Expense policy: Difference between revisions

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(→‎Travel for multiple purposes: refine - travelling on different dates may radically change costs, the benefit should be to the charity not the individual)
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{{notice|This policy is currently a draft. Please help improve it!}}
#REDIRECT [[Expense procedures]]
 
{{color|red|I've put my comments in-line in red below. --[[User:Tango|Tango]] 11:48, 15 October 2011 (UTC)}}
 
Wikimedia UK is committed to reimbursing the actual and necessary expenses incurred by volunteers, board members and staff when they are engaged on Wikimedia UK business, including meetings, conferences and workshops. We may reimburse attendance of international events, and organisation of events in the UK (although we would not expect to reimburse attendance at a UK event unless such reimbursement is specifically offered for individual events). We may also reimburse expenses incurred for purchasing publicity material, and expenses related to running an event {{color|red|I wouldn't expect the cost of running an event to come under the expenses policy - that's regular expenditure, not an individual's expenses. There should be a separate policy covering regular expenditure.}}.
 
All expenses that are intended to be reimbursed must be approved by the individual(s) responsible for the appropriate budget line (or, in their absence, the WMUK board). Evidence for expenses must be provided, ideally via receipts, or alternatively via bank or credit card statements, unless the expense falls under the standard per diem {{color|red|Receipts should be required for everything, otherwise the per diem just becomes an unconditional payment}}. Expenses are expected to only be incurred at levels that are reasonable for a UK charity.
 
Note that this policy explicitly excludes salary costs for employees (whether full-time or part-time) or contractors. No part of this expense policy should be construed as forming part of a salary or hourly rate for the individuals being reimbursed. As such, minimum wage considerations do not apply to this policy.
 
== Travel ==
We will reimburse:
* Airfares at economy class rates. Budget airlines are preferred {{color|red|I wouldn't ask someone to take a budget airline for anything more than a 2-3hr flight. We shouldn't put people through that kind of unpleasant experience.}}. Please use price comparison websites (e.g. http://www.expedia.com/) to minimize flight costs - although increased costs incurred by travelling at convenient times are acceptable {{color|red|This should be weakened a little - people should be flexible about when they travel in order to reduce costs, they should shouldn't be expected to get up at 3am in order to catch a flight}}.
* Train fares at standard rates (off-peak rates are preferred wherever possible). First class fares may be reimbursed providing that the cost is less than standard class plus additional relevant expenses (e.g. either the ticket is cheaper than the equivalent standard class ticket, or the reasonable benefits of first class [i.e. internet access and catering] outweigh the increased cost of the ticket).
* Travel by private motor vehicle at standard HMRC rates (adjusted based on the fact that mileage is more likely to be incurred for individual trips than in bulk throughout the year); i.e. 45p/mile for the first 150 miles (up to a maximum of 10,000 miles in any given year), and 25p/mile thereafter, for each return journey (defined as journeys separated by staying overnight at the claimant's residence). Please ensure that your car insurance allows you to be compensated for travel (this may require you to include use for business purposes on the insurance for your vehicle - please check this with your insurance company. Note that the cost of such coverage, or any other insurance coverage including breakdown cover, will not be covered by WMUK beyond the standard rates).
* Travel by motor bike will be reimbursed at the standard HMRC rate of 24p/mile.
* Travel by bicycle, where such travel is not covered by the per diem rate, will be reimbursed at the standard HMRC rate of 20p/mile.
* Long-distance travel via bus
* Travel by taxi where no other reasonable alternatives are available, and where such travel is in excess of the expectations for incidental expenses
* Other reasonable forms of travel as needed (e.g. ferry journeys) will be reimbursed subject to approval on a case by case basis.
* Vehicle rental may be approved in advance where necessary on a case by case basis (e.g. when transporting bulky items, or if the cost of renting and petrol is less than the cost of private motor vehicle mileage as described above {{color|red|Cars will probably be rented by people that don't have their won, so it should be compared against the cost of whatever they would use instead.}}), but would not be reimbursed on a routine basis.
* Toll charges (such as the M6 toll, or the London congestion charge) will also be covered if these are unavoidable.
* Where alternative means of transport are required for physical or medical reasons (e.g. travel by taxi, or business class air fares), then these will also be reimbursed as appropriate.
* The costs for employees commuting to the WMUK office will not normally be reimbursed unless prior approval of that reimbursement has been incorporated within the employees' contract of employment.
 
