OT: Work related expense report

[Red Tornado]

Went to visit a vendor yesterday. Used my vehicle for the 255 mile round trip. Burned through 3/4 of a tank of gas. I would like to submit an expense report for mileage.
Here's the rub.... My current boss is very much a, how should I put it, "company man". Thinks more overtime and/or coming in on weekends is the thing to do (we are salaried/exempt), encourages us to not use all of our vacation, etc. He sees it as "giving back to the company" to prove loyalty.
Now I wouldn't be bothered about a work related drive across town, but 3/4 tank of gas & a few hundred miles is a different matter IMO.
My concern (which I believe is well founded) is he would probably approve the expense, but it would be a mark against me in his mind. That could play out in the future. FWIW, the old boss would have insisted I fill out an expense report.
Other types of longer company travel are no-brainer, but I can see this one possibly going the other way with him. What say you?

[JAGI410]

I would absolutely expense that mileage, then I’d look for a new job. Life is too short to work for assholes.

[benb]

I'd agree.. expense it and look for a new job.

It seems 99% of the time this "loyalty" thing is one way. They want you to be loyal right up until they lay you off/outsource you/whatever the instant it's no longer 100% convenient to continue your current arrangement.

I did work a few places where expensing a trip that you took in your own vehicle was not allowed if the trip exceeded a particular distance. I think that had more to do with driving cars being the most dangerous way to travel for conducting business. Putting you on a train/plane reduces their exposure to risk.

[bigbill]

I get 58 cents a mile when I use my own vehicle for company travel. It's part of my travel claim. I take my truck to the airport where I park for free due to my Veteran status so I never hear a peep because I'm saving them the parking costs.

[Jaybee]

If you are an at-will employee (and you almost certainly are), then forget loyalty. As benb posts above, the company is not loyal to you, and you don't owe them anything. You go to work and do your job, they compensate you, end of story.

I'd expense your drive, and honestly, I'd start expensing the shorter drives as well just to establish that use of your POV for business is a business expense. If you aren't doing that, then keep a record of personal resources for business use for tax time. They owe you 255 miles x 0.545 $/mi = $138.98, unless you have something diff. than the IRS mileage rate in a contract.

And yeah, start looking for a new job if you think it would improve your general situation.

[SpokeValley]

You should expense it.

You're a full time employee, doing the company's work, and using your personal assets to do so.

It's a normal cost of doing bidnez.

[gdw]

I'd agree.. expense it and look for a new job.

It seems 99% of the time this "loyalty" thing is one way. They want you to be loyal right up until they lay you off/outsource you/whatever the instant it's no longer 100% convenient to continue your current arrangement.

+1 especially if you work for a tech company.

[AngryScientist]

set a mental rule for yourself and share it with your manager.

"if it's less than 25 miles, i'm fine with eating it, beyond that, i'll expense it"

be clear and consistent.

[saab2000]

I would absolutely expense that mileage, then I’d look for a new job. Life is too short to work for assholes.

Absolutely. The boss is just looking for his own bonus and promotion, not yours.

[Ozz]

Absolutely. The boss is just looking for his own bonus and promotion, not yours.

+1

Something to consider...next time, let him (or your next boss) know you are driving that far, and that you will either expense miles or rent a car depending on what is less expensive for the company.....which would he prefer?

[Ken Robb]

I would absolutely expense that mileage, then I’d look for a new job. Life is too short to work for assholes.

AMEN! This guy is grinding his subordinates to make his numbers look better and he's not smart enough to realize that his attitude is counter-productive to efficiency.

[Bentley]

I would absolutely expense that mileage, then I’d look for a new job. Life is too short to work for assholes.

This ^.

I have been a manager/supervisor for longer than I care to think. A good company man takes care of his people first. This guy is working the wrong end of the equation. You cannot direct loyalty, it is something that is built by building a trusting relationship.

Ray

[54ny77]

I would make sure your TPS report contains proper line spacing and appropriate use of punctuation.

[macaroon]

Your boss sounds like a Grade A Bellend.

Giving back to the company to prove "loyalty"? What planet does he live on?

Surely turning up for work and doing your job competently proves "loyalty"? What does the company do for you that proves it's loyalty? **** all I'd imagine?
It goes both ways.

[Ozz]

I would make sure your TPS report contains proper line spacing and appropriate use of punctuation.
.

[joosttx]

This is complete BS. You should be wringing your hands about how you are going to make to company money or whatever your role is in the company not whether you should expense something.

You need to expense it. Your Boss is breaking the law simply by creating a culture that discourages people to expense or follow company policy.

