Travelers will be reimbursed for meals and incidental expenses at rates calculated in accordance with U.S. General Services Administration guidelines for the specific city or cities where MTN-related business is taking place.
- For all domestic travel, travelers must retain receipts for meal expenses. Although reimbursement is on a receipt basis, the allowable government per diem will be used as a guideline for what is a reasonable meal amount. Meals costing more than the allowable per diem will be reimbursed only for the amount that is allowed.
- For international travel, meals will be reimbursed according to the applicable international diem rate.
- Both domestic and international travelers must list in the MTN Travel Reimbursement Memo what (if any) meals were provided by the conference/event they attended. These meals will be deducted in calculating the per diem or reimbursement to be paid. Meals purchased when a meal is already provided will be at the traveler’s own expense. Hotel provided breakfasts do not count as a meal already provided.
- When a meal is not provided by the meeting, travelers are expected to choose a convenient location to eat. The cost of taxis or other transportation to and from restaurants will not be reimbursed, unless the meal was part of an organized meeting related to MTN business.
- Meal reimbursement via per diem or receipt will be based on the itinerary departure and arrival times. If a traveler purchases his/her own flight, a copy of the itinerary must be submitted to calculate the allowable reimbursement.
- For international travel involving two calendar days (i.e., a person begins travel on one calendar day and arrives at the destination the following calendar day), the first travel day in the departure city will not be covered. The traveler will receive a per diem at 75% of the full day per diem rate in his/her destination city for the second calendar day of travel. Likewise, for return travel spanning two calendar days, , he/she will receive 75% of the full day per diem from his/her departure city, and no per diem for the second day of travel to the home city.
- Per diem cannot be issued until AFTER the trip has been completed and a MTN Travel Reimbursement Memo, along with all necessary receipts and travel documentation, has been submitted.
- For complex travel itineraries, per diem will be calculated in a reasonable manner at the sole discretion of MTN Travel Management and MWRIF business office.
The domestic, foreign lodging and meal allowance schedules can be found by following the below links. Travelers should check these to determine the per diem amount they will receive in each city they are traveling to for MTN-related business.
Domestic Per Diem Schedule:
http://www.gsa.gov/portal/category/21287
Contains 48 contiguous States and District of Columbia. Click on the state that you will be traveling to, and then look for the city (or county if the city is not listed) to find the maximum incidental and expenses rate listed in the fourth column. To calculate how much the per diem and incidentals rate breaks down to for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, visit http://www.gsa.gov/portal/content/101518.
International Travel:
https://aoprals.state.gov/content.asp?content_id=184&menu_id=78
Contains foreign locations and non-foreign overseas areas including Alaska, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, and U.S. possessions. Click on the drop-down menu and find the country to which you will be traveling in, and then look for the city you will be visiting.