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| Travel and Entertainment |
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Revision Date: January 2023 This Travel and Entertainment policy applies to all employees who incur business-related travel, meals, and entertainment expenses. Please consider our value, Do the Right Thing, when booking and participating in business travel. This policy is not intended to cover all possible scenarios. If you have further questions, please contact your manager. Air Travel When business needs are known, tickets should be purchased at least 14 days in advance. Based on a reasonable range of preferred travel times, employees should purchase the lowest fare ticket. It is recommended that employees carry on their luggage if the trip is three days or less to avoid baggage fees. Charges for internet services will be reimbursed. Airline receipts must be attached to the expense report to be eligible for reimbursement. The following air travel expenses are non-reimbursable:
Hotels and Lodging Employee safety is always of paramount importance. KBP’s preferred hotel brands are based on their national prominence and indoor entry ways. Employees should select a moderate-tier hotel that meets their business needs while remaining cost conscious. Preferred brands include:
When attending an organized business conference, convention, or event, employees are permitted to stay at the host hotel at the negotiated rate for the event. If travel plans change and a hotel must be cancelled, employees are required to do so by the required date to avoid a “no-show” charge. Charges for internet services will be reimbursed. Hotel and lodging receipts must be attached to the expense report to be eligible for reimbursement. The following hotel and lodging expenses are non-reimbursable:
Exceptions to the hotel and lodging guidelines must be approved in advance by your manager. Automobile Rental Cars should be rented by employees traveling on KBP business only when other means of transportation are unavailable, more costly, or impractical. Travelers must obtain the most competitive rate available (including any preferred discount codes). All rentals should be for compact or mid-size models (or smaller), unless four or more people are traveling together or if an upgrade is provided by the rental company at no cost. An explanation must be provided when a car larger than mid-size is rented (or there’s an upgrade free of charge or due to frequent traveler status). If an automobile is rented for both business and personal reasons, the personal share must be excluded from a reimbursement or payment request. Travelers paying for a rental car using a credit card may receive limited loss and damage coverage through the credit card company, through KBP’s corporate policy, or through their personal insurance, so any additional insurance offered by the car rental agency should be declined. Rental cars must be refueled prior to returning them unless the rental car company guarantees re-fuel prices lower than the local market rate. Car rental, gas and toll receipts must be attached to the expense report to be eligible for reimbursement. The following automobile rental expenses are non-reimbursable:
Use of Private Automobile Employees will be reimbursed for reasonable business expenses when it is necessary to travel using their private automobile to accomplish required business activities. This applies to those employees who do not use Motus to track mileage. The total cost of the trip shall not exceed the total cost which would have been incurred had public transportation been used, unless there is an advantage, such as transporting equipment or employees, or an appreciable savings in employees’ work time. When traveling using a personal vehicle, corporate employees may submit a mileage reimbursement expense for miles that are over and above what they would normally travel to and from the office. (i.e., to/from home to airport 30 miles; to/from home to office 20 miles; 30 miles – 20 miles = 10 miles that are reimbursable at the standard IRS mileage rate). The mileage rate is automatically calculated. Travel within an employee’s home base area (~200-mile radius from home or office) should be accomplished using a personal automobile. A rental car may be permitted in emergency situations for business use in home base area. Advance approval by the employee’s manager should be obtained in writing. The following private automobile expenses are non-reimbursable:
Personal Auto Insurance If employees use a personal vehicle while on Company business, they are required to carry at least the minimum automobile liability insurance coverage applicable in their state. Field leaders at the Area Coach level and above must continually carry a minimum of $100,000 in liability insurance coverage. Other Transportation and Parking Use of a ride-hailing service (e.g., taxi, Uber, Lyft) is permitted when more economical services (e.g., airport shuttles, hotel vans) aren’t available or when the cost of airport parking would exceed the cost of this service. Be sure to follow the safety tips recommended by Uber and Lyft (to reference these safety recommendations, click on the previous links). Transportation receipts must be attached to the expense report to be eligible for reimbursement. Private limousine service will not be reimbursed. Valet parking at airports, hotels, and restaurants will only be reimbursed if self-parking in a safe location is not an option. Airport parking lots should be chosen with safety in mind. When appropriate, please consider off-property economy parking lots near airports. Personal Travel Meals Personal travel meals are those incurred when employees are traveling out-of-town alone. Employees will be reimbursed for actual travel meal expenses and should attempt to spend less than $60 per day. Breakfast is complimentary at many of the hotels on KBP’s preferred brands list (see Hotels and Lodging). Grocery items purchased to consume while traveling for work will be reimbursed (i.e., employee has an extended stay suite and prefers to prepare own food). The amount of a tip should be no more than 20% of the bill. When tipping, employees should ensure gratuity is not already included in the price of the service. When attending an organized business conference, convention, or event, employees should attend the meals hosted by and included in the price of the event. The following travel meal expenses are non-reimbursable:
Business Meals A business meal includes dining of more than one person. When a business meal occurs, the most senior KBP leader is required to pay the tab. To adhere to IRS guidelines, include the names of all diners on the receipt and code the expense when being submitted for reimbursement as “Business Meal (Attendees)” and add attendee names.
Rewards Point Programs Employees traveling for business may retain rewards points and utilize the rewards for personal purposes. However, participation in these programs may not result in any incremental cost to KBP related to transportation or lodging. It is the sole responsibility of the employee to adhere to any associated Internal Revenue Service (IRS) reporting requirements for tax purposes. Travel Time and Pay for Non-Exempt (Hourly) Employees Time spent traveling between work locations or travel outside of an hourly employee’s regular home to primary work location commute is considered time worked. The incremental time it takes to arrive at work is considered time worked. For hourly employees without a regular home to work location, paid work time begins after traveling 45 minutes. Time spent by hourly employees waiting for a flight at an airport and in-flight is time worked. If an hourly employee must stay overnight somewhere due to a flight cancellation, time worked stops when the employee arrives at the hotel and resumes when the employee leaves the hotel the next day. Meal periods and rest breaks should be factored into travel time and taken per the hourly team member’s home location laws. Entertainment Entertainment expenses incurred while traveling, such as concert and theater tickets, golf fees and sporting events, may be reimbursed for entertaining service providers, prospects, or recruits in the follow instances and must be approved in advance by a Vice President or above:
Expense Reimbursement Requests When using a company credit card, receipts are required to accompany all transactions over $25. When using a personal credit card and requesting a cash reimbursement, all charges must be accompanied by a receipt. Expense Report Submissions and Approvals Expense reports must be submitted and approved within 10 days of the closing of the statement period. Managers must review expense reports and only approve those expenses that are considered necessary and adhere to the standards outlined in this policy. Those who violate this policy may be subject to discipline, up to and including termination. Recognition and Team Building Expenses Recognition and team building expenses should follow the guidelines of any rewards/recognition policy set by KBP and follow budget guidelines for the employee’s respective department. When in question, employees should consult their manager before incurring any expenses. |
| 09.2023 | ||