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Reimbursement Policy
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Reimbursement and Expense Recovery Bonus Policy and Standard are effective beginning January 1, 2023. |
Stewardship Responsibility
Missionaries are expected to employ sound expense management practices and exercise prudent financial management in their stewardship of Reliant resources. As such, missionaries share the responsibility of ensuring that these resources are used appropriately, support the ministry, and comply with Reliant policies, applicable laws and regulations, and donor restrictions. All missionaries and central employees are expected to exercise due diligence when generating, reviewing, and approving transactions that commit to the expenditure of Reliant funds. Missionaries must use discretion and also consider the reputation of the ministry when determining how much to spend on any given expense. Excessive and unnecessary expenditures must be avoided, and Reliant may, in its sole discretion, decline to reimburse excessive expenses.
General Criteria For Determining A Permissible Expense
In order to be reimbursed to an individual, a ministry expense must be:
- Necessary to perform a valid ministry purpose fulfilling the mission of Reliant; and
- Reasonable in that the expense is not extreme or excessive, and reflects a prudent decision to incur the expense; and
- Appropriate in that the expense is suitable and fitting in the context of the valid business purpose.
Necessary
An expense is necessary if there is a valid ministry purpose required to fulfill the mission of the Reliant. The primary beneficiary of a necessary ministry expense is Reliant or the participants in the ministry activity, not the individual. A necessary expense is a minimum purchase or service required to achieve a valid ministry objective.
Reasonable
Reasonable means that the amount being spent reflects the value that normally would be spent in that specific situation. An expense is considered reasonable if it is not extreme or excessive and reflects a fair and prudent decision and action to incur the expense. A cost may be considered reasonable if the nature of the goods or services acquired, and the amount involved, therefore, reflect the action that a prudent person would have taken under the circumstances prevailing at the time the decision to incur the cost was made. Major considerations involved in the determination of the reasonableness of a cost are: (a) whether or not the cost is of a type generally recognized as necessary for the operation of the ministry; (b) whether or not the individuals concerned acted with due prudence in circumstances, considering their responsibilities to the ministry, its employees, its participants, the Federal Government, and the public at large; and (c) whether or not the cost represents fair value for the good or service provided.
Appropriate
Costs are appropriate if they are suitable or fitting for a ministry purpose. For a cost to be appropriate it is also presumed that there is a valid ministry purpose, which is normally the responsibility of the missionary to determine.
The following questions should be considered when determining the appropriateness of costs:
- Could the cost be comfortably defended under public scrutiny?
- Would you be confident if the cost was selected for audit?
- Would you be comfortable explaining to a donor that their donation was used this way?
- Does the supporting documentation align with the reimbursement policy?
*Reliant reserves the right to determine whether or not an expense fulfills the above criteria.
Reimbursement Types
- Expenses that qualify under IRS guidance for non-taxable reimbursed business expenses are referred to as a “Reimbursement”. Reimbursements can be paid out of the MTD account for which you are responsible or from project funds.
- Requests for recovery of expenses that do not qualify for non-taxable reimbursement under the IRS guidance are referred to as “Expense Recovery Bonus” or ERB. These expenses will be recuperated through a bonus which will be considered additional taxable wages (compensation) for the missionary.
Accountable Reimbursement Plan
In the course of raising financial support and conducting ministry, it is reasonable to expect that missionaries will incur legitimate ministry-related expenses. Any expense that does not support the ministry of Reliant and does not reflect proper stewardship is considered non-reimbursable and non-recoverable regardless of the source of funds. Reliant expects that missionaries will demonstrate scrupulous integrity when deciding whether an expense is ministry related or personal in nature. Missionaries may not use, or attempt to use, Reliant's non-profit status for personal benefit (e.g. avoiding state sales tax on personal or ministry items). Misuse or attempted misuse of Reliant's non-profit status is grounds for discipline, up to and including termination, in Reliant's sole discretion.
Reliant's Accountable Reimbursement Plan states that missionaries must follow the following basic guidelines when submitting a reimbursement. (See Documentation Guidelines for greater detail.)
- Current approved Reliant reimbursement request forms are required for expense submission.
- Itemized original receipts and all other appropriate substantiating documents must be received by the Reliant finance department within 60 days after the end of the month in which the expense occurs, is incurred or is paid by the employee. (See receipt guidelines below for more details.)
- Employees must provide a written explanation for each expense submitted clearly documenting:
Description of the item
- Who the item is for which includes
- Actual first and last names of the people involved
- The ministry relationship of the person(s) to the missionary. If expense relates to five or more people, list them as a group with the specific number in the group (e.g. 12 ministry partners). Actual names are not necessary for groups of five or more people. The groups must have the same uniform ministry relationship (e.g. ministry partners, members of church music team, etc.). Otherwise, use of actual first and last names is required, if the relationship is not uniform.
- Specific ministry purpose of the expense (be as detailed as possible). For more secure locations, please see Secure Lexicon for more details.
- Cost of the item (the portion of the cost that is ministry related if not 100%)
- Date of the expense (a new reimbursement form is needed for each month you incurred an expense)
*Please refer to all Reimbursement Standards, which detail receipt information and other specific criteria.
Expense advances, primarily relating to large, expected travel expenditures, may be available. Please refer to the Expense Advances for details. If advance payments to cover anticipated expenses are made by Reliant, missionaries must return all unused portions within 90 days.
Exception requests are available for submission in the event of a denied reimbursement or a late submission.
