odd approach to mileage

MrCreosote

Our mileage reimbursement policy is follows - if you go from home to the destination or from the destination to home, you are reimbursed for that mileage. If you begin and/or end the day at your base office, you are reimbursed for the mileage from the base office to the destination, and/or vice versa, but not for your regular commute. I think this is pretty standard.
I have a VP, though, who thinks that an employee who goes directly to the destination from home should be reimbursed for that distance, but MINUS the length of their normal home-to-work commute, because the employee should only be reimbursed for "extra" miles. It seems petty and stupid to me, but I need to know if it violates any laws or regulations. Nobody else does it this way, do you?

Pork

CREOSOTE: Your company can set it up anyway you want to, just as long as you don't try to take an expense of doing business for a greater sum than allowed by law. Home to destination, other than your office base and return to your home, is standard, pay the whole distance. Office base to a different work site pay the distance; from thye distance to the home, pay the distance to the office base is also standard. We do not get the right to claim an expense for our normal get to work and return home like most other employees. Now, home to office and a distance which includes an overnight and onto multiple work sites and end back at your home for the last leg of the trip, pay the whole distance, would also be standard.

Our company pays only .25 per personal business mile, thus we have very few who choose to use their personal vehicle to conduct business including the mail clerk. Now that is petty when the government allows .375 per personal business mile!

PORK

San Francisco

Actually that is exactly how we compute mileage. If I live 20 miles from my General Office, but I am going to a store that is 20 miles past my General Office, I will start my mileage once I pass my General Office. I know we're only talking some $6.90 for 20 miles, but if you have alot of people traveling,it can add up. It just never occurred to me that was petty or strange to do it that way.

Elizabeth

MrCreosote

Thanks for replying and sorry if my language was too strong.
Let me give you an example that might better explain my frustration: You live 20 miles from the office and I live less than a mile away. We both go to a conference that is forty miles away. It's exactly the same distance away from both of our homes, and we both go directly from our homes to the conference. I am reimbursed 40 miles each way for a total of eighty miles, or $28.80. Under the system I described, you would be reimbursed for 80 miles minus your usual 40 mile commute (20 each way)for a total of 40 miles, or $14.40. So we would drive exactly the same distance but you would be reimbursed for half as much. You would, in effect, be penalized for living farther from the office. You don't mind?

Down_the_Middle

Whether or not the employee "minds" is less important to me than admistering the policy consistently and uniformly. I don't see where any party is disadvantaged........ comparing the two mileage reimbursements is a reflection of the place of residence, not the employers policy. This type of policy is , I think, quite common.

San Francisco

No, I don't mind. If I hadn't gone to the conference, I would have gone into work, so I have only had to drive an extra 20 miles to the conference. But the coworker had to drive an extra 39 miles. Why isn't it fair that he/she be reimbursed for the additional miles over and beyond what is the normal commute for that person?

Elizabeth

MrCreosote

I don't think the normal commute should be considered, because the normal commute wasn't made.

HRsage

We do ours the same way as San Francisco's and the way that is being suggested. I work 35 miles from my house. Sometimes I have to go to a different location that is 40 miles away from my house. I only get paid for the 5 mile difference. I always thought this was pretty standard.

blw

[font size="1" color="#FF0000"]LAST EDITED ON 11-17-03 AT 05:14PM (CST)[/font][br][br]We don't reimburse our employees for any mileage from home to their first destination, or from their last destination to home.

We would only reimburse from the first destination to the second, etc. Travel outside the city/area would be looked at differently than mileage reimbursement for travel within the city.

I always thought this was standard.

cthr

We do our mileage the same as most of the others. I live 22 miles from my office. I am not reimbursed for that 22 miles if I go to a conference, etc. I am only reimbursed for the excess miles above and beyond my normal commute. It has been that way at every company I have worked for.

I am going to a meeting after work this evening. The place is on my way home, even though I have to go about 1/4 mile out of my way. I will not be reimbursed for it. Half the time, I forget to put in for the mileage that is owed me. Somehow, in the big scheme of things, it isn't really that important to me.

It has been that way at every company I have worked for.

MrCreosote

Thanks everyone. I guess it's far more common than I thought, but I've never worked for anyone who did it like that. I'm curious about two things: 1) Do you keep track of all of your employees' commutes in order to make sure they are subtracting that? 2) I understand that you do it that way and don't mind, but do you have employees who do mind? I know some who would.

San Francisco

The only tracking done is when we submit our expense report. Our senior VP is pretty trusting regarding the info we submit - she has to sign off on our expense reports. I just note "from GO to store 232" or "to store 232" if leaving from home. I have never heard anyone complain about it.

Elizabeth

HRsage

For management we have to note the distance of our commute on our expenses. For the rest of the staff we don't keep track, but I've never had anyone complain either. It just makes sense that the distance you drive everyday to work is to be deducted.
I see it like this: if I wasn't going to an offsite meeting 40 miles away, I would still have to drive to the office 35 miles away. Why should I get paid for 40 miles instead of 5? The 35 miles is what I have to do everyday. On days that the commute is DIFFERENT, I get paid only the DIFFERENCE. I'm just not seeing the issue, and like I said, I've never heard any complaints. x:-/