Employee Reimbursement Forms, Policy & Procedures

Forms

​Expenses Beginning January 1, 2025

Forms for when full mileage reimbursement for use of Personal Vehicle is approved.

• Expense & Full Mileage Reimbursement Form effective 1/1/25 – for multiple pages of expenses and/or mileage.
• Expense & Full Mileage Reimbursement Form effective 1/1/25 EXPRESS – 1 page of expense entries (7 rows) and 1 page of Travel Log (24 rows).

Forms for 50% mileage mileage reimbursement for use of Personal Vehicle when State Vehicle is available.

• Expense & 50% Mileage Reimbursement Form effective 1/1/25 – for multiple pages of expenses and/or mileage.
• Expense & 50% Mileage Reimbursement Form effective 1/1/25 EXPRESS – 1 page of expense entries (7 rows) and 1 page of Travel Log (24 rows).

Expenses Ending December 31, 2024

• Expense & Mileage Reimbursement Form effective 1/1/24 – for multiple pages of expenses and/or mileage.
• Expense & Mileage Reimbursement Form effective 1/1/24 EXPRESS – 1 page of expense entries (7 rows) and 1 page of Travel Log (24 rows).

Expense Report for Consultant Services

For non-DORS staff/non-Consumers pre-approved to submit reimbursement requests to DORS.​

• Expense Report for Consultant Services effective 1/1/2025 
  
• Expense Report for Consultant Services effective 1/1/2024
  

Employee Reimbursement Policy

Private Vehicle Reimbursement

As of January 1, 2025, the standard mileage reimbursement rate to state employees who are approved use their private vehicle on authorized state business is 70¢ ($0.70) per mile. 

Note:​​ An authorized driver who chooses to use a privately owned vehicle for official business when a State vehicle is available shall be reimbursed at 50% of the standard mileage reimbursement rate ($0.35 as of January 1, 2025).

• For mileage reimbursement, attach a printout from Google Maps or MapQuest to show an independent calculation of mileage.

• A driver who leaves the office to conduct business in the field and returns to the office may be reimbursed for all mileage directly connected with the business trip because the driver will have driven his normal daily commute to and from the office by the end of the day.

• A driver who conducts State business prior to coming into the assigned office or on the way home from the assigned office may be reimbursed for all mileage in excess of the daily roundtrip commute miles regularly traveled.

• A driver who leaves home to conduct business and returns home without stopping at the assigned office may be reimbursed for all mileage directly connected with the business trip in excess of the round-trip commute miles regularly traveled.

• In no event shall a driver be reimbursed for commuting to and from his or her assigned office.

• Please use the Agency Object Code 0405 for privately owned vehicle mileage.

• Use Agency Object Code 0401 for all other vehicle reimbursement, such as parking, tolls , EZ Pass etc.

For additional information, please contact Vince Carter in Accounting.

Meal Reimbursement

• Itemized receipts are required for DORS employees seeking reimbursement for meals.

• Meal reimbursements are only provided to staff who are on approved travel status requiring an overnight stay.

• Employees may request meal reimbursement (including taxes and tips) at the following rates:

  • Breakfast: $​15.00
  • Lunch::   ​   ​ 18.00
    
  • Dinner:   ​   ​  30.00​
    
  • TOTAL:   ​  $63.00

• All meal rates are inclusive of taxes and tips.

• When an employee is in travel status involving absence from home overnight, all meals are reimbursable.

• Reimbursement will not be made for the cost of alcoholic beverages.

• The cost of breakfast is reimbursable when an employee, in travel status, has to leave home on official business two hours or more prior to the beginning of the employee's normal start time. The cost of dinner is reimbursable when an employee, in travel status, cannot get home within two hours or more after the employee's normal quitting time. In both cases, the two hours are in addition to the regular commuting time.

• Staying overnight in a hotel confirms travel status. If you stayed in a hotel, provide a copy of the itemized hotel bill/folio.

• If you are at a conference but are claiming meal reimbursement, provide the agenda from the conference to show the duration of the event and whether or not meals were provided.

High​ Cost Metropolitan Area Meal Rates

Refer to High Cost Metropolitan Area Meal Rates on the Maryland Department of Budget & Management website. Receipts are required for reimbursement at these high cost rates.

Tipping

• Tips for meals should not be greater than 15% of the total bill.

• For porter fees and hotel tips, the reimbursable rate is $1.00 per bag. The same per bag tip is reimbursable when checking into and checking out of a hotel.

• The State does not reimburse tips for hotel housekeeping services.

• Tips for taxi, bus, shuttle, and airport limousine services are limited to 15% of the total fare amount.

Other Information

• "Out-of-State Travel" means travel to destinations outside Maryland and Washington, D.C. For out-of-state travel, please attach the approved out of state travel documentation with the expense reimbursement form.

• The employee's full Workday number is required on the expense form and travel log.

• Only State Board Members and employees who have resigned should use Social Security Numbers (SSN) on the expense form and travel log. The full SSN is the equivalent of a vendor tax ID number in the payment system.

• The employee's actual work start time and finish time for the day in which reimbursement is requested must be indicated on each line of the expense form.

