Accounting

This flat rate per diem allowance for meals, lodging and incidentals may be used regardless of where lodging was obtained, even if you stay with a relative or friend. No receipts are required. To receive the full per diem the traveler must be in overnight travel status and be eligible for both breakfast and dinner.

Reimbursement for meals, lodging and incidental expenses on a per diem basis as follows:

Location Per Diem

New York City and Nassau, Suffolk, Rockland

and Westchester Counties $50.00

Cities of Abany, Binghamton, Buffalo, Rochester, Syracuse

and their respective surrounding metropolitan areas $40.00

All other locations in New York State

$35.00

Out of State

(this includes any out of state tax on lodging) $50.00

Unreceipted Meal Allowances

for Day Trips

Meal Allowance

Breakfast $5.00

Dinner $12.00

Method II

The county allowances for lodging and meals are shown in the chart titled

Foreign Per Diem Rates

Domestic Per Diem Rates

Receipts for lodging are mandatory when using Method II. Receipts are not required for meals when the employee is in overnight travel status. The per diem allowances are set by county, therefore, to avoid processing delays, the traveler's destination must include the county as well as the city.

For areas with the following meal allowances, employees are reimbursed as follows: (as of October 1, 2009)

Breakfast Dinner

$71 Meal Allowance $14 $57

$66 Meal Allowance $13 $53

$61 Meal Allowance $12 $49

$56 Meal Allowance $11 $45

$51 Meal Allowance $10 $41

$46 Meal Allowance $9 $37

These rates include gratuities. Note: Incidental expenses such as tips to bellmen, porters, hotel maids, etc., continue to be included in the allowances.

It should be noted that taxes are not included in the maximum lodging allowances under Method II for out of State travel.

Regardless of the reimbursement method used, the maximum reimbursement for meal expenses incurred by employees while conducting regular State business may not exceed the meal allowance for the area of assignment. It is also not possible to increase the allowable total per diem allowance for any area of assignment.

However, if the cost of lodging exceeds the maximum allowance for lodging in the area of assignment, the employee's meal allowance must be used to offset the higher lodging rate. The following examples of an overnight stay in Rochester (Per diem $110 for lodging and $54 for meals) at various lodging rates illustrates how this will be applied:

Actual Lodging Meal Allowance Maximum Total Allowance

$100.00 $54.00 $154.00

$90.00 $54.00 $144.00

$200.00 $54.00 $164.00

$200.00 0 $110.00

MEAL ALLOWANCE FOR NON-OVERNIGHT TRAVEL

When an employee is in travel status for less than a full day and lodging charges are not incurred, reimbursement will be made for breakfast and dinner in one of two ways: receipted or non-receipted.

Receipted meals will be reimbursed at the rates stated under Method II. Non-receipted will be reimbursed as follows:

Location Breakfast Maximum Dinner Maximum

All locations in New York State $5.00 $12.00

These rates include gratuities. It is not possible to provide allowances greater than those shown above.

MILEAGE RATE

(BEGINNING JANUARY 1, 2013 - 56.5 cents)

Employees will be reimbursed a maximum mileage rate for the authorized use of personally owned vehicles, regardless of the number of passengers as follows:

a. Professional, Scientific and Technical Services Unit (Negotiation Unit 05) 56.5 cents per mile

b. Administrative Services, Institutional Services, Operational Services (Negotiation Units 01, 02, 03 and 04) 56.5 cents per mile

c. United University Professions (UUP) (Negotiation Unit 08) 56.5 cents per mile

d. Management Confidential employees and other unrepresented employees (Negotiation Unit 13) 56.5 cents per mile

Gas costs are included in the mileage rate. All Management Confidential and other unrepresented employees'maximum mileage rates will match the IRS rate and will increase or decrease as the IRS rate changes. Notices will be issued in the event of such changes.

(7/1/11 - 12/31/12 - the rate was 55.5 cents per mile)

AMTRAK RATES

(As of November 5, 2012)

Amtrak offers the following reduced rates for New York State employees traveling on State business. These rates can be obtained from any contracted State authorized travel agent, Amtrak ticket windows or by calling Amtrak at 800-USA-RAIL. Peak rates apply to departures on Friday and Sunday between 11:00 am and 11:00 pm.

Effective November 5, 2012 the Amtrak Government Fare will increase to $62.00 one-way (or $124 round-trip) between Albany/Rensselaer and New York Penn Station. (Please note any tickets purchased prior to November 5, 2012 at the current government rate of $60 one-way will be honored for a one year period.)

The following rules and procedures will apply:

There will no longer be a peak or off-peak fare just the one $62.00 fare which will have the fare code of "FOGN". This will be valid for government travel at any time.
Government travel between Albany/Rensselaer and New York Penn Station will NOT be required to have reservations - government fares will be valid on all trains between Albany/Rensselaer and New York Penn Station except for the Lakeshore Limited (Train #'s 49 & 48 to/from Chicago).
There will no longer be government fares to/from Schenectady and Buffalo, NY.
Those State Agencies that participate in the "Bulk Ticketing" program by purchasing quantities of tickets in advance from Amtrak or designated Travel Agencies will still be allowed to do so and these tickets will also be valid on all trains between Albany/Rensselaer and New York Penn Station except for the Lakeshore Limited.