San Francisco Unified School District and County Office of Education
Administrative Regulation 3350
General Travel Procedures
Board Policy 3350 (BP 3350) permits employees to attend out-of-District meetings, conferences, and training events as approved by the Superintendent or his/her designee. All travel related expenses incurred must be related to official school district business.
Travel related expenditures are subject to the following conditions:
- The meeting, conferences, training events are approved by the Superintendent or designee.
- Funds are available in the budget for the activity.
- Reimbursement is made in accordance with this regulation.
Employees should only incur the most prudent expenses while traveling on official business. Travel costs are allowable in conformity with Board Policy 3350 and are subject to the maximum allowance in this regulation.
All travel related costs incurred shall not exceed the allowances indicated in this regulation. Expenses in excess of the allowances outlined in this regulation will not be reimbursed unless approved by the Superintendent or designee based on a clear, compelling, and adequately documented rationale submitted by the employee seeking reimbursement.
Travel Reimbursement
Reimbursable travel expenses may include, but are not limited to, costs of transportation, parking fees, bridge or road tolls, meals, lodging when District business reasonably requires an overnight stay, registration fees for seminars and conferences, telephone and other communication expenses incurred on District business, and other necessary incidental expenses.
SFUSD will reimburse travel expenses based upon the most prudent method of travel available. Travel expenses should be the lowest published routine fare for travel by the most efficient and direct mode of transportation required by the occasion. Accordingly, employees should utilize apps, websites, and travel services that will offer the most economical rates. Total cost of miles driven by a private vehicle shall not exceed the cost of a round-trip coach class economy airfare. The District will not reimburse expenditures which are personal in nature.
Trip Duration
The number of days which shall be used as the basis of computing the allowance for expenses, other than transportation, shall not exceed the number of days required in traveling and attending to the business or the purpose for which the trip is made. Employees will be responsible for expenses for additional days beyond those allowed.
Travel Advance and Settlement
All official business travel must have clear rationale stated in the Travel Request Form with the approval of the Superintendent or designee. A Travel Request Form must be completed 30 days in advance before the travel of official business is to take place. Estimates related to airfare, lodging, transportation, and conference costs must be attached to the Travel Request Form. All travel advances require the approval of the Superintendent or designee in advance of travel. Travel advances will be authorized at the discretion of the Superintendent or designee.
Employees may request an advance on your travel at 70% of estimated costs.
All expense reimbursement claims shall be submitted on Expense Reimbursement Claim Form, within 10 working days following return from travel when possible. The form shall be accompanied by receipts and any explanation necessary to document that the expenses meet District criteria for reimbursement.
If an expense claim is disallowed due to lack of documentation or inappropriate expenses, the employee may be personally responsible for any improper costs incurred. The District will recover any unsettled expenses through the employee payroll. Employees who do not settle their travel advances may be denied future advance requests.
Daily Per Diem Rates for Meals for in-State Travel
The per diem allowance is a daily limit for actual expenses for meals and related incidental expenses. The per diem allowance covers all charges and services, including any service charges where applicable. For meals (including hotel meals), it covers expenses for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and related tips and taxes. The per diem excludes expenses for alcohol, entertainment, and expenses incurred by another person.
The District will reimburse for travel related meals with actual receipts to the maximum allowable amount based on current GSA rates at the time of claimed travel. Table 1 below provides the 2025 GSA rates. (For updates, see General Service Administration rates.)
100-Mile Radius Travel Rule
Meetings, conferences, and professional development events with-in a 100 mile-radius of the employee’s permanent work location are NOT subject to overnight stay unless authorized by the Superintendent or designee. Reimbursements related to these events are limited to:
- Meeting, conference, and professional development registrations and fees
- Mileage (reimbursement rate in accordance with IRS) (Private vehicle, Bus, Amtrak, Bart, Rideshare, etc)
- Breakfast and Lunch (Only applies if breakfast or lunch is NOT provided by the event sponsors)
- Tolls and parking fees
For reimbursement claims related to travel within a 100-mile radius of the District the following forms must be completed with actual receipts of allowable expenses that have been incurred.
- Travel Authorization Form
- SFUSD Expense Reimbursement Claim Form
- Original Itemized Receipts for Allowable Expenses
- Conference/workshop agenda, brochure, or flier
Travel Outside 100 Miles Radius Rule within California
If travel is outside of the 100 mile radius, the following allowable expenses may be incurred.
- Meeting, conference, and professional development registrations and fees
- Mileage/Airfare (reimbursement rate in accordance with IRS) (Private vehicle, Bus, Amtrak, Bart, Rideshare, etc)
- Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner (Only applies if breakfast or lunch or dinner is NOT provided by the event sponsors)
- Tolls and parking fees
- Lodging (Airbnb is disallowed)
For reimbursement claims related to travel outside of the 100-mile radius of the District the following forms must be completed with actual receipts of allowable expenses that have been incurred.
- SFUSD Travel Authorization Form
- SFUSD Expense Reimbursement Claim Form
- Copies of original itemized receipts for all allowable expenses
- Conference/workshop agenda, brochure, or flier
Travel Outside of the State of California
If travel is outside of California, the following allowable expenses may be incurred.
- Meeting, conference, and professional development registrations and fees
- Mileage/Airfare (reimbursement rate in accordance with IRS) (Private vehicle, Bus, Amtrak, Bart, Rideshare, etc)
- Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner (Only applies if breakfast or lunch or dinner is NOT provided by the event sponsors)
- Tolls and parking fees
- Lodging (Airbnb is disallowed)
For reimbursement claims related to travel outside of the State of California, the following forms must be completed with actual receipts of allowable expenses that have been incurred.
