Sample Reimbursement Policy

A. It is the policy of [Name of Nonprofit] to provide reimbursement for employees and volunteer board members for pre-approved travel related expenses, including transportation, hotels, and food. These expenses must be reasonable and necessary, as well as job-related, and must be pre-approved in writing by [the Executive Director/ Board of Directors].

B. [Name of Nonprofit] will only reimburse for pre-approved travel related expenses when the employee provides documentation of the expense with receipts from purchases or other verifiable documentation.

C. Employees seeking reimbursement must complete the [Name of form, such as “Travel Reimbursement Request form.”] The form must be fully and accurately completed, and submitted to the [Executive Director /Board of Directors.] All receipts should be scanned/attached and submitted with the form.

• Local travel will be reimbursed through petty cash in accordance with applicable petty cash policies and procedures. This includes reimbursement for transportation by taxi and/or public transportation, and, when pre-approved, use of an employee’s personal automobile. [Name of Nonprofit] will reimburse employees for the use of their personal automobile in accordance with the federally approved mileage rate for business use of personal vehicles.
• Reimbursement of meals when there is no overnight travel should be paid by the organization only when the meal has a defined business purpose.
• For out-of-area travel, [Name of Nonprofit] will reimburse all pre-approved travel related actual costs, such as hotel accommodations, transportation to and from the destination, including airline, train or bus tickets, taxicab fares, meals and gratuities etc. [optional: A per diem amount limited to the federally approved per diem limits will be provided to employees for any overnight business travel.] Employees and volunteers should travel at the lowest available airfare to accommodate the purpose of the business trip.