[tei-council] per-diem rates for Oxford

[Kevin Hawkins]

The Board procedures document says:

<item><label>Incidental Expenses</label> The per diem is also intended 
to cover incidental and minor expenses such as tips, in-town taxi and 
public transit fares (under $20), and the like. Reimbursement for ground 
transportation above $20 should be requested separately (with 
receipts).</item>

So I take this to mean that we are allowed to claim incidentals.

Group meals are not forbidden; it's just that you use a different line 
on the reimbursement for them and turn in receipts for them.  For meals 
that weren't covered by a group excursion or arranged by the local 
organizers (such as our lunches in Oxford), you should use the 
appropriate per-diem rate.

So I'll go with my interpretation when I mail things on Thursday unless 
I hear otherwise ...

--Kevin

On 11/15/13 10:34 PM, Syd Bauman wrote:
> I think the 70% is total per diem permitted (i.e., TEI per diem is
> 0.70 * US Dept of State per diem); of that, I think only 80% may be
> used for meals. ("[T]he allowance for meals is 80% of the total TEI
> per diem.")
>
> Thus the TEI per diem for a day of meals in Oxford 2013 is 97 * 0.7 *
> 0.8 = USD 54.32.
>
> That said, when the document was originally written, the intent was
> not that each traveller would claim the per diem rate per day;
> rather, the intent was the per diem rate (which was set to USDoS, not
> to 70% of USDoS) was a maximum. Travellers were expected to claim
> exactly what they spent, up to this amount. There is still what may
> be a vestige of that policy in the document: "The per diem rates are
> intended to cover actual meals and incidental daily living expenses".
>
> But it certainly looks like the current (draft) policy is just to use
> the per diem as a per diem, not as a maximum claim. However, I note
> this draft document also says that group meals are forbotten, which
> would put me up a proverbial creek. I've always, including for our
> 2013-04 meeting in Providence, sumbitted exactly what I spent, with
> receipts when I have them (which is usually), and including group
> meals. TEI reimbursed these expenses without comment or complaint.
>
>> For those meals eaten while traveling but not paid for as part of a
>> group meal or covered by our lodging, I want to check on the rates
>> before I submit my reimbursement form.
>>
>> The US Department of State gives USD 97 as the meals and incidental
>> expenses rate for Oxford. According to the Board procedures
>> document we take 70% of this, giving USD 67.90. Last time we
>> divided the percentages among meals as follows:
>>
>> breakfast: 25%
>> lunch: 35%
>> dinner: 40%
>>
>> And thus we would use the following on the reimbursement form:
>>
>> breakfast: USD 16.975
>> lunch: USD 23.765
>> dinner: USD 27.16
>>
>> Sound right?