Hotels
Airbnb
Employees are allowed to book rooms or apartments on Airbnb, VRBO and similar, if the nightly rate is within company policy and/or the price is equivalent to or lower than the cost of a standard room at a 3-star hotel in the same city.
Employees must book Airbnb using Approved booking tool or by calling Approved booking tool’s support team. Please do not book with Airbnb directly, or your trip will not be tracked properly.
Apartment rentals (direct)
The cost of temporary apartment rentals varies greatly by city. There are no standard guidelines and all apartment rentals must be approved by team lead.
Rail transportation
When booking rail transportation, all employees must book economy class.
Taxis and ride sharing
Taxi, Uber and Lyft rides are reimbursable:
Rental cars
When renting vehicles, employees must choose economy, compact or mid-size. Employees may accept an upgrade on site if offered by the rental company at no additional charge. Use a single rental car for up to 4 employees.
For rental vehicles, money spent on gas is reimbursable. Please follow expense and reimbursement guidelines below. The car rental should be returned with the amount of gas requested.
Rental car insurance is provided by Insurance company, so employees should accept the Loss Damage Waiver and Collision Damage Waiver and not purchase insurance on site.
Use of personal car
Employees are eligible for reimbursement for miles/kilometers driven using their personal vehicle for approved company purposes.
We reimburse X amount per mile/kilometer. Please include the total miles/kilometers driven as well as the reimbursement amount on your expense report.
Meals
Team or department meals must be pre-approved by the team or department head and must be submitted for reimbursement by the team or department head.
Client entertainment
Client entertainment must be reasonable and kept to meals and refreshments. Tickets such as concerts and sporting events are not reimbursable for the purposes of client entertainment.
Company Name will refund up to X amount per month of employee’s personal cell phone bill for the months that the employee travels.
If the employee’s personal phone is damaged, stolen or lost during a company business trip, Company Name will reimburse the employee up to X amount.
⚠️ Rule of thumb: If a cost is necessary as part of your work, it should be reimbursed.
If a cost is clearly not necessary for your work, it won’t be.
To be reimbursed, expenses need to be “wholly and exclusively incurred” for the purposes of running the business or generating more business.
Travel expenses are work-related expenses (also sometimes called “T&E expenses”). Here are some examples of travel costs reimbursed by [Company Name]:
While traveling you are covered by [Company Name]’s travel insurance [Insurance provider].
If you need information you can call [Insurance provider] assistance using the contract reference number on the card below.
You should always look for the lowest fare. But you should also find the arrangement that makes you the most efficient in your travel, and allows you to work effectively.
We are legally required to submit and store expense receipts. [Company Name] can claim tax relief for expenses, but only where receipts are attached as proof of payment.
⚠️ Missing receipts cost the company money, and may mean that you are not reimbursed.
What is a valid receipt?
A sufficient proof of purchase includes the following elements:
Incorrect expense claims:
Exaggerating costs or claiming for non-work-related expenses can constitute fraud. We trust our teams to make smart business decisions, but will investigate excessive or repeatedly inaccurate claims.
Reminder: each expense must be “wholly and exclusively” work-related to be reimbursable. Examples of non-reimbursable costs include:
These are just examples, and this list is not exhaustive. Please check with your manager or [HR/Finance] if you are unsure about a specific expenditure.
This policy applies to all our employees that need to spend money for work-related activities.
