Travel News

November 2, 2021 - The Preferred Hotel Guide (PDF) for October 2021 through December 2022 has been updated. See the last pgae of the Guide for the most recent updates. Preferred hotels must be confirmed through SAP Concur if available and within a reasonable distance. If a Preferred hotel is not available, any hotel can be selected provided the rate is at or below the GSA maximum lodging rate.
October 1, 2021 – The new Preferred Hotel Guide (PDF) effective for the period from October 2021 through December 2022 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.
September 14, 2021 – The U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) has announced its rates for lodging and subsistence for travel that begins on or after October 1, 2021. The new rates can be found on the GSA website by selecting FY2022 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.
June 22, 2021 - The Department of General Services issued a memo with updated guidance on vehicle operations, vehicle maintenance, and ground travel policy that is effective July 1, 2021. This memo was sent to agency Deputies for Administration and Automotive Officers on May 28, 2021.

January 13, 2021 - Corporate card payment due dates for 2021 have been posted on the Corporate Travel Card page.

December 31, 2020
– 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 commonwealth ground travel policies and the applicable GSA mileage rate. Effective January 1, 2021, the higher “standard” rate decreased from $0.575/mile to $0.56/mile and the lower “other vehicle available” rate decreased from $0.17/mile to $0.16/mile. Please review BCPO Travel Memo #20-04 (PDF) for more information.

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.