as tips to bellmen, porters, hotel maid are included in the per diem allowance.

Employees may choose one of two methods for expense reimbursement for overnight travel, whichever is to their advantage. Travelers may not, however, combine the two methods on the same overnight trip. Breakfast and dinner are reimbursable meals; lunch is not.

Unreceipted Method (Method 1)

This method provides for a fixed 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 was traveling (whichever rate is less), and such location must be indicated on the expense report. No receipts are required to claim this method of reimbursement. Current rates are as follows:

Travelers using this unreceipted method are also eligible for an additional $5.00 for breakfast on the day of departure if they have to leave at least one hour before their normal work start time. They are also eligible for an additional $12.00 for dinner on the day of return if they return at least two hours later than their normal work ending time. For example, a traveler leaves Albany at 7:00 a.m. heading to New York City. The traveler stays overnight at a friend's house in New York City and arrives back in Albany the next day at 6:00 p.m. The traveler's scheduled work hours are from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. The traveler is entitled to the unreceipted per diem of $50 for the one night stay in New York City. In addition, the traveler is entitled to an additional $5.00 for breakfast and $12.00 for dinner.

Receipted Method (Method 2)

This method provides reimbursement of actual lodging costs and an allowance for meals and incidental expenses based on federal reimbursement rates for the county of lodging. The per diem rates for locations within the continental United States are revised annually. Since rates are based on location of lodging, the city and state of the lodging location must be indicated on the expense report. Receipts are required for lodging, but not for meals, when using Method 2. Meal expense reimbursements that are associated with overnight business travel are not taxable. Each day the traveler is in overnight travel 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. Please note that bank and credit card statements are not accepted in lieu of actual receipts or folios for expenses.

Travelers using this method are also eligible for an additional per diem for breakfast if they have to leave at least one hour before their normal work start time the first day, and/or for 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. The current meal allowance are apportioned by 20% of per diem for breakfast and 80% of per diem for dinner.

Maximum lodging rates exclude taxes. For travel within New York State, a Tax Exempt Certificate ST-129 (PDF) must be used as taxes are not a refundable item. For travel outside of New York State, state and local taxes are not included in the maximum lodging amount but will be reimbursed in addition to the per diem amount.

Occasionally, 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 travel. If that occurs, the traveler must obtain prior approval to exceed the federal rate by submitting an Over the Max Form (PDF). If over per diem is not justifiable and extremely over the rate, only up to the rate for that area may be paid.

Meals and Incidental Expenses Breakdown

• RF International Travel Assistance/Medical Coverage

• Fly America Act

Foreign Per Diem Rates

(Includes Hawaii, Alaska, and U.S. Possessions)

• Foreign Per Diem Rates
  Be sure to choose the correct fiscal year.

• Foreign currency converter
  Foreign Meal Allowance Breakdown

The foreign meal allowance schedule lists the meal allowance as a lump sum. The meal allowance is broken down as follows:

• 80% for dinner

• 20% for breakfast

Check these links for travel advisories prior to booking international travel.

• Center for Disease Control Travel Advice

• Department of State Travel Advisories

For further information on international travel contact the office of International Education at oie@esf.edu