Mileage Reimbursement Ethics

[va32h]

My company pays mileage reimbursement when employees have to travel to job sites, and I have to sign off on all the trip sheets. We all live in pretty much the same area, so I am often surprised at the varying reports of mileage.

So I asked around...some employees are recording their mileage not from their homes to the job site, but from other places...if they ran errands in another town, for example. In DFW, there are lots of suburbs, it's not uncommon to live in Sachse, and drive over to Plano to shop, or work in Carrollton but live in Lewisville, etc.

In another instance, an employee had gotten lost on the way to the jobsite, and so her mileage included a good 40 miles of her driving out of her way and back.

I'm not comfortable okaying this sort of thing - it would never occur to me to charge my employer for me getting lost, for one thing. But others have told me that it's not a big deal. There are no company "rules" spelled out about this - I guess because we just assumed that people would realize that mileage reimbursement doesn't mean you plan an excursion to the outlet mall before you head to work so you can stick an extra 30 miles on your sheet.

But we all know what happens when you assume! So what's a nice way to say "y'all need to stop cheating on your mileage sheets".?

 

[DMickey28]

When I do this for work I do one of two things:

1. Record the mileage before I get in the car and then when I get there... I don't do personal errands unless they are on the way. That's wrong.

2. Usually I do mapquest from my house/business (wherever I am supposed to leave from) to the site and submit that.

I am too honest for my own good.

 

[Julia M]

My company pays mileage reimbursement when employees have to travel to job sites, and I have to sign off on all the trip sheets. We all live in pretty much the same area, so I am often surprised at the varying reports of mileage.

So I asked around...some employees are recording their mileage not from their homes to the job site, but from other places...if they ran errands in another town, for example. In DFW, there are lots of suburbs, it's not uncommon to live in Sachse, and drive over to Plano to shop, or work in Carrollton but live in Lewisville, etc.

In another instance, an employee had gotten lost on the way to the jobsite, and so her mileage included a good 40 miles of her driving out of her way and back.

I'm not comfortable okaying this sort of thing - it would never occur to me to charge my employer for me getting lost, for one thing. But others have told me that it's not a big deal.

Well, I would discount any errands ran, but personally, if I get lost, I do count that mileage, since I wouldn't be there if it weren't for work! (I usually do Mapquest, and keep a map in the car, but despite that, I still sometimes get lost)

Julia

 

[jfulcer]

It sounds like you need to have the company get a policy in writing with regards to the mileage reimbursement. That way you don't have to say anything, confront anyone, or ask any hard questions unless people start submitting outrageous miles after the policy is in place. Then it's not you that's the bad guy - it's the policy. "You're just doing your job".

 

[tmt martins]

I drive a company van that we can use for personel as well. I can't beleive what some people try to pull and get let go for.

Once a guy took his van to the beach 300 miles round trip. He disconected his cable so no miles to hide. Then he used his company gas card at the beach that you have to input milage and your id in to activate.

Well he got fired and turned into the police.

I just would never think of risking a good paying job for a few dollars a month.

 

[GeorgeG]

It's hard trying to keep people honest these days. Unfortunately, many who cheat are following an example set by senior management.

I've always been good at keeping accurate accountings of everything work related. If I drove 110 miles, I put in for 110 miles. If for some reason I lost track and guessed I drove 110 miles, I put in for 100.

More and more companies are not trusting their employees, and many for good reason. I'd rather get caught giving than get caught taking. It might not ever be acknowledged, let alone appreciated, but it helps make for a good nights sleep.

One thing that's often overlooked is the insurance on your private vehicle may not include using the vehicle for work other than to and from. It's a good idea to check with your agent to see how your policy is written.

 

[pearlieq]

Lost yes, errands no.

 

[Aidensmom]

Well, I would discount any errands ran, but personally, if I get lost, I do count that mileage, since I wouldn't be there if it weren't for work! (I usually do Mapquest, and keep a map in the car, but despite that, I still sometimes get lost)

Julia

I would probably do the same thing. I think making your starting point somewhere out of the way is not right, but if you truly got lost, despite having mapquest directions or other guidance, when going somewhere you would not be going to if not for work...I would count all of the mileage.

 

[bicker]

I am too honest for my own good.

There is no such thing.

 

[momof2inPA]

You can't consider someone's personal errands as a business expense for accounting purposes, can you? I would think this could get you in trouble with your auditors. I'd circulate a written policy today that mileage includes the distance from home or the office to the job site and back.

 

[stemikger]

Everyone at my company pads the milegage. We have a choice of either getting a Lincoln Town Car pick us up and take us home or we can drive in. In my case if the Lincoln Town Car picks me up the company has to pay them $160 a day. If I drive in they only have to pay me $30. So I take that that in consideration. I am saving them an awful lot of money by driving in. Also, I feel the wear and tear of my car needs to be compensated for.

I pad the mileage to make it worth it for me. I don't feel bad because no matter how much I pad it, I would never come close to what they are paying for the town car. If this type of thing is keeping you up at night and getting under your skin like it seems to be, you should thank God you don't have real problems to worry about.

