Traveling for work is essential to progress within the industry, whether you’re commuting to another state or another country. And as your employer probably already knows, work expenses — including transportation and accommodation — are not covered by your health insurance. This can be quite the shock to the system when you’re hit with a hefty medical bill after you return from a business trip. Your employer may even have a separate health insurance plan for such trips, which can add another layer of complexity to your already taxed mind.
On the other side of the coin are business trips that you take on your own dime. Perhaps you’re taking a class or a seminar somewhere and the tuition for those classes covers the cost of your travel. Or perhaps you’ve got a customer whose city you’re visiting and you want to show them how much they’ll love your goods or services. In both of these scenarios, you’ll want to invoice your employer for your travel expenses so that you can be reimbursed later on.
Get Everything In Writing
Inevitably, something will come up during your travels that you won’t foresee when you made your plan. Perhaps you’ll get sick and need to reschedule your trip. Or perhaps you’ll find an emergency and have to rush back. When that happens, it’s crucial that your employer knows that you had to cancel your travel plans and that you’re not obligated to provide any kind of compensation for the time missed. Getting everything in writing will help prevent any misunderstandings down the line and ensure that everyone knows their roles and responsibilities.
Reimbursement Is Mandatory
Your employer will want to see all their money’s worth when it comes to your business expenses. In most cases, you’ll be reimbursed for work-related travel expenses, but there are exceptions. If you’re in another state when you travel, you’ll likely incur some amount of expense that your employer wouldn’t otherwise cover. Things like meals, parking fees, and incidental expenses are all items that your employer will not reimburse you for. These are all considered office expenses and are typically covered by your health insurance.
As much as possible, you want to be reimbursed for everything that you’ve paid out of pocket for your business trip. Sometimes you’ll need to ask your employer for additional money so that you can cover the rest. But that’s your problem, not theirs. They’re not obligated to give you any additional funds for this purpose. They’ll simply want to see that their money’s being spent wisely and effectively.
Be Careful With The Timing
Timing is everything in business, and it applies to travel expenses just as much as it does to any other type of expense. You want to try and get your employer to reimburse you for as many of your business trips as possible. It’s in your employer’s best interest to pay for your travel. The more you can prove that you’re using company resources to generate business, the more they’ll want to help you out with your travel expenses. Just make sure that you don’t rush them. Otherwise, you could find yourself with a hefty bill that you’re not expecting. And that’s just plain annoying.
Keep Your Receipts
If you’re taking a class or a seminar on your own dime, you’ll want to keep the tuition that you paid for as proof of the expenditure. You can get this paperwork waived by your employer if you can’t produce the receipt, but it’s best to have it archived somewhere just in case. You’ll also need to keep copies of all your airline and hotel receipts for future reference. If you’re using a credit card on your travel expenses, you’ll also want to make sure that you write down the receipt in case there’s an issue later on. You can request a travel expense report from your credit card company; however, it’s up to you to keep proof of all your expenditures so that you can be reimbursed at a later date. And please don’t put anything in writing if you don’t have to. It’s not worth it if you don’t have to. There are better ways to do business than having to ask for paperwork to be done as soon as you get back. If you do a lot of business travel, this will add up quickly and make you look like a busy bee. Even if you’re not, it’s better to be safe than sorry.
Report Your Expenses To Your Employer
If you get an opportunity to travel for business, don’t hesitate to take it. It will help you to grow your career and prove to your employer that their investment in you is paying off. In most cases, you’ll be reimbursed for work-related travel expenses, but there are exceptions. If you’re in another state when you travel, you’ll likely incur some amount of expense that your employer wouldn’t otherwise cover. Things like meals, parking fees, and incidental expenses are all items that your employer will not reimburse you for. These are all considered office expenses and are typically covered by your health insurance.
As much as possible, you want to be reimbursed for everything that you’ve paid out of pocket for your business trip. Sometimes you’ll need to ask your employer for additional money so that you can cover the rest. But that’s your problem, not theirs. They’re not obligated to give you any additional funds for this purpose. They’ll simply want to see that their money’s being spent wisely and effectively.
Once your employer sees that you’re actively using their investment in you to generate leads and revenue, they may be more inclined to reimburse your travel expenses. You’ll need to keep track of all your business travels for the previous year and submit a report to your employer at the end of the year. This will help you demonstrate the true return on their investment in you.
Use Your Travel Opportunities
If you get an opportunity to travel for business, don’t hesitate to take it. It will help you to grow your career and prove to your employer that their investment in you is paying off. In most cases, you’ll be reimbursed for work-related travel expenses, but there are exceptions. If you’re in another state when you travel, you’ll likely incur some amount of expense that your employer wouldn’t otherwise cover. Things like meals, parking fees, and incidental expenses are all items that your employer will not reimburse you for. These are all considered office expenses and are typically covered by your health insurance.
As much as possible, you want to be reimbursed for everything that you’ve paid out of pocket for your business trip. Sometimes you’ll need to ask your employer for additional money so that you can cover the rest. But that’s your problem, not theirs. They’re not obligated to give you any additional funds for this purpose. They’ll simply want to see that their money’s being spent wisely and effectively.
Keep Your Health Insurance
Your employer will likely require you to have health insurance as part of your contract. Since you’re on the road to recovery, it’s best to keep your health insurance until your employer verifies that you’ve repaid your travel expenses. In most cases, you’ll be reimbursed for work-related travel expenses, but there are exceptions. If you’re in another state when you travel, you’ll likely incur some amount of expense that your employer wouldn’t otherwise cover. Things like meals, parking fees, and incidental expenses are all items that your employer will not reimburse you for. These are all considered office expenses and are typically covered by your health insurance.
As much as possible, you want to be reimbursed for everything that you’ve paid out of pocket for your business trip. Sometimes you’ll need to ask your employer for additional money so that you can cover the rest. But that’s your problem, not theirs. They’re not obligated to give you any additional funds for this purpose. They’ll simply want to see that their money’s being spent wisely and effectively.
