Allowable Travel Reimbursement Information

Staff should aim to book all work related travel 4 to 6 weeks prior to departure date, but no later than 2 weeks prior.

If you are engaging in work-related travel (outside of the greater Boston/Cambridge area, or outside of a 50-mile radius of your home base for those working remotely), please review the following information:

1. In general, J-PAL NA will cover the following costs during work-related travel:

   1. Airfare (economy class), train, subway, taxis, buses, car rental

   2. Visa expenses and entry/exit fees

   3. Lodging expenses (hotels and Air BnB)

   4. Expenses for meals 

   5. Work-related expenses such as internet access fees, supplies, and photocopying

   6. International Data Plans for cell phones if traveling overseas/out of the country

   7. Conference registration (reach out to Torey Hart to determine if this is should be purchased on a travel card or Pcard) 

2. Prior to travel, please review the U.S. General Services Administration Per Diem Rates Guide as a general guideline on expense amounts.

   1. The GSA guidance for hotel expenses provides monthly rates based on destination, please reach out to Sarah Orzalli if your charges exceed the GSA figures.

3. J-PAL will NOT cover the following expenses during work-related travel:

   1. Alcohol – please charge any alcohol purchased to a separate credit card

   2. Insurance (E.g., Do NOT purchase car insurance for a rental car) J-PAL/MIT already provides travel insurance for all employees who travel for work, so purchasing more insurance is unnecessary and not reimbursable. 

      1. Collision Damage Waiver (CDW) coverage, while on MIT business, should be declined. It is optional and MIT will NOT reimburse you for it. 

      2. Please always use AVIS or Budget rental car if they are at all available, as MIT has a preferred vendor agreement with them. When you do use them, please mention the MIT affiliation, and they will not charge for insurance and may also apply a discount. 

      3. In the event that an agency other than Budget or Avis is used, the MIT Office of Insurance self-insures the liability and physical damage coverages; therefore, the optional insurance coverages (including CDW) should still be declined.  

4. Purchases made for J-PAL are exempt from sales tax in many states; please remember to mention our tax-exempt status when making any purchase (if possible).  This guide provides information on where MIT has tax-exempt status.

5. Personal travel incorporated into a work trip:

   1. Please refer to the Booking a Trip page for detailed information on this process.

6. Please avoid change fees whenever possible. A detailed justification will be required for reimbursement of any change fees.

7. Please do not upgrade your airfare. We are only able to cover economy class tickets. 

Please read through these common expensing mistakes to learn more about allowable expenses.

Reminders for while you are traveling:

• While on your trip collect itemized receipts for ALL purchases on your travel card. These include:

  • Meals

  • Business meeting meals

  • Car rentals

  • Hotel -- You must secure the bill from the hotel; the confirmation you receive from Rosanne McGoldrick, J-PAL's travel agent, is NOT a receipt.

  • Airfare -- Blockskye will send you an eInvoice -- this is the receipt for your flight 

  • If you do not have a receipt for a purchase, please first try to call the vendor/business to see if they can send it to you. If they are unable to do so, please follow up with Sarah for further guidance. 

• If you have additional questions about what to do while you are traveling, please review this MIT Resource and/or reach out to Sarah Orzalli.