You must submit itemized receipts for all travel expenses related to your award with your Student Travel Check Request form. Provided that your expenses are classified as eligible, you will be reimbursed for them - not to exceed your maximum award amount. The following are the guidelines for determining which expenses are eligible and which are not:
I. Meals
- An itemized (listing all food and beverage items) receipt is required. Do not submit a credit card receipt unless it is accompanied by an itemized receipt.
- Beverages containing alcohol are not eligible and should be stricken from your receipt. To facilitate the review of your reimbursement request, please request a separate receipt for beverages containing alcohol.
- Lunches are not an allowable expense.
- We do not use State per diem rates for meals – instead reimbursement is based on the actual cost of the meal.
- The total allowed per meal is based on New York State guidelines and varies depending on the location.
- If you are eating a meal with a group, please request your own bill. If it is not possible for you to get an individual itemized receipt and you must submit a group meal receipt, make sure that that your individual portion of the charge is clearly identified on the receipt.
- Each student will only be reimbursed for his/her/their individual food and beverage items regardless of who paid upfront. For example, if one student pays upfront for a group meal that is shared by three other students, each student sitting at the table, including the one who paid the bill upfront, will be reimbursed only for the food and beverage items that he/she/they ordered. The other three students would be responsible for reimbursing the student who paid upfront.
II. Lodging
- If you are staying overnight in New York State, provide a Tax Exempt Certificate to the person checking you in. When you lodge in New York State, you should not be charged taxes for your stay and you will not be reimbursed for any taxes that you are erroneously charged. If the motel/hotel employee checking you in has any questions, he/she/they may call Kim Remley at 585-395-2523.
- You will be reimbursed for your portion of the room regardless of who paid upfront for it. For example, if a student pays upfront for a room that is shared by four students at a total cost of $100, each student sharing the room, including the one who paid the full charge for the room, will be reimbursed $25. The other three students will be responsible for reimbursing the student who paid upfront.
III. Transportation
- Whether you travel by air, bus, train or vehicle, the cost of your transportation to/from the conference or seminar and to/from your hotel or motel location is an eligible expense. Transportation for travel to/from restaurants, for sightseeing, etc. are not eligible expenses.
- If you drive your personal vehicle, request reimbursement based on your mileage (currently, the rate is set at 58 cents per mile) by using the Statement of Automobile Travel form. This form should be submitted with your Student Travel Check Requestform.
- Passengers cannot request reimbursement based on mileage, but can request reimbursement for gas charges. Please keep in mind, however, that we do not cover mileage and gas for the same trip. So, if you drive and are claiming mileage, you and your riders will need to make arrangements gas reimbursements.
Parking is a reimbursable expense. - Taxi and Uber, Lyft, etc. expenses are reimbursable only for transporting you to/from the hotel/motel that you are staying at or the conference or seminar that you are attending. Local transportation charges for travel to/from restaurants, for sightseeing, etc. are not reimbursable.