- SFUSD Travel Authorization Form
- SFUSD Expense Reimbursement Claim Form
- Copies of original itemized receipts for all allowable expenses
- Conference/workshop agenda, brochure, or flier
- A copy of the GSA rates table for the applicable city/county of the travel destination
For out-of-state travel meals and lodging, the District will reimburse up to the GSA rate for that city/county.
Out-of-Town Daily Per Diem Rates for Lodging
For Out-of-Town Lodging rates within California, the SFUSD per diem rate is $185 per night, excluding taxes and fees. Hotel room rates if preferred/provided by the conference may exceed the per diem rate.
Out-of-State Lodging expenses are not to exceed the GSA lodging rate per night, excluding taxes and fees. Most hotels will honor the GSA rate for government employees. However, if the hotel rate is less expensive than the GSA rate, the lower rate should be used.
Out of the Country
For travel outside of the continental United States, the approved expenses are the same as for out-of-state travel.
Per Diem rates for Alaska, Hawaii, and U.S. Territories are set by the Department of Defense:https://www.travel.dod.mil/
For travel to foreign countries, the Per Diem is established by the U.S. Department of State: https://aoprals.state.gov/web920/per_diem.asp
Definitions
Acceptable forms of ground transportation: Taxi, bus, Amtrack, BART, rideshare (not executive), rental car, private vehicle, etc, including costs of bridge tolls and parking.
Airfare: SFUSD will reimburse up to the cost of the economy airfare from the Bay Area to the conference location and directly back to the Bay Area. Tickets may not be purchased until the SFUSD Travel Authorization Form has been approved. The ticket/itinerary shows the passenger’s name, travel dates, travel destinations, cost of the fare, etc. Related reimbursable expenses include baggage costs and, if necessary, change of flight fees due to extreme and unsafe weather conditions with justification.
Credit Card Documentation: Document(s) may be a copy of the credit card statement, electronic credit card statement, or a copy of the front and back of the credit card showing the name and last four digits of the credit card number. If the credit card statement is provided, the items purchased, item amounts, and purchase dates should also be shown. (For security reasons, please cover up or redact all of the credit card numbers except the last four digits. Other non-relevant information may also be redacted.)
Incidental Expenses: Incidental expenses are the additional costs that come with meals, hotel lodging and travel while on business. These include items such as fees and gratuities paid to hotel staff, drivers, etc.
Lodging: The most economical and practical accommodation available considering the purpose of the meeting, transportation costs, time and other relevant factors. Detailed hotel receipts, such as the hotel folio/statement should be requested at the time of check out and show the name, dates, itemized costs, etc. Airbnb is disallowed, and personal extended hotel days should not be included with the reimbursement.
Mileage: Actual miles driven by an authorized employee by a privately owned and insured vehicle
Mileage rate: The reimbursable cost of driving per mile by private vehicle. The mileage rate already includes the incremental cost of operating a vehicle, gasoline, maintenance, etc. For current business mileage rates, the IRS website is https://www.irs.gov/tax-professionals/standard-mileage-rates or as established by collective bargaining agreements.
Private vehicle: Authorized employees using a privately owned and insured vehicle may claim mileage cost for total miles driven on official business. The reimbursement amount will be limited to the equivalent cost of an available economy ground or airfare.
Receipts: Original itemized receipts are provided by the vendor and show the details for the goods and services that were received along with other relevant purchase information. For any purchase made by credit card, in addition to the itemized vendor receipt(s), credit card documentation must also be provided
Rental cars: Rental is limited to standard compact size vehicles. Midsize vehicles are allowable if use is authorized for three or more employees. Rental cost and gasoline cost is reimbursement, however mileage cost for miles driven is not. The reimbursement amount will be limited to the equivalent cost of an available economy ground or airfare.
Rideshare: App based network transportation companies such as Uber and Lyft. This excludes luxury or executive services offered such as Uber Black, Uber Premier, Lyft Lux, etc.
SFUSD Travel Authorization Form: This form authorizes travel for SFUSD business purposes and must be completed before it is signed by the required signatories. https://www.sfusd.edu/employees/managing/manage-budgets-spending/accounting
SFUSD Expense Reimbursement Claim Form: The form must be used for any reimbursement including all travel expenses and approved by the responsible administrator. Only the SFUSD employee who incurs the expense is eligible to submit the claim. The mailing address must be clearly provided on the form. The employee must complete the attestation, which provides “I attest and declare under penalty of perjury that my submission for reimbursement is only for expenses incurred for District travel, does not request reimbursement for non-allowable expenses and does not seek reimbursement in excess of the above-referenced per diem rates/rates allowed under the GSA”.
https://www.sfusd.edu/employees/managing/manage-budgets-spending/accounting
Non-Reimbursable Travel costs: Expenditures which are incurred by an employee that are of a purely personal nature will not be reimbursed by the School District. Non-reimbursable travel costs include, but are not limited to the following:
- Auto repairs, replacement or towage of personal vehicle
- Cost of traffic violations or other penalties for infractions of a law
- Entertainment, video rentals, hotel pay-per-view events, or movies
- Expenses for persons other than the employee
- Additional hotel rooms or suite upgrades for guests
- Meal expense for guests
- Expenses for alcoholic beverages and corkage fees
- Expenses incurred commuting from the employee’s home to a District site and vice versa
- Flight insurance and upgrades
- Gratuities exceeding 15%
- Personal use of an automobile
- Purchase of gifts or gift cards (gift of public funds)