• Reimbursement forms must be submitted within 60 days of the date of travel. Approval from the Chief Operating Officer is required for reimbursement requests that are submitted beyond 60 days.

• The timeframe for processing reimbursement forms is 30 days.

• Additional documentation may be required from Comptroller's General Accounting Division (GAD) for reimbursement.

If you have any questions, please contact Vincent Carter in Accounting at 410-554-9401.

Expense Report Submission Requirements

In order to comply with review/approval timelines at DORS and MSDE, staff shall submit expense reports on a monthly basis.

• Monthly expense reports for the previous month are due to the supervisor no later than the 10th of the month. If the 10th falls on a weekend or holiday, the expense report is due the workday prior.

• Supervisors are responsible to review and, as appropriate, approve expense reports for the previous month and forward them either for further review as established by DORS Offices (OFS, OBVS, WTC, DDS, OPCS or BSS) or Regions, or to DORS Accounting.

• The approved expense report must be received in DORS Accounting no later than the 21st of the month.

• Use the current version of the Monthly Expense Report and Private Vehicle Travel Log form, which includes the current mileage rate.

• The employee’s W Number is required on the Monthly Expense Report and Private Vehicle Travel Log form. The W Number is the equivalent of a vendor tax ID number in the payment system.

• "DORS" should be indicated on the Private Vehicle Travel Log, beside "Division/Branch" at the top.

• The employee’s actual work start time and finish time for each day in which reimbursement is requested must be indicated in each line of the expense form. In the current Monthly Expense Report form, in the "Starting Address/Final Destination Address" column, include the work start time (as well as starting location) beside "Start," and include the work end time (as well as the ending location) beside "Finish." You will need to abbreviate in order to fit all this information into the text box.

• Use the words "Home" and "Office" (meaning your assigned DORS office) to describe travel activity rather than the specific street addresses for these locations. Note that the Private Vehicle Travel Log should include the address of the locations traveled between the Home/Office start and finish locations.

• The supervisor is required to sign each pageof the Monthly Expense Report form (not including the Private Vehicle Travel Log page). The form has been modified to include signature lines on each page.

Specific Reimbursement Requirements

• Meal Reimbursement: Attach itemized receipts and a copy of the employee’s time sheet for the time of the meal reimbursement(s).

• Mileage Reimbursement: Attach a printout (text only; map not required) from Google Maps or Mapquest to show an independent calculation of mileage. (If the route the map shows you is not the route you traveled, click on the blue route line and drag it to draw the route you took.) Enter the mileage from the printout on the Private Vehicle Travel Log. Include your name and the date(s) of travel on the printout.

• Conference Attendance: Attach a copy of the Conference Agenda.

• Meeting Attendance:Use fuller descriptions (e.g., meeting of the State Rehabilitation Council; meeting with consumer) rather than just "meeting."

• Travel Status: Attach copy of itemized hotel folio/receipt; baggage tips may not exceed $1 per bag.

• Reimbursement for Tolls: Include receipt for cash payment of toll or copy of EZ Pass transaction log – available online.

• Reimbursement for Washington Metro Fares: Include transaction log available online by registering your SmarTrip® Card.

• Taxi Tips: May not exceed 15% of the total fare.

Finalizing the Monthly Expense Report:

• Insert PCA (e.g., T1234) and expense object (e.g., 0401) in the box in the upper right portion of the Monthly Expense Report form. The supervisor should know the PCA. The expense object is generally 0401 (routine, instate) but other entries are acceptable. Avoid any text description in the same box as the expense object. Some of the more common expense objects:

  • 0401 - routine staff travel (except privately owned vehicle mileage, but including parking, tolls, EZ-Pass, etc.)
    
  • 0402 - mileage, meals while attending 3rd party site/event; destination i​n-state
  • 0404 - mileage, meals, room while attending 3rd party site/event; destination out of state
  • 0405 - privately owned vehicle mileage
    
  • 0999 - supplies
  • 0703 - state car Emissions test fee

• Attach receipts to an 8½" by 11" piece of paper; include employee name.

• Submit copies of the following:

  • Completed expense form + 1 copy
  • Vehicle travel log form (last page of expense form) + 1 copies
  • All expense original receipts (including meal receipts) attached to an 8½" x 11" sheet of paper + 1 copy

• If not using digital signature, sign in blue ink so that auditors can discern which is the original copy.

• Electronic/Emailed Submissions: Sign Monthly Expense Report form​ with digital signature. Scan all attached documentation (including printouts from Google Maps or Mapquest) to PDF. Email Monthly Expense Report form and attached documentation to supervisor.

• Paper Submissions: Make one copy of the original Monthly Expense Report form and all attached documentation (including printouts from Google Maps or Mapquest), and two (2) copies of the original Private Vehicle Travel Log.

• Submit to supervisor no later than the 10th of the month for review and signature (in blue ink if not using digital signature).

• Supervisor: Submit completed expense reimbursement forms to expensereport.dors@maryland.gov for processing.

Related Information

• DORS Checklist: Return of Expense Account Form
• DBM State Standard Travel Regulations
• MSDE Guidance Memo for Employee Reimbursement Forms and Travel