Travel Expense Vouchers

1. Travel Expense Vouchers Bob Palmer, MD, Treasurer ACOG District VIII Port Townsend, WA

2. Preliminary Work • Consider developing a Section/District Travel Expense Policy/Guidelines/Manual • Consider sending out a Treasurer’s Letter to all attendees of your meeting two months in advance of the meeting • Get an attendee list in advance • Get a sign-in sheet at the meeting

3. Treasurer’s Letter • Dates of meeting • Location of meeting • How to make approved reservations • Number of nights covered for Fellows/JF • Maximum nightly reimbursement for FLI • Local transportation issues • Guest charges, if any

4. The TEV (Travel Expense Voucher) • The upper portion covers round-trip travel from the attendee’s home to the airport, round-trip economy/coach airfare, round-trip taxi’s from the airport to the meeting, luggage fees, airport parking, tolls and ferries; these items are not subject to the daily limit on FLI (Food, Lodging & Incidentals)

5. TEV Processing: 1 • Look at the heading of the TEV: Is the TEV being sent to the correct Section?/District? • Example: District VIII is (08); the WA Section is (86) • Is the attendee using the correct TEV? • Was the attendee sponsored by your Section, or by your District?

6. TEV Processing: 2 • Separate the receipts, organize: • Airline • Baggage fees • Hotel • Meals • Taxi’s • Airport Parking • Receipt required for any expense over $25

7. TEV Processing: 3 • Airline: did the attendee fly coach/economy? Did the attendee include charges for seat upgrades, preferred boarding, reserved seats, fees for aisle or window seats, etc? • Is the fare consistent with what others paid from the same city for this meeting? • Is the complete receipt attached?

8. TEV Processing: 4 • Hotel: is the original hotel receipt with a “zero balance” attached? • Lodging costs include room, taxes, resort fee, if any, with taxes • Misc: includes internet fees with taxes, housekeeping gratuities with taxes, porterage with taxes, in-room movie with taxes, basic entry to the health club

9. TEV Processing: 5 • Meals: ask your attendees to indicate on the receipt how many diners were covered on the receipt, and how much of the receipt was the attendee’s portion. • There is a maximum limit of $115 per day for meals, including food, beverage, tax and tip • Meals also includes meals at departure airport and in-flight meals

10. TEV Processing: 6 • After you verify all expenses on both the top and bottom portions of the TEV: • Check to be sure the expense dates coincide with the authorized travel dates • Add all meal costs, lodging costs and incidentals (Misc) and apply the maximum FLI rate approved for that meeting. Adjust the total accordingly.

11. TEV Processing: 7 • Deduct Guest Fees, if any. Remember that spouses, partners, children attending Executive Committee or Advisory Council dinners have to be charged for their meals • Circle and initial final approved amount • Check to be sure attendee signed and dated the TEV

12. TEV Processing: 8 • The Treasurer now signs and dates the TEV, and completes the financial coding • Staple the receipts to the TEV • Make a copy of the face of the TEV • Ask your attendees to make a copy of the face of the TEV and all receipts • Consider keeping a log of date TEV was received and date mailed to ACOG FSC

13. TEV Processing: 9 • For accurate reimbursement of mileage between the attendee’s home and their departure airport, consider asking for a Mapquest.com printout; adjust your mileage rate every January 1st per IRS rules • All ACOG reimbursement checks are paid in US$. Convert foreign currency at www.xe.com/ucc • Check names off the sign-in list as you authorize payment

14. Travel Expense Vouchers • Consider developing an Excel spreadsheet each year listing each meeting, each attendee, and amount reimbursed (Detail spreadsheet) • Consider developing an Excel spreadsheet each year listing the total travel expenditures for each meeting (Summary spreadsheet) • These will assist in the next year’s budget process