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Travel News

  • August 12, 2019 – The Preferred Lodging Guide (PDF) effective for the period from October 2018 through December 2019 has been updated.  See the last page of the Guide for the most recent updates.  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.  

  • July 30, 2019 - Effective August 25, 2019, only files with .pdf, .png., jpg, .jpeg, .tif, and .tiff extensions will be able to be attached to travel expense reports.   BCPO Travel Memo #19-02 (PDF) was issued to agencies explaining the change and includes procedures on how to convert files to an acceptable file type.
  • July 16, 2019 – 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 5, 2020.  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 or you can read the News Release.
  • January 28, 2019 - A new expense type was made available in SAP/ESS on February 1, 2019 for reporting of Commonwealth-paid parking on travel expense reports.  Please review BCPO Travel Memo #19-01 (PDF) for more information. 

  • December 21, 2018 

     – 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, 2019, the higher “standard” rate increased from $0.545/mile to $0.58/mile and the lower “other vehicle available” rate increased from $0.18/mile to $0.20/mile.  Please review BCPO Travel Memo #18-02 (PDF) for more information.
  • 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.
  • 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 page for updated tutorials and 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 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.