Travel News
December 27, 2023
– The U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) announced changes to the Personally-Owned Vehicle (POV) mileage reimbursement rates. Commonwealth traveler claims for personal vehicle mileage are reimbursed according to ground travel policies and the applicable GSA mileage rate. Effective January 1, 2024, the higher “standard” rate increases from $0.655/mile to $0.67/mile and the lower “other vehicle available” rate decreases from $0.22/mile to $0.21/mile.
October 30, 2023 - The new Preferred Hotel Guide (PDF) effective for the period from October 2023 through December 2024 is now posted. Preferred hotels must be confirmed through SAP Concur if available and within a reasonable distance of your business trip destination. If a preferred hotel is not available within a reasonable distance of your destination, any hotel can be selected provided the rate is at or below the GSA maximum lodging rate. October 4, 2023 – On October 18, 2023, multifactor authentication was enabled for SAP Concur web and mobile app users. This two-factor authentication process increases login security for Commonwealth employees using the web and mobile app to access SAP Concur. This will not impact users logging in via Employee Self Service.
August 18, 2023 – The U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) announced its rates for lodging and subsistence for travel that began on or after October 1, 2023. The new rates can be found on the GSA website by selecting FY2024 from the “For Fiscal Year” dropdown menu. The Commonwealth’s maximum lodging rates equal the GSA rates; maximum subsistence rates equal the GSA rates. Travelers with questions should contact co-travelaudits@pa.gov or refer to Manual 230.1, Commonwealth Travel Procedures Manual.
March 14, 2023 - The Governor's Office issued a memo updating Out-of-State and International Travel directives. The memo decentralized out-of-state approval to agency authorities (Deputy Secretary of Administration or equivalent) effective March 27, 2023. International travel and out-of-state requests in which estimated expenses exceed $5,000 will continue to require Governor's Office approval. All requests must continue to be submitted through the Commonwealth Out-of-State Travel Application (COSTA).
pensIn A New WindEffective January 1, 2023, the higher “standard” rate increases from $0.625/mile to $0.655/mile and the lower “other vehicle available” rate remains at $0.22/mile. May 9, 2018 – Through tax year 2017, the Internal Revenue Code provided an exclusion from employees’ income for qualified moving expense payments and reimbursements made by employers. The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act suspended this fringe benefit, except for military-related moving expenses, for tax years 2018 through 2025. As a result, all amounts that the commonwealth pays or reimburses for employee moving expenses must be reported to payroll as compensation. Commonwealth employees should refer to Management Directive 625.3, Moving Employee Household Goods, for the policy on moving expenses. Form STD-202, Request for Transfer Travel Status/Moving Expenses has been updated to reflect this change.