Where possible and feasible, travel by train or other public transport methods is preferable to aeroplanes or private motor vehicle.
 
Travel by tube, bus and cycle are normally covered under 'Meals & Incidental Expenses' below.
 
WMUK expects, and encourages, all individuals travelling on WMUK business to have obtained the appropriate travel insurance, and will reimburse the cost of this insurance. WMUK will not normally reimburse expenses and liabilities incurred that would otherwise have been covered by such insurance. {{color|red|You should look into getting company travel insurance - it's usually cheaper than buying a separate policy for each individual.}}
 
Where travel is being reimbursed for minors (i.e. those under 18 years old), then the corresponding travel for their guardian will also be reimbursed, provided that those expenses are in accordance with the guidance that is set out in this policy.
 
== Accommodation ==
We will reimburse the reasonable costs of accommodation provided that:
* Stays are at budget class hotels (3 star or below). We would not expect to reimburse stays in 4* or 5* hotels except in extraordinary circumstances (such as the price of such accommodation being lower than the standard cost of lower quality hotels.
* We generally expect that a hotel will cost less £40/night/person, unless no hotels in that price range are available.
* When a standard budget class hotel is designated by a conference or workshop, then we would expect people to stay at that hotel even if alternative, cheaper, options are available, to increase networking opportunities.
* The definition of 'hotel' above includes accommodation by other means, such as hostels, caravans or camping.
 
== Meals & Incidental Expenses ==
Wikimedia UK will pay for meals and incidental expenses for volunteers as follows;
* £25 for a full day involving an overnight stay before or after the day in question {{color|red|That means you get the £25 both on the day before and after a one-night stay - you should only get it once.}}
* £10 for a full day where no overnight stay is involved
A "full day" means at least 7 hours of activity on behalf of Wikimedia UK, including travel time. Where all relevant meals are provided as part of an event programme, this per diem rate will not be payable. This amount may vary depending on the location of the expense; if the costs of meals and incidental expenses are expected to be significantly higher or lower than the quoted rate depending on local subsistence costs, then a modified per diem rate should be agreed in advance of the expense. Where travel is in the United States, then the expected per diem will be at 75% of the State Dept and GSA rates, as defined by the [http://www.gsa.gov/portal/content/104877 U.S. General Services Administration] or the [http://aoprals.state.gov/web920/per_diem.asp U.S. Department of State] {{color|red|Why is the USA singled out? - because clear guidance could easily be located thanks to the WMF policy, and it makes sense to synchronise with their policy; other guidance can be added in here as appropriate.}}.
 
This sum accounts for:
* meals and refreshments (including breakfast, lunch and dinner for the full rate; or either lunch or dinner for the lower rate; in both cases including refreshment costs in between meals)
* costs of phone calls and/or data connections for Wikimedia UK purposes and for reasonable personal use connected to travel on Wikimedia UK work
* Incidental transport costs (e.g. bus fares, car park charges, short taxi rides) too trivial to submit claims for. {{color|red|You'll struggle to afford any taxi ride out of the per diem.}}
 
Incidental expenses which are individually greater than these thresholds will only be paid against receipts, unless prior agreement is received from the budget holder.
 
These rates apply to stays of less than 7 days duration within the UK, the rest of the European Union, and the United States of America. Rates for longer stays and other locations may be altered at the discretion of the Chief Executive and Treasurer.
 
Where any volunteer claims per diem expenses on a recurring basis, the Chief Executive or, if necessary, the Board of Trustees will review the arrangement to ensure that Wikimedia UK is not breaking its obligations under minimum wage legislation.
 
Expenses may be claimed based on receipts, rather than on the per diem rate, where requested either prior or after the expense. It is expected that this will only be the case where expenses are lower than the per diem rate, unless approved in advance.
 
