Business Finance Folks, a question...

[sam_gordon]

My last company hotels and rental cars normally would not require an expense report as they are all pre-paid directly by corporate when the reservation was made. Corporate (allegedly) gets some discount. I say allegedly because one employee put together a proposal for a trip with a budget based on rates he was quoted by the hotel, and those rates were lower than the "discount" corporate rate.

Not how it works for us. We make our own travel arrangements and pay with company card.

 

[tvguy]

Not how it works for us. We make our own travel arrangements and pay with company card.

Now I think about it, I think every company I worked for booked all travel for employees, except in an emergency.
When I was traveling extensively, PSA was still flying. They used to sell booklets of 20 tickets. No reservation needed, just walk up to the counter, give them a ticket and they put you on the next flight. I flew a lot of Sacramento to Los Angeles and back, and if a flying was full, no big deal, they had flights leaving on the route every hour from 6 am to 11 pm. The bosses Administrative assist would just hand us a book of 20 tickets.

 

[soccerdad72]

If it’s booked on a company card, it’s likely that the receipt isn’t necessary because they already have an electronic receipt.

 

[disneychrista]

Not reimbursement. Company card.

Still would want a receipt of some kind. Heck where I work now, we have to turn in a zero balance receipt for hotels that they booked for us. So not the booking receipt the receipt after check out.

 

[lovesmurfs]

Our company policy is anything $25.00 or above needs a receipt. We can attest if a receipt was lost if needed.

 

[sam_gordon]

Now I think about it, I think every company I worked for booked all travel for employees, except in an emergency.
When I was traveling extensively, PSA was still flying. They used to sell booklets of 20 tickets. No reservation needed, just walk up to the counter, give them a ticket and they put you on the next flight. I flew a lot of Sacramento to Los Angeles and back, and if a flying was full, no big deal, they had flights leaving on the route every hour from 6 am to 11 pm. The bosses Administrative assist would just hand us a book of 20 tickets.

We've had the option to have the company book for us both at my former and current employer. But, I'd rather have control of my bookings, and since I'm allowed to...

 

[tvguy]

We've had the option to have the company book for us both at my former and current employer. But, I'd rather have control of my bookings, and since I'm allowed to...

I wouldn't want any part of that. Too many chances for the company having an issue with the cost, flight time, airline, or air miles. I actually worked for one corporation that required you to turn in the miles you earned on a flight. No sure how that worked.

 

[sam_gordon]

I wouldn't want any part of that. Too many chances for the company having an issue with the cost, flight time, airline, or air miles. I actually worked for one corporation that required you to turn in the miles you earned on a flight. No sure how that worked.

Well, I've had about a dozen trips since I started with the company and had no issues with any of that. AND we get to keep our travel rewards.

 

[tvguy]

Well, I've had about a dozen trips since I started with the company and had no issues with any of that. AND we get to keep our travel rewards.

Of course the last three years have brought up how much business travel is even necessary anymore when a Zoom call will handle it. I do miss the photos on Facebook from these meets from the booze and food filled hospitality suites at conventions. I guess Las Vegas is really hurting from the decline in conventions.
My son had to travel 400 miles for a meeting last week. First in person meeting his employer has had since March 2020. Since then, his entire agency let the lease expire on their building, and everyone works from home. People have scattered. So they gave my son and all his co-workers a day off from travel, a hotel room, rental car, per diem for two days and had to rent a meeting rooms since they no longer have an office. And everyone agreed, it could have been a Zoom call.

 

[NotUrsula]

If it’s booked on a company card, it’s likely that the receipt isn’t necessary because they already have an electronic receipt.

Mine requires it anyway; we have to tally against the electronic receipts. (HR got hacked about 15 years ago and there is still some residual identity theft happening). They insist on photos of each receipt, no matter how small. You can claim lost receipt up to 3X; after that you get dire warnings, and can be fired for making a habit of it.

I have a recurring meal issue that drives our accountants nuts. Every so often I attend a large meeting at the Philly Convention Center, which, if you know it, is next-door to the Reading Terminal Market, and about a block from Philly's Chinatown. I have a pretty low meal allowance, so I often go to the market or Chinatown to eat while I'm there. The market merchants don't like providing receipts and often refuse to do so, and the Chinatown merchants always write them up by hand in Chinese if they will do them at all. None of those meals has ever been more than $15. So what's Accounting's way of handling it? I'm now also required to photograph the menu line item that shows the price and the English-language menu listing.

Policies are all over the map, for all kinds of reasons that only make sense to the people who make them.

 

[sam_gordon]

Meant to update... a couple of weeks ago the email went out that while the software doesn't require it, we are expected to provide receipts for all transactions.