Local and Single-Day Travel

Reasonable transportation and limited meal expenses for work-related, non-commuting, local, or single-day travel will be reimbursed. Be sure to check with your department, which might have more specific guidelines.

To minimize administrative burden and costs, when practical, you should group frequent small-dollar expenses together and submit them monthly on one reimbursement request.

Local Travel

Local travel can be pre-paid or reimbursed when it exceeds your normal commuting distance, or you use a different method of travel than you usually use. For example, if you typically drive 20 miles to your workplace from your residence, you can receive mileage reimbursement or costs associated with using a taxi, bus, or a rented or university-owned vehicle for a single-day meeting that occurs more than 20 miles from your residence, but not for a meeting occurring 10 miles from your residence.

Non-commuting parking fees associated with university business travel are reimbursable. For example, parking in downtown Ithaca is reimbursable when meeting at Seneca Place.

Bus, subway, taxi, or similar mass transit costs are reimbursable where there is a business necessity. For example, a Cornell Tech staff member meeting at Columbia University can receive reimbursement for subway fare.

Commuting expenses are not reimbursable. In the rare instances when such costs are appropriate, they should be considered compensation and processed as a taxable job-related allowance processed through human resources.

Single-Day Travel

Single-day travel takes place within 24 hours, and no overnight stay occurs. Reasonable transportation expenses will be reimbursed.

See also, Local and Single-Day Travel Meals.

See Travel Funded by Certain New York State Sponsored Awards for information on special handling for single-day travel on state-funded sponsored awards.