Travel 

How to Properly Complete a Travel Claim Form

 

TRAVEL INTRODUCTION

Below are basic guidelines and information to help you when you are traveling and when filling out a travel claim form (OSF Form 19).  More specific information and examples are included below.

Mileage

* .485¿/mile (Effective 01/01/2007)
* .445¿/mile (1/1/2006 thru 12/31/2006)
*If you drive your personal vehicle in-state, you can claim mileage.
* If you drive your personal vehicle out-of-state, you can claim the lesser of the following:  the single coach class airfare (or commuter plane fare) vs. map miles.

Oklahoma Mileage Chart

Per Diem
* Reimbursement for meals and lodging can only be claimed for periods that are ¿overnight.¿  The basic guideline for ¿overnight¿ travel status without support of an overnight public lodging receipt is 18 hours.
* If you stay with a friend or relative you can claim the regular per diem rate plus an additional $10.00 per day.
* In-state per diem:  Oklahoma County is $49.00/day; Tulsa, Creek, Osage and Rogers are $44.00/day; and the rest of the state is $39.00/day.
* Out-of-state reimbursement rates will vary depending on the destination.  You can find specific rates on the following website:  www.gsa.gov/perdiem.

Lodging
* Designated lodging plus tax can be reimbursed with proper documentation (an original, itemized lodging receipt, plus the information declaring the hotel ¿designated¿).
* OSF allows reimbursement for taxes in addition to the maximum allowable lodging rate for the location of travel.  The Maximum Federal Standard lodging rate (if it is not a designated hotel) is $73.00 plus tax per night for Oklahoma County. Tulsa, Creek, Osage & Rogers Counties are $68.00 plus tax per night and $60.00 plus tax per night for the rest of the state.  You are always encouraged to stay at the designated hotel while at meetings, seminars, and conferences to ensure full reimbursement.
* Tolls, parking, fuel, shuttle, taxi and registration fees must have receipts submitted with the claim.  If receipts are not available for tolls, parking, shuttle and taxi, you will not be reimbursed for anything $25.00 or over.

Local Transportation
* This includes taxis, shuttles or limousines between an airport (or other terminal) and the official work location, or place of business or lodging at the object of travel location.  Note: As a means of containing travel costs for the State, agency officials should encourage employees to use available courtesy transportation service furnished by hotel/motels, airports or host sponsor, to the maximum extent possible as the first source of transportation.
* Local Transportation Expenses in Connection with Designated Lodging:  Rental car service used while attending meetings must be explained on the travel claim as to the business necessity of travel beyond the designated hotel facility. Travel between an optional lodging and the designated hotel, motel, or other public lodging where the object of travel is conducted shall be allowed but not to exceed the cost of the difference between the optional lodging and the designated lodging.
* Personal Use Transportation Expenses:  In the case where the nature and location of the object of travel is such that suitable meals cannot be obtained there, the expense of daily travel required to obtain meals to the nearest available place may be approved as necessary transportation. This is restricted to the use of taxicabs, bus, streetcar, subway, etc. Necessity for such travel and the nature of the expense must be explained on the travel claim.

Vehicles Leased/Rented Outside of the State
* The actual cost of leasing or renting an automobile outside the state of travel shall be reimbursed subject to the approval of the agency head or his/her designee. The approving official¿s signature on the travel claim form shall attest to the business necessity of the expense.
* When traveling, it is always a good idea to ask the sponsors of out-of-state conferences and seminars about transportation to and from airport to designated hotels or locations of meetings.
* If part of the total miles of the rental car were used for personal instead of business activities, the total cost of the rental car must be prorated, so the employee will only be reimbursed the business portion.

Airfare Purchased by Employee
* The maximum reimbursement will be no more than the state rate airfare.  A receipt showing proof of payment and itinerary information is required.  To insure maximum reimbursement, please contact Amy Knight before purchasing airfare.

Conference Registration
* Please complete the form located in this section to request a purchase order for a conference registration fee.  Send the request to the procurement officer at DAC.

Travel For a District Other than Your Own
* When in travel status for a district other than your own, the claim should be signed by both District Attorneys.
* The district for which the travel is being done shall be responsible for the travel expenses.  At the top of the claim, please note the district which will be charged.

