MILEAGE REGULATIONSFREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONSMILEAGE REGULATIONSFREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONSUpdated February 16, 2005 The following are meant to supplement the list of "qualifications" regarding the use of a State Vehicle vs. Personal Vehicle in the Business Procedures Manual, Travel Section, posted at the Controller’s Office Web Page at http://www.montana.edu/wwwbu/. Q1. I will travel by airplane to a business conference, am I to take a statevehicle just to leave it parked at the airport? The State travel policy provides an exception for short trips, of less than 25 milesper day. Your personal vehicle may be used at the current year’s mileage rate, high,or a taxi may also be used. Q2. We have employees in satellite and remote locations throughout thestate, how does this affect them? A Motor Pool vehicle can be considered "unavailable" to these employees and theycan sign the acknowledgement as such on the Travel Expense Voucher. Q3. We have employees that run errands around town, or short trips totowns close to Bozeman, what about this situation? The State travel policy provides an exception for short trips, of less than 25 milesper day. Employees traveling less than 25 miles per day may be reimbursed at thecurrent year’s high mileage rate. Q4. What if my employee is traveling to a small town, and the onlyrestaurant there is also a bar? How would it look to have a state carthere? The Vehicle Use regulations of the state of Montana allow employees to obtain foodand lodging while on the road for business travel. Eating at a bar is not prohibitedbut consuming alcohol is prohibited. Employees should be aware that citizens maymake assumptions about a state car parked at a bar and make a complaint. However, if a motor pool vehicle is available, the risk of such an assumption on thepart of the public would not justify use of a personal vehicle at the current year’shigh mileage rate. Q5. I need a type of vehicle that the motor pool does not have, or I amtraveling in January and the Motor Pool has no vehicles with winter safetyequipment I would prefer. If the Motor Pool doesn't have the type of vehicle you need, then the state vehiclewould be considered "unavailable."Q6. How does this new policy work with regard to the University'sarrangements with Enterprise RAC or Thrifty Car Rental? The policy does not affect the use of rental cars at all. In many cases, using a carfrom a rental agency is an economic alternative for your department to consider. Itis, however, not acceptable to use a commercial rental car and charge the state foruse of a personal vehicle. The state will pay only the charge for the rental car.Q7. When my MSU business is finished, I am going on annual leave (withor without my spouse). What car should I take and what mileage may Iclaim? The state Vehicle Use rules prohibit the personal use of state motor pool cars andprohibit the transportation of persons not engaged in state business in a state car. Therefore, you cannot use a state motor pool car for personal business except forfood, lodging or emergency purposes, to obtain items needed while in a travelstatus or, if traveling overnight, to drive to a cultural, recreational or leisure activityor to attend to personal business if within 30 miles of the employee's lodging. In any situation in which a decision is made to take a personal car because of yourpersonal use, you will be reimbursed at the current years low mileage rate. If,however, there is not a motor pool car available and therefore you take a personalcar, you are entitled to be reimbursed at the current year’s high mileage rate centsper mile rate and you may use your own car for your personal use on that trip.Q8. Often times within one month I will take both day trips and overnight trips; when I receive my reimbursement, is there going to be a way for me to see which costs are being taxed? I want to make certain that only the daytrips are taxed.Answer: The Travel Expense Voucher has been modified with an additional meal column (which can be found on the Controller’s website). There are now two meal columns; one to reflect the taxable meal per diems and one for the non-taxable meal per diems. The taxable meal per diems will be identified and paid using the account code 62407for in state and 62417for out of state. Non-taxable meal per diems will be identified and paid using the account codes 62405 (in-state travel other), 62410 (in-state meals overnight) or 62415 (out of state travel).Any meals that are taxable during the month, which you were reimbursed for through a BPA, will be reported to Payroll by the Controller’s Office and identified on your payroll check stub as “Same Day Per Diem”. Remember to include your same day meals on your Travel Expense Voucher.Q9. What backup documentation is needed to show that the meal does not haveto be taxed?Answer: The deciding factor between taxable and non-taxable is the ‘business’ nature of the meal as opposed to a ‘personal’ meal. Documentation, in the form of a separate memo or in the note section at the bottom of the travel expensevoucher, should clearly state the business nature of the meal, the topic discussed and who was at the meeting.Exp 1: Mary is in Billings for the day to attend a conference, and goes out for lunch. Lunch is taxable, (use account 62407). The conference is over at 5:00 p.m. and she plans a ‘dinner meeting’ with the other university purchasing personnel. This meal is not taxed because business is being conducted and it is reasonable to extend the workday through the dinner hour when meeting with folks from out of town. Use account 62405 and document the business nature of the meal, topic discussed, and who you met with to claim your own per diem for the meal. If you paid for a group meal, be sure to get an itemized receipt and make sure a pre-approved Hospitality Approval Form is completed if the meal is over $30.00 If she eats in the car on the way home it is taxed.Exp 2: Jen goes to Helena to host a pizza party for prospective students and their families. She leaves Bozeman at 3:00 p.m. to get there in time for the pizza party that starts at 5:00 p.m. The pizza party lasts until 7:00 p.m. Jen, as the host of the function, is busy speaking with students/families and is not able to eat at the