For me, I was strict on expensing. Since it is audited frequently I made sure everything was by the book. My reports knew the rules and their budget and I expected them to follow it. With that said, I was never a company man. I like to think I was an advocate for my reports.

If you want to invest in the company buy its stock.

[ctcyclistbob]

I would agree with everything said above; this is not about you 'taking extra', but it's what the company owes you.

[cadence90]

set a mental rule for yourself and share it with your manager.

"if it's less than 25 miles, i'm fine with eating it, beyond that, i'll expense it"

be clear and consistent.

Not a great idea imo.

The clear and consistent policy, and one the company should understand and agree with, is that one's use of one's own vehicle for company work will be compensated, whether for 10 miles or 100. There is no 25-mile freebie good will no man's land.

If an employee on a 25-mile work jaunt decides one day to also stop at the pharmacy to pick up diapers, at the pet store to pick up food, then grab a burger, and so decides not to expense those particular 25 miles, that's his/her choice.
.

[Ken Robb]

The new tax laws probably mean the old practice of taking a deduction for unreimbursed expenses will be helpful only for the reduced number of taxpayers who will itemize their deductions.

[KonaSS]

Agree with what everyone has said. What your boss doesn't realize is that he is putting the company in serious risk in creating or mandating this type of environment. What a douche.

[AngryScientist]

Not a great idea imo.

The clear and consistent policy, and one the company should understand and agree with, is that one's use of one's own vehicle for company work will be compensated, whether for 10 miles or 100. There is no 25-mile freebie good will no man's land.

If an employee on a 25-mile work jaunt decides one day to also stop at the pharmacy to pick up diapers, at the pet store to pick up food, then grab a burger, and so decides not to expense those particular 25 miles, that's his/her choice.
.

good point. agreed.

i also very very rarely use my own car if i have to do company travel. if anything happens when i'm travelling for work, i just want to walk away from it. my last rental i tore the front air dam off of pulling out of a challenging client's "driveway". threw it in the hatch and returned the car, not my problem.

[cadence90]

good point. agreed.

i also very very rarely use my own car if i have to do company travel. if anything happens when i'm travelling for work, i just want to walk away from it. my last rental i tore the front air dam off of pulling out of a challenging client's "driveway". threw it in the hatch and returned the car, not my problem.

Exactly.

If the op's personal car was indisposed and so he/she had to rent/Uber/etc to do that company work that day, nobody would think twice about submitting those receipts for expense, right?
.

[Jaybee]

good point. agreed.

i also very very rarely use my own car if i have to do company travel. if anything happens when i'm travelling for work, i just want to walk away from it. my last rental i tore the front air dam off of pulling out of a challenging client's "driveway". threw it in the hatch and returned the car, not my problem.

Ha! At my company that would have been a safety stand-down, a 5-level root cause investigation, and mandatory refresher defensive driving for all staff who operate vehicles.

I absolutely agree with your assessment that non-POV is the way to go if you can help it.

[mktng]

Without reading through the comments
Here's my take.

Do what the company HR allows you to do.

Your boss, assuming that hes not the one making ALL the rules, is there just to approve and push that paper ahead.

[Mike Lopez]

Did your boss/manager actually say the things you mentioned in the OP or is that your interpretation of his management style for lack of a better term?



Went to visit a vendor yesterday. Used my vehicle for the 255 mile round trip. Burned through 3/4 of a tank of gas. I would like to submit an expense report for mileage.
Here's the rub.... My current boss is very much a, how should I put it, "company man". Thinks more overtime and/or coming in on weekends is the thing to do (we are salaried/exempt), encourages us to not use all of our vacation, etc. He sees it as "giving back to the company" to prove loyalty.
Now I wouldn't be bothered about a work related drive across town, but 3/4 tank of gas & a few hundred miles is a different matter IMO.
My concern (which I believe is well founded) is he would probably approve the expense, but it would be a mark against me in his mind. That could play out in the future. FWIW, the old boss would have insisted I fill out an expense report.
Other types of longer company travel are no-brainer, but I can see this one possibly going the other way with him. What say you?

[benb]

Another nice trick they like to do is talk about loyalty and being a team and such when you're a private company going for an exit.

Everyone needs to chip in, work extra hours, work the weekend when necessary (except the managers don't come in on the weekend) and this will all work out for all of us.. everyone will be rewarded.

Then it happens and the guys telling everyone to work really hard make millions and everyone else who did all the work makes enough to buy a really nice custom bike.

It's happened to me more than once. For some reason it's still better than working at a giant tech company, which is the other option.

[speedevil]

And if your vehicle was damaged in an accident while on company business, or god-forbid you were injured on that company trip, they would be on the hook for everything.