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  How to Properly Complete a Travel Claim Form     Example

Please review the following instructions on filling out OSF Form 19 (Revised 10/03).  A sample copy of the claim form is attached.  You should fill out the parts of the form that are numbered.  Below are the instructions that correspond with the numbers on the sample claim form.

1. FUND will be entered by DAC staff. 

2. AGENCY BUSINESS UNIT will always be 220.

3. Print the district, county and fund across the top of the claim, e.g. Bogus Check (BC), Child Support (CS), Drug Asset Forfeiture (DAF) and VOCA.

4. CLAIM OF: is where you print your name.

5. Employee ID#:  Each employee is assigned a Vendor#.  If you do not have this, please complete the address information below.

6. Agency, Board, Comm., Dept.:  print District Attorney or D.A.

7. IS CAR GOV. OWNED?  Check yes or no, and fill in the car's license number (required).

8. IS CLAIMANT A STATE OFFICIAL OR EMPLOYEE?  Check yes or no.

9. OFFICIAL DUTY STATION is the city where departure and return point of travel should normally be for the claimant.  Therefore, if your office is in Oklahoma City, print Oklahoma City in this box.

10. NATURE OF OFFICIAL BUSINESS should be a meaningful description of your travel.  For instance, instead writing Seminar, you should write DAC Summer Conference.  Please be specific.

11. ASSIGNMENT:  If you are assigning payment (i.e. lodging or registration) to another employee or agency, fill in the information needed in this box.  Print the person's name or company name the assignment is being made to; sign and date.

12. Point Travel Status Began, Each Point Visited, and Point Travel Status Ended should be self-explanatory.  These "points" should always be city names (not Courthouse to Norman to Courthouse).  If you are only claiming vicinity mileage, this should be written as, for example, Tulsa Vicinity.   

Also, if you travel to or from your destination from your home instead of your "official duty station," you can only claim the shorter distance.  If your office is closer to your destination than your home is, but you leave from your home, mileage must be claimed from your office to your destination.

If you are flying out of state, print the city where you started, the city where the airport is located (if different from the city you departed) and then your out of state destination.  For example, print Enid to Tulsa to San Diego, CA on the date you leave and San Diego to Tulsa to Enid on the date you return.

**** Even if you are only claiming parking or registration fees and not mileage, you still must include your points of travel.

13. Fill in the Date 20__ and the Mo. and Day.

14. Fill in the appropriate amount of Map miles and Vicinity miles.  If you rode with another person, place an asterisk (*) in the map column and in the body of the claim print:  *Rode with another employee, not claiming mileage. 

15. Travel Status Hours need only be filled out when you are in travel status over 18 hours or overnight.  Please use military time or a.m. and p.m.  Entered should be the time you left your duty station on a specific date and Ended should be the time you returned on a specific date.

16. Write No. of Days and Hours for the whole trip (NOT PER DAY).  These are the numbers with which you figure your per diem.

17. Per Diem & Lodging Rates Effective 10/1/06:

  ¿ per diem is $39.00 per day ($9.75 per quarter) 
  ¿ standard lodging rate is $60.00 per day (without a designated hotel)

Per Diem  Per Diem In Lieu

However, reimbursement rates will vary depending on the location of travel.  A complete listing of locations and rates can be obtained from the Government Services Administration¿s (GSA) per diem web site:  www.gsa.gov/perdiem.

 In Oklahoma, there are three rate categories:
  ¿ Oklahoma County - $49.00 per diem and $73.00 lodging (plus tax)
  ¿ Tulsa, Creek, Osage & Rogers ¿ $44.00 per diem and $68.00 lodging  
  ¿ Standard rate (all other locations) - $39.00 per diem and $60.00 lodging

For example, if an employee was in overnight travel status and obtained lodging in Edmond, reimbursement rates for the Oklahoma City locality ($49/$73) would apply, as Edmond is in the same county as the ¿Oklahoma City locality.¿

18. Per Diem - Amount is the total that you are claiming.  For example, 2 days and 12 hours in Stillwater is at the standard rate ($39/day) for a total of $97.50 ($39 + $39 + $19.50).  Type the total in the per diem amount column on the same line as the last day of your travel.

Another example, 2 days and 12 hours in Oklahoma County is at a higher rate ($49/day) for a total of $122.50 ($49 + $49 + $24.50).  Type the total on the last day of travel.
 
