Commuting Frequently Asked Questions
Frequently asked questions about the Headquarters Reimbursement Policy for fully remote employees.
Eligibility | Departmental Standards | Process
Eligibility
What is considered my headquarters if I’m fully remote: my home or my campus location?
Your home would be considered your headquarters if you are fully remote. If you are hybrid or fully in-person, your UI work location would be considered your headquarters.
Can hybrid or in-person employees be reimbursed under this policy?
This policy only applies for fully remote employees; hybrid or in-person employees are not eligible for reimbursement.
If I choose to go to my work location for a meeting or to pick something up, can I be reimbursed?
No. This policy only applies if your department requires you to travel to your work location. If you choose to do so, you must cover those costs.
Does this apply to my department?
Yes, this policy applies to all entities at the University of Illinois System. The departments are allowed to decide whether to implement this policy. If your department decides to implement this policy, it must have documented internal policies governing its application. All internal policies are still subject to business and finance, university, and system policies as well as any applicable laws or statutes.
Departmental Standards
What should my unit’s travel reimbursement standards contain?
It is important that the unit apply decisions to pay for travel consistently, including the situations in which travel to campus will be reimbursed. When is presence on campus required? What is the prior approval process for travel requests? Units should identify any unit-defined limitations, such as maximum number of trips, what arrangements will made by units, etc.
Units and fully remote employees are reminded that all university business and finance and other travel rules apply.
What is an appropriate commutable distance (or what is reasonable) to be reimbursed?
This is up to the unit to decide, but it must be consistently applied to all employees within the unit. As a reminder, this policy is not meant for reimbursing employees to come to campus for incremental reasons when they live within a reasonable distance to campus and/or at one time commuted to campus each day.
What are considered allowable travel costs? Is it airfare? Hotel? Per diem? Other? Or are there unallowable expenses?
The unit can determine what it will reimburse if an employee is fully remote. Units must ensure that they are treating their employees consistently and will have to abide by system business and finance policies governing reimbursable expenses.
If a fully remote employee uses their personal mileage for the trip from their home base to their UI work location, is it up to the unit to decide if reimbursement for that personal mileage is possible and how is that calculated?
This is up to the unit, but the unit is reminded that it must follow all applicable system business and finance policies for mileage reimbursement if the unit chooses to reimburse the fully remote employee. The mileage reimbursement is determined by the mileage rates located at https://www.obfs.uillinois.edu/travel/passenger-vehicles/
Would fully remote employees receive mileage and per diem?
Fully remote employees would receive both IF they are 100% remote. Again, this must be applied consistently for all employees within the unit. Consideration must be made regarding whether or not the employee is staying overnight. Per diem, lodging, mileage, parking, etc. could conceivably apply to a fully remote employee’s required travel for the university and all reimbursements must follow system business and finance policy.
Is the type of reimbursement also at the units’ discretion—per diem vs. just mileage—or is that an existing standard?
If an employee’s remote working location has been deemed as their headquarters, travel from that location would be considered business travel and all existing travel policies would apply. Units can apply discretion to the expenses and enact stricter guidelines than policy. NOTE: The parameters selected by the unit should be consistent for all employees.
Do you have any guidance on a drivable commutable distance? Miles for example?
Units are allowed to set their reimbursable mileage distance as they see fit for the purposes and needs of their particular department and location. NOTE: Whatever distance selected, units are reminded that this must be applied equitably to all fully remote employees.
Is there a minimum mileage to qualify for reimbursement; for example, would they have to live over X miles away from their UI work location or more?
This can be determined by the unit, but it must be reasonable, consistently applied to all fully remote unit employees, and must follow all applicable system business and finance policies.
Are parking expenses reimbursable?
Yes.
Process
Are units required to reimburse fully remote employees?
No, this policy simply makes this reimbursement available if units choose to reimburse fully remote employees for required travel. It is not required that units reimburse their fully remote employees.
How do I know if an employee is an approved fully remote employee?
Business office staff are allowed to contact the employee’s supervisor to confirm the employe is a fully remote worker.
What about employees with second (or third) residences? What should be considered the fully remote employee’s headquarters?
The primary location is where the fully remote employee lives for 60 or more consecutive days and if the employee lives in another state or country, where the fully remote employee typically would be considered as a resident for tax purposes, . Primary work location is determined by where the majority of the work is performed.
Are we required to pay travel expenses for required in-person meetings if a fully remote employee lives within a drivable commuting distance?
Paying for travel to a required meeting would be permissible as the fully remote employee’s headquarters is their home, but it is not required. The unit should establish written standards for when or if travel for local fully remote employees traveling to campus would be reimbursed. Units must ensure that the policy is applied consistently and follows all system business and finance policies.
Are we required to pay travel expenses for required in person meetings for approved fully remote employees who live out of state?
A department can choose to pay travel if it is requiring fully remote employees to attend an in-person meeting. Again, the unit should be consistent in the decisions about paying for travel when requiring fully remote employees to come to campus.
What if we have a remote work agreement, but not an HQ designation form on file for a fully remote employee?
The headquarters designation form is no longer required provided that the employee is indicated as permanently remote in HRFE and the designation includes their city/state/country as their headquarters.
We have some employees who were not initially remote workers, but due to the pandemic and afterwards, they became fully remote employees. Would their initial hiring date matter if we make them remote workers? We understand where that’s negotiated as part of the hiring process for new employees, but what about existing employees whose status changes form hybrid/in-person to fully remote?
Units can change the employee’s conditions of employment on a case-by-case basis. It is recommended that units and employees update the information in HRFE, document the agreement in writing, and that the unit provide the unit’s internal documentation governing fully remote employee reimbursement.
Can we still use a Tcard to pay for fully remote employee travel?
Yes, units can use the Tcard to pay for fully remote employee travel.
Will travel originating in an employee’s home state, if outside of Illinois, be reimbursed if they are not traveling to Illinois?
Yes, this can be reimbursed if it’s business travel that has prior approval by the department.
In Chrome River, will we have to fill out the home/hybrid/in office for EVERY reimbursement?
The selection will have to be made every time. This designation assists University Payables associates look for clues that this is reimbursement for a fully remote employee who is allowed to receive travel reimbursement.
Can units pay for the travel or is it only employee reimbursement?
Units can use the Tcard to pay travel in advance if it chooses to do so. Units will be responsible to ensure that no expense duplication takes the form of an individual reimbursement.
Will the change in headquarters designation impact iBuy shipping addresses as well?
Units can work with their respective Purchasing and Contract Management office to establish the ship to address for fully remote employees.
Does the unit need to define the employee’s headquarters as the employee’s home in HRFE?
Yes. Units should contact their HR office if someone is converting from hybrid/in-person work to fully remote work.
If I have an employee who lives outside of Illinois and they travel to Illinois, is that considered in-state travel or out-of-state travel? What if they travel to another state that is not Illinois?
The SAMS manual states that in-state travel applies only to travel within the state of Illinois.
First published: May 2024 | Last Updated: May 2024 | Last Reviewed: May 2024