The smart thing to do to protect yourself is to use a company car, or rent a car for a company trip. That way your assets (your vehicle and whatever might be in it) are not going to be damaged if there is an accident.

Also, make sure your company is listed on the rental agreement.

[a4a]

It's ridiculous to expect you to cover the cost of 255 miles... or 10 miles. If you're working, adding value and making money for the company they need to compensate you properly, which includes paying your milage. Look for another job asap.

[Red Tornado]

Update: I'm doing an expense report for the mileage.

[Peter P.]

Next time, ask your boss to borrow HIS car. Tell him it would show he's a team player with company loyalty.

Let us know how the boss takes your expense report.

[Ken Robb]

Next time, ask your boss to borrow HIS car. Tell him it would show he's a team player with company loyalty.

Let us know how the boss takes your expense report.

too funny!

[djg21]

This is what public employers do. Your boss would have a hard time objecting.

54.5 cents for every mile of business travel driven. You don’t get paid for gas or wear and tear on the personal vehicle, which are accounted for in the mileage reimbursement rate.

https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/standard-mileage-rates-for-2018-up-from-rates-for-2017

[gemship]

I would absolutely expense that mileage, then I’d look for a new job. Life is too short to work for assholes.

I second that!

[joosttx]

This is what public employers do. Your boss would have a hard time objecting.

54.5 cents for every mile of business travel driven. You don’t get paid for gas or wear and tear on the personal vehicle, which are accounted for in the mileage reimbursement rate.

https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/standard-mileage-rates-for-2018-up-from-rates-for-2017

**** we pay our Nanny .53/mile. Looks like she is getting a raise.

[FlashUNC]

Expense the travel, take all your vacation days, and whatever other benefits the company offers.

The loyalty he asks for doesn't exist on his end.

[CaptStash]

Ha! At my company that would have been a safety stand-down, a 5-level root cause investigation, and mandatory refresher defensive driving for all staff who operate vehicles.

I absolutely agree with your assessment that non-POV is the way to go if you can help it.

Hey wait a minute! Those are BP buzz words! Been there, done that, lived to tell the tail.

Captstash....

[mavic1010]

I'd be more upset if an employee of mine did a 255 mile round trip in their personal car and expense the miles, instead of expensing a rental car and gas.

[PaMtbRider]

One of the cool perks of working for Harley-Davidson is that we occasionally get to attend motorcycle rallies to work with the demo fleet. If we ride our own personal motorcycle to the rally, the company will pay mileage up to the cost of what an airline ticket would have cost.

[Ken Robb]

When considering the idea of renting a car for a trip like this I wonder how far he might have to go to pick up the rental and how much extra time it would take. I know in some areas "Enterprise will pick you up" but you still have to accompany their driver back to the Enterprise office to drop their driver off and do paperwork.

[Red Tornado]

Expense report in this case is (obviously) in line with our company's policy. It will have to be approved. I didn't want the hassle of the rental for a shorter (to me) trip, but next time might go that route.

[PacNW2Ford]

Yes, expense it.

This reminds me of the time one of my staff saw an opportunity to rent a car, then tried get the mileage reimbursement to profit off of the delta between his cost of the rental and the mileage. Uhhh, NO.

[Tony T]

Went to visit a vendor yesterday. Used my vehicle for the 255 mile round trip. Burned through 3/4 of a tank of gas. I would like to submit an expense report for mileage.
Here's the rub.... My current boss is very much a, how should I put it, "company man". Thinks more overtime and/or coming in on weekends is the thing to do (we are salaried/exempt), encourages us to not use all of our vacation, etc. He sees it as "giving back to the company" to prove loyalty.
… What say you?

Do you get compensated for your unused vacations, or do they roll-over?
"giving back to the company"??

[tumbler]

Definitely expense it. If it was a small, struggling, company and you needed to make sure they succeeded, then I can understand the need to sacrifice and "give back"... but otherwise, you give them your time and dedication each day with your work and they give you the promised compensation and reimbursements. Do a good job, expense what you incur, and things will work out.

I think Angry's suggestion of a threshold or mental rule is also reasonable. You would have to decide where the line is for you, but it's perfectly reasonable to let some of the small things slide, particularly when the time and effort isn't worth the small reimbursement, and also assuming that these don't add up to anything material for you. But letting big things slide sets a bad precedent that will probably get worse over time.

[Red Tornado]

Do you get compensated for your unused vacations, or do they roll-over?
"giving back to the company"??

We can "bank" a limited amount of vacation time. Some do; others like me prefer to use most - not all - of it. Usually hold on to a few days just in case, but I will typically burn 75-80% throughout the year.