Note that WMUK will not reimburse the costs of alcohol, cigarettes or other recreational expenses. {{color|red|What about entertaining? If you take a potential partner out to dinner, they'll expect you to order a bottle of wine.}}
 
== Travel for multiple purposes ==
If a single journey incorporates multiple purposes that are not solely for the advancement of WMUK's charitable mission (e.g. staying a couple of extra days for personal reasons, or incorporating a visit on behalf of other organisations), then WMUK will reimburse only the portion of the expenses that is for WMUK purposes. For example, on a trip abroad, we would only pay the per diem and cover the costs of accommodation for the days that were spent on WMUK business, although we would reimburse up to the equivalent cost of travel to the location required for the business being reimbursed by WMUK (or the amount receipts are available for if a lesser sum), excluding any additional journeys for other purposes.
 
== Other expenses ==
WMUK may also reimburse, or will directly cover, the costs of:
* Registration costs for conferences
* Meeting rooms, catering and other corresponding costs for WMUK and WMUK-related events
* Long-duration car parking expenses where necessary
* Publicity material, such as badges, T-shirts and printed materials, and corresponding postage costs, where that material is not stocked by the WMUK office
* Phone calls to participate in meetings remotely
* Childcare or other costs of caring for dependent individuals whilst on WMUK business {{color|red|This should have some conditions added, or it could get very expensive.}}
* Entertainment costs for other parties, where those costs have been approved in principle in advance. {{color|red|This needs its own policy.}}
* Any other reasonable expenses where approved by the budget holder in advance of the expense being incurred.
 
{{color|red|As mentioned above, some of these are things that I wouldn't consider "expenses". They don't relate to a particular individual, but rather to an event or other chapter activity and should be covered by different processes.}}
 
== Approval and reimbursement process ==
Approval should be received from the appropriate budget line manager (or, in their absence, from the WMUK board) prior to the expense to be incurred, or afterwards in exceptional situations. Where possible, expenses should be paid directly by WMUK. Expenses may also be transferred to staff or board members where appropriate.
 
Reimbursement will normally be carried out by bank transfer or cheque after provision of the receipts (or alternatively, as evidenced by bank or credit card statements). Reimbursement will normally take between 3 and 4 weeks. Where necessary, advances may be provided to cover anticipated expenses. Should the expenses not be subsequently incurred, or are incurred at a lower level than anticipated, then the excess should be returned to WMUK.
 
The person being reimbursed is responsible for all tax implications of the reimbursement.
 
Expense claims must be submitted within 6 months of the completion of the corresponding trip; claims submitted after this point will not be reimbursed.
 
Where the individual concerned is receiving a speaker's fee or honorarium for their presence, then WMUK would not expect to cover their corresponding expenses. Additionally, where expenses are being covered by another party, then WMUK will not also reimburse for said expenses.
 
Should WMUK subsequently discover that expenses have also been reclaimed by other means; that a speaker's fee/honorarium has been provided; or where expenses have otherwise been reimbursed multiple times or in excess of the amount claimed, then WMUK expects to be refunded for the excess payments as appropriate.
 
Conflicts of interest that arise as a result of this expense policy should be addressed as per the [[Conflict of Interest policy]]. This includes situations where a speaker's fee or honorarium is being received by the individual in question.
 
== Opting out of being reimbursed in full ==
Should an individual not wish to retain part or the whole of the reimbursement, then they may pay back part or all of it back to Wikimedia UK after reimbursement. If appropriate and in the presence of a Gift Aid declaration, then this may count as a Gift Aid payment.{{color|blue|This is obvious and we could lose this section. If someone decides to claim all their money and then after we have checked it and approved it ... then decides to give it back to us ??? I'm not sure I'd say thank you with much enthusiasm [[User:Victuallers|Victuallers]] 15:26, 15 October 2011 (UTC)}}
 
== External guidance ==
* [http://www.charity-commission.gov.uk/publications/cc11.asp CC11 - Charity Commission guidance on trustee expenses and payments]
* [http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/charities/guidance-notes/chapter3/sectionf.htm#ay HMRC guidance on Voluntary workers' expenses]
* [http://wikimediafoundation.org/wiki/Travel_policy The Wikimedia Foundation's travel policy]

Latest revision as of 18:25, 4 March 2014

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