In the scheme of things this is really insignificant and I think you are being a little petty.

 

[bicker]

There is no such thing as being petty about honesty.

 

[ford family]

Everyone at my company pads the milegage.

Also, I feel the wear and tear of my car needs to be compensated for.

In the scheme of things this is really insignificant and I think you are being a little petty.

Isn't the mileage compensation rate set to cover perceived "wear and tear" rather than just oil and petrol usage?
Are you comfortable with stealing anything else from your company? What is the threshold level for "petty" where your conscience kicks in; other travel expenses, entertainment expenses, office supplies, personal use of phones and computers, company time?
Just curious.

ford family

 

[barkley]

the agency i worked for had very explicit rules about mileage reimbursements and the way they got around people using different starting points than their home address was to only reimburse mileage that was in excess of your normal commute to your regularly assigned work location. so if you had a meeting that was a hundred miles from your home address we subtracted the normal 50 you did to get to work (and as a supervisor i was expected to know where my staff lived so i could map quest and verify mileage)-if your meeting was closer to home than your normal commute-no reimbursement. i could and did make exceptions when there was a major traffic issue on one of the main routes-if the employee opted to take the longer (mileage wise) alternate to keep from getting home hours late we paid for it.

dh's agency just went through a very public audit of reimbursement claims-not only the governmental agency he works for but also the contractors were looked at (and some terminated) for padding mileage (misuse of government funds, falsifying government documents and resulting purjury all being looked at by the d.a.).

 

[momof2inPA]

Moral character is judging a person and I chose not to judge anybody until I walk in their shoes.

If you pad or lie about your mileage, you are by definition dishonest. Morality isn't totally subjective. Society sees lying to and stealing from your employer as wrong-- a moral absolute.

 

[momof2inPA]

the agency i worked for had very explicit rules about mileage reimbursements and the way they got around people using different starting points than their home address was to only reimburse mileage that was in excess of your normal commute to your regularly assigned work location. so if you had a meeting that was a hundred miles from your home address we subtracted the normal 50 you did to get to work (and as a supervisor i was expected to know where my staff lived so i could map quest and verify mileage)-if your meeting was closer to home than your normal commute-no reimbursement. i could and did make exceptions when there was a major traffic issue on one of the main routes-if the employee opted to take the longer (mileage wise) alternate to keep from getting home hours late we paid for it.

That's right. The government has specific rules about mileage. Anything paid beyond those rules is considered income.

 

[Obi-Wan Pinobi]

When I worked a job that reimbursed mileage, I sometimes added an extra 2-5 miles. Of course, I never claimed reimbursement for tolls (typically $2.50 per day if I went from my home down toward the Norfolk area), so it evened out in the end. Besides, I had a co-worker mention to me that a boss once questioned my mileage being identical every trip -- apparently that could be a red flag to accounting that maybe I was just submitting reports and not out doing my job. Anyway, with that company adding a couple miles here and there was typical, but every company is going to be different (or, to use an appropriate term, YMMV).

I'm trying to understand something from the OP. Are the employees claiming mileage from home to errand point A that is way out of the way and then to the job site, or are they claiming only from errand point A to the job site?

If it's the former, it depends. Let's say someone lives in Richardson, runs an errand to Garland, and then goes to a job in McKinney (I'm just pulling some locations off the map for example purposes). They have to double back, adding quite a few miles. They should only claim Richardson to McKinney and not anything to and from Garland. OTOH, if they're stopping in Plano on their way to McKinney and it's not adding a lot of miles, I don't see it as a very big deal.

If it's the latter, again it depends. If they live in Richardson and have to get to a job site in downtown Dallas, but first they run an errand in Garland and only claim mileage from Garland to Richardson, if mileage from either Garland or Richardson to downtown Dallas is roughly equivalent (let's say within 2-5 miles), then again it's not a big deal. If the job is in McKinney and the person from Richardson claims mileage only from the errand place in Garland to McKinney -- if the difference is 2-5 miles, maybe not a big deal; if the difference is a lot, then they should only claim from home to job site.

The simplest solution would be that they can only claim mileage either from their home or from the office to the job site.

 

[bicker]

I don't see it as a very big deal.

By itself, I agree. I think the crux of the issue:

Are you comfortable with stealing anything else from your company?

It's really a matter of what it and isn't appropriate behavior, and therefore only an issue when the reimbursement is more than it should be based on the rules.

 

[disney4us2002]

Perhaps it doesn't seem a big deal because you know you're only adding a couple miles here or there (not pointing out anyone, just an example), but suppose your employer is the state? Huge numbers of employees doing this every month, all year will add up to a hefty amount of money. Many people view this as insignificant just as those whose jobs entail working in the field, often don't work their full day because who would know?

PS: Mapquest doesn't always give the shortest, best, or sometimes even accurate mileage so please only use that as a guideline.

 

[Miss Jasmine]

I have never padded my mileage to my knowledge. I use mapquest for directions if I am going on a long trip and use that mileage since I am using those directions. Locally I don't even usually claim those miles. I can't believe people are so blase about padding mileage. It's stealing from your company. Would you walk out with a ream of paper?