Finance and Travel Session

[Audio] Welcome to our Finance and Travel session Please note that the session will provide just a quick summary of the O.P.S's Finance and Travel policies which can be found on our CLOCK Resources Teams folder or SharePoint site and more thoroughly via the O.P.S' intranet...

[Audio] In today's session, I will give a brief overview of the: O.P.S' Travel, Meal & Hospitality Expense Directive Types of Expenses, covered and not covered within the Directive O.P.S Travel Cards How to Book Travel How to Claim Expenses & Submit Receipts Finance Supports available to you..

[Audio] But first…. What is a reimbursement? Reimbursements are the repayment of necessary out-of-pocket expenses incurred while on government business. Reimbursement is most commonly associated with business expenses. Many companies have policies outlining when they will reimburse employees. The O.P.S' policy is called the Travel, Meal and Hospitality Expenses Directive..

[Audio] The Travel, Meal and Hospitality Expenses Directive sets out rules and principles for the reimbursement and payment of travel, meal and hospitality expenses for all O.P.S employees and appointees...

[Audio] Accountability: The government is required to justify every action and decision we make. A reason or explanation is required for every financial disbursement made by the Ontario government. Transparency: The government is open to public scrutiny and subject to audits. All documents are public records and subject to review, even to your expense claims. Public Funds: 100% of the government's funding comes from public funds, all of which must be spent responsibly. The funds you receive for your repayment are directly from the taxpayers of Ontario. Protection: The government is obligated to protect public funds, its ministries, and its staff from any harm or scrutiny. These rules provide a common guideline which financial staff can use to review and audit your claims in a consistent and just manner. The equal application of these Rules help protect staff from any accusations of falsities or misconduct. Lastly, the equal application of these rules help protect YOU for any public inquiries or investigations Provide Food Allowance.

[Audio] Let's see what are covered and what are not under the Directive. Generally, Business expenses related to travel, meals and hospitality: such as Car Rentals, Air Fare, Meals, Hotel accommodations. Expenses such as Personal items, Traffic and parking violations, Hotel expenses related to the mini-bar, Video rental, In-room movies or other entertainment-related expenses such as Alcohol are not covered..

[Audio] Let's briefly talk about some types of expenses… Firstly, and mostly importantly, know for all work-related expenses, you will need to retain your receipt. This is with the exception of meals, which we will discuss later. TRAVEL GATEWAY: Book Travel - InsideO.P.S (ontario.ca) The province has mandated the use of one company as the preferred supplier for O.P.S business travelers GetThere® is an optional tool used for all travel bookings and available to all O.P.S employees It offers various benefits including lower transaction fees and an online interface For more information on travel booking visit: Travel Information and Guides - InsideO.P.S (ontario.ca)..

[Audio] For Air Travel Always choose the most practical and or economical mode of transportation for your business destination (whether it be air, rail or by vehicle) Economy or coach not first class must be booked Business class is discouraged for Air travel unless economy not avail – should this occur, consult manager PRIOR to booking For Rail Travel Business class may be acceptable with prior manager approval in limited circumstances such as: Working with a team; choosing a travel time that allows you to reduce expenditures on meals or accommodation (e.g., compare an economy or coach class ticket plus a meal, with the cost of a ticket for VIA 1, where the meal is included); accommodation requirements; and.

[Audio] Review chart above Rentals: Use the federal rental car directory to find appropriate agencies. To ensure that the government – as employer – provides liability coverage when you are renting a vehicle in the province on Ontario government business, you must: name the renter as His Majesty the King in Right of Ontario, add the name of your ministry, and list yourself and any other drivers on the rental contract. Pay for your rental with your Travel Card You can use a letter confirming that employees must name "His Majesty the King in Right of Ontario" as the renter. This letter is available on the My O.P.S Travel Gateway site. TIPs for travel, To avoid higher gasoline charges, refuel your rental car before returning it..

[Audio] For Mileage: Expense claims must be submitted with distances calculated in kilometres. For Parking: Costs incurred in the office area as part of a regular commute to work will not be reimbursed. There is no reimbursement for traffic or parking violations. For Taxis Prior approval to use a taxi should be obtained whenever possible, outside of 24 km way from your work location Taxis may be justified in cases where: group travel by cab is more economical than the total cost of having individuals travel separately by public transit or shuttle; or taking a cab allows you to meet an unusually tight schedule for meetings Taxi chits should only be used for regular business travel, not file related travel..

[Audio] Use the federal online accommodation directory From time to time no rooms may be available that meet the accommodation-type guidelines (standard room in a moderate or mid-range) due to unusually high demand in your travel destination, or other factors. Should this occur, contact your manager to discuss options PRIOR to booking.

[Audio] Let's look at Non Hotel accomodation. Price is less then hotel accommodation. Travel is required to a community where no regular hotel accommodation is available. You still need to provide proper receipts. It should not be owned or operated by friends or family. Detailed explanation is required to opt for such accommodations. If it is a home of a friend or family member, you can gift them 30 dollars for their hospitality. This will be claimable without a receipt but note will be required.

[Audio] Let's look at Meals. The eligibility is based on the below factors Your business time spans a standard mealtime AND You cannot reasonably consume a meal at home AND You consumed a meal within a reasonable period of time in relation to your business AND You actually consumed a meal AND if one of the following is true: Your Headquarters to your Business Site is more than 24 kilo meters OR Your Headquarters to the business site is less than 24 kilo meters AND your combined hearing time exceeds three hours..

[Audio] The use of a T-Card for travel related expenses is required whenever credit card is an accepted method of payment. The use of a personal card or other means of payment should be avoided whenever possible). When you use a T-Card, the cardholder is responsible for paying all the charges on the card except for Airfare (including fees and baggage costs) and Rail Airfare (including fees and baggage costs) and Rail are diverted out of the card and paid centrally. For the charges incurred using a T-Card (excluding Air and Rail), as well any costs that that had to be incurred using some other means (cash, debit, personal credit card), the person must submit an iExpense (with all required supporting documents) to be reimbursed. Since Air and Rail costs are diverted and paid centrally already, the traveller is not reimbursed and the person must set their Receipt amount to $0.00 in their iExpense report if they used Air or Rail. P-Cards may never be used for travel costs..

[Audio] iExpense is a self-service, Web-based expense reporting application that enables O.P.S employees to enter, submit, approve, monitor, and correct claims for travel and business expenses electronically, and receive reimbursements. All eligible users are required to use iExpense for reimbursements iExpense Training is available via Learn ON (O.P.S's eLearning portal) The iExpense step-by-step manual is also available in our CLOCK Resources Teams folder or SharePoint site When entering claims, will be asked to reference file name or number and cost centre – info also in CLOCKK Resources (ask, if questions) IMPORTANT: Need to submit blank check to the Action Request Management System (ARMS) for EFTs Click the Images to Access.

[Audio] Don't forget to seek for help if you have questions. Here are some useful resources you can use when you have questions. Thank you for watching the video.