Travel News

• December 5, 2018 - A new SAP role is available for Agency Board Administrators to perform their responsibilities as defined in Management Directive 305.19, Identification of Boards, Commissions, Councils, Advisory Committees, and Authorities.  Please review BCPO Travel Memo #18-01 (PDF) for more information.

• October 19, 2018 – The new Preferred Lodging Guide (PDF) effective for the period from October 2018 through December 2019 is now posted. Preferred hotels must be confirmed through ADTRAV 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 1, 2018 – The U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) has announced its rates for lodging and subsistence for travel that begins on or after October 1, 2018.  The new rates can be found on the GSA website by selecting FY2019 from the “For Fiscal Year” dropdown menu.  The commonwealth’s maximum lodging rates equal the GSA rates; maximum subsistence rates equal the GSA rates, excluding the allowance for incidental expenses.  Travelers with questions should contact co-travelaudits@pa.gov or refer to Manual 230.1, Commonwealth Travel Procedures Manual for additional guidance on subsistence rates.

• July 13, 2018 – The Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission has approved a six percent toll increase for both EZPass and cash paying customers. The new rates will be effective January 6, 2019.  Commonwealth travelers are encouraged to use EZPass when traveling on commonwealth business to take advantage of the savings versus the cash price. More information on the increase and toll schedules is available on the Turnpike Commission website.

• 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.

• February 9, 2018 – 

  Check out the Travel Training and Contact Info for updated tutorials and new training opportunities. Tutorials can be quick references for common travel activities like completing an expense report. For detailed travel training, enroll in a web-based training course to learn about recent updates to travel policy or sign up for instructor-led courses provided by the Comptroller Operations Travel Division in Harrisburg.

• September 18, 2017 – The Governor’s Office has issued an update to the out-of-state travel policy.  The revisions are effective September 18, 2017 and until further notice for all agencies under the Governor’s jurisdiction.   Please review our Out-of-State Travel page for guidelines and a link to this policy.

• March 8, 2017 – The Pennsylvania Department of Revenue has updated form REV-1220 to include a separate box for exemption from local hotel occupancy tax.  A link to the updated form and a sample of how to complete the form can be found on the Travel Forms & Resources page.  Travelers are required to present the REV-1220 at check-in to any Pennsylvania hotel.