Travel

Mileage and Personal Car Usage

An employee may use their personal car for business travel purposes, and the university will reimburse employees at the prevailing rate per mile. The mileage reimbursement on a privately-owned vehicle compensates the traveler for wear and tear, fuel and insurance coverage. No coverage is provided by Purdue for physical damage to private vehicles used on university business.

The university reimburses mileage at either the federal or state rate, depending on funding source.  If a funding source (e.g. grant) requires the Indiana state mileage allowance, reference the Indiana State Travel Services website to view the latest memo related to mileage reimbursement.

Allowable Reimbursements & FAQs:

  • If the traveler departs/returns on the weekend, a holiday, after normal work hours or a day they would not normally commute to their official station, it is acceptable to calculate the mileage from their home.
    • The official station is defined by the IRS as the location of the permanent office, including the entire city or general area in which the 'official station' is located.
  • Mileage reimbursement is limited to the lesser of expenses incurred from the departure point or from the traveler’s official station to/from the airport or final business destination.
    • Refer to the Drive vs. Fly webpage for reimbursement limitations when choosing to drive your personal vehicle to the final business destination.
  • When two or more staff travel together in a personal vehicle, the mileage reimbursement is only issued to the Purdue employee who provided the vehicle for business travel.
  • Reimbursement of expenses for remote staff required to travel to campus is contingent on the employee’s agreement and date of hire. Refer to the Remote Work Reimbursement webpage for guidance.
  • Expenses are subject to documentation requirements.

Reimbursement Restrictions:

  • If an individual’s daily commute to and from their residence and work is not considered to be in university travel status, it is not eligible for reimbursement.
  • If mileage for travel on campus or in the area of official duty station is considered a business expense, then reimbursement is subject to departmental guidelines. If it is not considered a travel expense, it should not be processed through Concur.
  • Traffic fines, court costs, parking violations, etc. are not reimbursable expenses.