Pennsylvania State System Travel Regulations, in conformity with the Internal Revenue Code, require that travel reimbursements be made within 60 days of the end of the travel. Any reimbursements made after that time period must be reported as taxable income to the employee and included on the employee's W-2 as compensation.
Effective immediately for all travel ending on or after January 1, 2015, reimbursements issued more than 60 days after the end of the travel will be added to the traveler's compensation and reported on the traveler's W-2 for the appropriate calendar year. Accordingly, please ensure all your Travel Expense Vouchers are submitted to the Travel Office no later than 45 days after the end of your travel to allow sufficient processing time prior to the 60-day deadline.
There are a few steps you can take to help prevent your travel reimbursements from becoming reportable as taxable income:
- Submit your Travel Voucher to the Travel Office immediately upon the completion of your travel. If you will be making multiple trips during a given month and cannot submit your Travel Voucher after each trip, then submit your Travel Voucher for all trips during a given month by the fifth working day of the following month.
- Request prepayment through the Travel Office of as many travel costs as possible to reduce the amount being reimbursed.