ground transportation reimbursement

[Kathleen Krum]

I have a Graduate Research Asst. who submitted a Chrome River reimbursement request for two Uber trips she took: one from her home to Target to purchase equipment for the lab and the 2nd trip was from her home to the library to hang posters for focus group recruitment.   The grad RA doesn't have a car.

Is ground transportation only allowable while in travel status?  If she had a car this could be local mileage, which falls under the business expense policy.  Local mileage is only allowable for certain scenarios (recruitment would be allowable but not the trip to Target to purchase something for the lab).   

Travel is included in the grant budget but this type of travel was not detailed in the budget justification.  We did include local mileage in the grant budget for the consultant who is conducting the focus groups.  

I'm thinking I need to deny the trip to Target but what do you all think about the trip to hang posters at the library for focus group recruitment?  

Thanks in advance for any advice!  

[Dave Jacobi]

Hi Kathleen,

Local mileage has become a fraught area ever since the revision of the business mileage policy.  Questions like this one often come up in my dept as well.  The policy says that business mileage is allowed when "an employee’s job duties require them to travel to an offsite location," but that's not always easy to interpret.  I agree that the Target trip would not be allowable unless a case can be made that whatever was purchased was essential and could not have been acquired some other way (UMarket, etc.).  On the other hand, I would personally be inclined to approve the trip to hang posters for focus group recruitment since that would appear to be directly related to and essential to the project.

My two cents.  :)