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Travel & Reimbursement Related Policies
- Accounting Policies
- Corporate Card Expense Report Policies
- Combined Business/Personal Travel
- Spouse Accompaniment
- Dependent Care Expenses
- Business Meetings
- Entertainment/Social Expenses
- Dry Cleaning/Laundry – Domestic
- Dry Cleaning/Laundry – International
- Duke Travel Policies
- Mobile Device Policy
Accounting Policies
GAP 200.027, Expense Reports - General Guidelines and Procedures
GAP 200.029, Corporate Cards - Untimely Posting of Transactions
Combined Business/Personal Travel
When a traveler, for his or her convenience, travels by an indirect route or interrupts Duke related travel, the additional expenses are the responsibility of the traveler. The additional expenses incurred may be reimbursed if extending the trip results in a reduced round trip airfare sufficient to cover the meals, lodging and other expenses related to the trip extension.
Spouse Accompaniment
As a general rule, Duke does not reimburse for spousal accompaniment unless the spouse fulfills a necessary Duke business purpose, which should be documented on the Travel Expense Form. If the traveler's spouse accompanies the traveler, for personal purposes, the spouse's expenses should be excluded from the travel reimbursement request.
Dependent Care Expenses
Duke will reimburse dependent care expenses in the following circumstances, with approval from the appropriate Vice President:
- Two spouses employed by Duke are required to attend a professional function/conference, or in the unusual event that the spouse of a Duke employee is required to attend a professional function with the employee.
- A single parent employed by Duke is required to attend a professional function/conference.
Payments of this nature are considered taxable and should be processed through payroll using a supplemental iForm.
Business Meetings
For a meeting to be considered "business related", the meeting must be planned with a specific agenda and defined business objectives. Meals or refreshments that are incidental to and a continuation of the business purpose of the meeting are considered business related and can be coded as Business Meetings. Business meals and refreshments are not allowable in support of federally sponsored projects unless they have been specifically approved by the funding agency.
For business meetings that include meals, the employee needs to provide the following information:
- Meeting agenda
- Names of attendees and business relationship to Duke
- Location of the meeting
- Date of the meeting
Meals that include alcohol are considered to be entertainment expenses and must be coded as Entertainment/Social Expenses.
Entertainment/Social Expenses
Meals or events that are primarily social in nature (i.e. public relations, development, etc.) and have a Duke-related business purpose may be reimbursed. Examples of local, reimbursable business meals include:
- Meals with a guest lecturer
- Meals with prospective faculty, staff or student recruits
- Meals with prospective donors
For business entertainment that includes meals, the employee needs to provide the following information:
- Business purpose
- Names of attendees and business relationship to Duke
- Place/location of business meal/entertainment
- Date of the business meal/entertainment
Entertainment expenses that are non-reimbursable include parties or meals for employee birthdays, weddings, births, secretary's day, and bosses day. Parties that are sponsored by the department and made available to all employees are reimbursable.
Entertainment expenses may not be reimbursed from federally sponsored projects.
Dry Cleaning/Laundry – Domestic
When travelling on domestic trips that require ten or more consecutive nights away from home, the traveler may be reimbursed for usual, reasonable, and customary laundry/dry cleaning expenses incurred while travelling.
Dry Cleaning/Laundry – International
When travelling on international trips that require five or more consecutive nights away from home, the traveler may be reimbursed for usual, reasonable, and customary laundry/dry cleaning expenses incurred while travelling. If the traveler claims the foreign meals and incidentals per diem, the traveler is not entitled to reimbursement for personal laundry/dry cleaning services as the per diem includes these services.
You may also refer to the Travel & Reimbursement Procedures located within the General Accounting Procedures website.