If any meals were provided at a seminar, you must deduct 1/4 of a day's per diem for each meal.

If you were in overnight status and choose not to claim per diem, you must still complete the ¿Travel Status Hours¿ (See section #15) and you must put an asterisk (*) in the  ¿Per Diem Amount¿ and in the body of the claim print the following statement:  *Not claiming per diem.

19. Lodging Amount should be written as one total amount on the last day of travel.  Do not include the cost of parking or business calls here.  Attach an original itemized hotel receipt.  It must show a zero (0) balance or include a credit card receipt with the hotel bill.

If you shared a room with other employees and each of you paid your part of the bill, please make a notation on the claim as to which employees shared the room.  If you paid for the whole hotel bill, you can claim the entire amount on your travel claim.  You will need to make a notation on the claim that you paid the entire bill yourself, and list the other employees that shared the room with you.

If you were in overnight status, but you choose not to claim lodging, you must still complete the ¿Travel Status Hours¿ (See section #15) and you must put an asterisk (*) in the  ¿Lodging Amount¿ and in the body of the claim print:  * Not claiming lodging

*** The maximum allowable reimbursement for lodging in hotels that are not designated can be found in section #17, which deals with per diem.

*** You MUST attach an agenda and information on designated lodging and designated room rates with any claim that is requesting reimbursement for an overnight conference.

20. Total Per Diem and Lodging is the sum of the per diem and lodging.

21. Bring down the individual totals of your Map and Vicinity miles here.

22. The total of the Map and Vicinity miles should be printed here.

23. The mileage rate for travel beginning January 1, 2007  is .485 per mile.  Print .485 this area.

24. Multiply the total miles and the current mileage rate.  Write the total amount after PER MILE=.

25. Normally, you should get airline tickets through the District Attorneys Council.  However, if you did not get your airline ticket through DAC, be sure you use an approved state travel vendor in your area.  If you paid for the ticket yourself, the reimbursement goes under MODE OF PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION & AMOUNT CLAIMED.
Attach the ticket stub AND proof of payment, (i.e. your credit card receipt, front and back copy of a check).  You can only be reimbursed for the state airfare rate or less.

If the DAC was billed for your ticket, place an X in the blank where it says AGENCY DIRECT PURCHASE.  Using the DAC is the preferred method of obtaining airline tickets to conferences.

NOTE:  If you choose to drive your own vehicle to an out of state conference instead of flying, the maximum that you can be reimbursed for mileage is the round trip state airfare rate plus the mileage it would have taken to drive to and from the airport.

26. ITEMIZED LOCAL TRANSPORTATION requires only that you write in the total dollar amount on the appropriate line.  This includes taxis, shuttles, and rental cars in connection with designated lodging.  Receipts are required for reimbursement of $25.00 or more.

Vehicles rented within the state and used for in-state travel cannot exceed the standard mileage rate authorized for privately owned vehicles.

Vehicles rented within the state for out of state travel cannot exceed the cost of single coach class round trip airfare.
 
Vehicles rented out of state will be strictly reviewed by OSF for the business necessity of any rental car expense when the object of travel is conducted or held at a designated hotel location, or the cost of mileage usage appears excessive to the stated purpose of travel. Proper documentation is required for approval (i.e. original paid rental car receipt, memo regarding business necessity of rental car).  In addition, the cost of a rented vehicle used both for personal and business travel must be prorated for reimbursement of the business portion of the expenses.

27. ITEMIZED MISCELLANEOUS COSTS include registration fees, business telephone charges, tolls, parking and gasoline for state cars. Receipts are required for reimbursement of $25.00 or more.

If meals were provided and included in the registration fee, write how many were provided next to "Registration Fee - # of Meals Included."  Continental breakfasts and breakfasts provided at no charge by the hotel should not be considered as provided meals.

Note:  TOTAL MISC. and TOTAL LOCAL TRANSP. are the totals of the itemized sections.

28. TOTAL AMOUNT CLAIMED is the total of the entire travel claim.

29. Print your name in this space.

30. Sign your name.

31. Print the date the claimant signed the claim (must be on or after the date travel has ended).

32. The District Attorney or First Assistant must sign the claim on the "Manager¿s Approval Signature" line.