Expense & Travel Policies

The provisions of this policy apply to all business travel and entertainment expenses incurred. Additional restrictions may apply to travel expenses funded by our customers and/or business partners. Should any questions about this policy or its application arise, please check with Finance/Accounting or the designated Project Leader.

AIR TRAVEL

• Passenger tickets or copies of electronic tickets showing dates, destinations, amounts, and credit card charge amounts are required on the receipt for reimbursement.
• All air travel is in coach class for travel anywhere in the world. 
• Bookings should be made as far in advance as possible to secure lower-cost flights.
• Travelers should use alternative airports if lower airfares are available. (i.e., travelers who live in the Bay Area should look at airlines at Oakland, San Jose, and San Francisco.)

AUTOMOBILE TRAVEL

RENTAL CAR

• Employees are encouraged to rent a vehicle for any automobile trips over seventy-five miles to limit personal liability.
• All rental cars are to be mid-sized for individual travelers or full-sized for multiple travelers.
• Fuel for rental cars must be supported by receipts.
• Employees should not “pre-purchase” fuel if refueling is possible before returning the rental car.
• Traffic and parking ticket expenses will not be reimbursed.
• Rental Car Insurance:
  • Rental car insurance is built into our domestic rental rates with National/Enterprise, so no additional insurance purchase is necessary.
  • Should an employee choose to use a rental car agency other than National/Enterprise, and an incident/accident should occur, the employee’s personal auto insurance would be the primary insurance.
  • If international travel is required, please reach out to the finance team for rules and regulations regarding automobile insurance in foreign countries.
    • Employees traveling internationally for a client (billable work) should elect the insurance option when renting an automobile.
    • Employees traveling internationally for OSG (nonbillable work) should elect the insurance option when renting an automobile.
    • When renting a car in New Zealand, OSG’s Global Companion Insurance policy requires the purchase of a minimum of $100,000 in auto liability coverage.

PERSONAL AUTOMOBILE USE

• Personal automobile mileage will be reimbursed at the current IRS-allowed rate per mile driven for business use.
• In addition to standard mileage allowance, OSG will reimburse for necessary and reasonable charges of tolls, ferries, parking, bridges, trains, subways, etc.

LODGING

• Hotel costs vary from city to city and the most reasonable rates should be targeted. This is typically accomplished by booking in second-tier hotels such as Courtyard by Marriott, Hilton Garden Inn, Hyatt Place or the like.
• Utilize corporate or client rates to reduce the cost if possible.
• A lodging receipt must include the name, location of the lodging establishment, dates of stay and the total amount charged to a credit card.
• Only the room rate and tax should be included as lodging. Miscellaneous lodging expenses, such as room service, onsite restaurant charges, hotel market charges, etc. must be reported separately.
• To avoid an extra night’s accommodations and other ancillary travel expenses, employees should return home the day their business concludes if practicable.
• The employee is responsible for canceling room reservations if the trip plans are changed.  “No-show” costs will not be reimbursed for plans changed more than 48 hours in advance.

PERSONAL MEALS AND INCIDENTALS

• OSG will reimburse expenses for reasonable and actual dining expenses incurred during company-related business travel and incidental expenses. Receipts identifying each person at the meal must be submitted to support each meal expense.
• Reasonable meal costs vary based on location, however as a guideline, when traveling, treat OSG and client’s money as your OWN.
• Cash tipping is not reimbursed since it cannot be documented and controlled. Tipping at a restaurant will be reimbursed up to 20% with documentation.

BUSINESS & ENTERTAINMENT EXPENSES

• Expenses are considered business and entertainment only when clients are included or company meetings when company or client matters are discussed.
• When reporting entertainment expenses, please include the client’s name, people in attendance and their titles, business purpose, date, location, and type of entertainment.
• One-Day Travel

In general, trips of less than 50 miles one-way do not qualify for reimbursement for an overnight stay without VP and high approval or are considered a health and safety issue.

FOREIGN CURRENCY EXCHANGE

• Employees are encouraged to use a credit card that does NOT charge foreign exchange fees.
• The U.S. dollar equivalent should be included on receipts for purchases in foreign currencies.
• The expense report preparer should use the Web currency converter located at https://www.oanda.com/currency/converter/ for foreign exchange calculations. If a copy of the traveler’s credit card statement is included with receipts, reimbursement will be for the amount shown for the item on the credit card statement. Employees should verify credit card purchases against their credit card statement to determine exact exchange rates.
• Cash transactions/purchases will be reimbursed using OSG’s official currency rate unless a receipt for foreign exchange is provided.

PASSPORTS AND VISAS

OSG will pay for obtaining a passport/visa, adding pages to a passport, or renewing a passport/visa where the employee’s job function requires international travel. This includes reasonable transportation fees or delivery fees incurred as the direct result of obtaining the necessary passport or visa.

NON-REIMBURSABLE EXPENSES

The following expenses are not reimbursable under this policy:

• Annual credit card fees (except for OSG-issued cards)
• Childcare
• Credit card delinquency fees or finance charges
• Dues in private clubs
• Frequent flier and other similar awards for hotel and car rentals
• Gym and recreational fees, including massages and saunas
• Health club memberships
• Home telephone service
• Home internet service
• Home office furniture (desk, office chair, etc.)
• Insurance costs such as life insurance, flight insurance, personal automobile insurance and baggage insurance
• Laundry or valet service for travel of less than five days
• Lost baggage
• Loss or theft of cash advance money, airline tickets, personal funds or property
• Miscellaneous cash tipping (housekeeping, bellmen, shuttle drivers
• “No-show” charges for hotel and car service (except where such a charge is the result of itinerary or other travel plan changes initiated by OSG where it is too late to inform the provider)
• Parking tickets or traffic violations
• Personal automobile repairs
• Personal grooming services (i.e. barber, hairdresser, shoeshine)
• Upgrades (air, hotel, car, etc.)

FAILURE TO PROVIDE A RECEIPT

• A receipt is required for all expenses incurred, whether on OSG-issued card or personal card. The IRS might disregard the deduction in an audit without it. OSG reserves the right to reject an expense if a receipt is missing.
• Statements are not the best backup as they do not show the actual purchase, states show just the total and location of the purchase; but will suffice as a last resort.