Submission Timeframe
For all Reimbursement and Expense Recovery Bonus requests must be received within 60 days after the end of the month in which the expense occurs, in incurred, or is paid by the employee. However, flights/rental cars/hotels for travel expenses that were paid prior to the month of travel can either be reimbursed when purchased or in the month that the travel actually occurs as both the payment date and travel date will be listed on the receipt for documentation.
Late submissions will only be accepted on a case-by-case basis by the submission of an exception request. The exception request must include a valid reason for the late submission and include supervisor approval.
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Late submissions require an exception request. If the request is approved, the late reimbursement will no longer be switched over to automatically being taxable as they have in the past, but they will require a valid reason for the late submission along with supervisor approval. Reliant reserves the right to determine whether or not to approve the exception that was requested. |
Please view Payment Dates & Deadlines for more details on the timing of receiving reimbursement/bonus funds based on the submission date.
Receipt Guidelines
Reliant requires that itemized receipts for expenses greater than $75 must be submitted along with the reimbursement form. (The only exception to the $75 limit is that a receipt is always needed for all hotel/lodging receipts regardless of the amount requested for reimbursement.)
Receipts must include the following itemized details:
- What was purchased
- Amount paid
- Date
- Name of the company (or person) that was paid
- And (if applicable to the receipt) your name listed as the "payee" (such as for a flight or hotel)
Credit Card Receipts
Credit card statements or credit card signature receipts that don’t include the list of purchased items are not acceptable as the only receipt documentation for an expense. However, typically it is the credit card receipt that shows any tips that have been added to the purchase. If you would like to reimburse the tip amount for an expense over $75 where an itemized receipt is required, please attach both the itemized receipt and the credit card receipt showing the amount included for the tip expense.
Hand-Written Receipts
Hand-written receipts are acceptable when a printed itemized receipt is not available as long as it contains the following criteria.
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Writing a Handwritten ReceiptIf you are unable to attain a formal receipt for an expense, you can create your own handwritten receipt. Create your own handwritten receipt if the organization or person doesn't provide one for you, by including the following information with it:
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Receipts from Mobile/Banking App
For receipts from mobile apps (such as Venmo, Square Cash, PayPal, Google Wallet, or a banking app), please be sure to include a clear description in the memo or "what's it for?" section of the transaction, to document what expense the payment is related to. Be sure to also include with your reimbursement submission any information that is required for a valid receipt, that is not visible on the mobile app "receipt" (see the guidelines above for what details must be included on the itemized receipt for it to be acceptable.)
Receipts for Shared Expenses
If a Reliant missionary pays an individual for a portion of an expense that requires a receipt (the portion is over $75), they will need to submit two receipts. The missionary submitting the expense will need both a copy of the original receipt with the full expense amount listed from the individual who collected the money and paid for the full expense as well as submitting a hand-written or mobile/banking app receipt for the portion paid to the individual to give Reliant a paper trail for both transactions. Make sure to include all details required for the hand-written or mobile/banking app receipts as detailed above. Remember, if it is for a hotel expense, a copy of the itemized receipt is always required no matter the amount being reimbursed.
Resolution of Removed or Denied Reimbursement Requests
If expenses are removed from or denied on a reimbursement request (see Denied Expenses & Re-submission for more details), they may be resubmitted for further review. If the item is removed for improper documentation or a similar situation, it may be resubmitted under the guidelines provided for proper receipt documentation in the Reimbursement Standards. If the item is related to a policy issue, a formal exception request must be submitted.
Sufficient Funds
Sufficient Funds Required
If the MTD account a missionary is responsible for with Reliant does not contain sufficient funds to provide full reimbursement for the amount requested by the employee on a reimbursement request form, Reliant will hold the form and delay reimbursement until sufficient funds are available in the staff MTD account, in accordance with Reliant's approved order of pay.
Although Reliant may normally pay certain expense reimbursements in such a way that they are not included in the employee's federal taxable income, the employee bears ultimate responsibility for the proper tax treatment of all payments received from Reliant, and should consult with his or her tax adviser to determine the appropriate reporting and treatment of such payments. (See more details on Taxable Expenses.)
Reimbursements Without Sufficient funds
If reimbursement submissions do not have sufficient funds to fully cover the total amount for the reimbursement, then they will be stored as "back reimbursements". They will be paid out in the order from which the reimbursements were received once funds become available for the whole amount of each individual reimbursement. If funds are not available to immediately pay the Expense Recovery Bonuses (ERB) (previously known as taxable reimbursements) then Reliant will short-check those bonuses and include them with backpay.
Requesting a Reimbursement be Partially Paid Out (forfeiting any un-reimbursed expenses)
If a missionary would like to request a reimbursement be partially paid out using the available funds, they must agree to forfeit any un-reimbursed amount from that reimbursement. For example, if there is a $1,000 reimbursement that's next in line for the order of reimbursement payout and only $650 is available to pay out. The missionary may elect to send an email to reimbursements@reliant.org asking the reimbursement team to pay the $1,000 reimbursement using the available funds, and acknowledging that they forfeit any un-reimbursed portion of that reimbursement. Note: this action is completely voluntary and at the discretion of the missionary.
Here's a sample email of how to word the email.
"I would like to request that my April (Year-20xx) reimbursement totaling $X be paid out on X date using the available funds in the MTD account for which I am responsible. I acknowledge that any un-reimbursed funds from this reimbursement will be forfeited and unable to be reimbursed at a future date. "
Exiting Employment with Unpaid Reimbursements
If a missionary is exiting employment and has reached their final month of payroll without receiving enough funds to fully cover the total amount of a submitted reimbursement, Reliant will automatically reimburse a portion (based on available funds) of the submitted reimbursement without the missionary needing to submit a request for partial payment of the reimbursement.
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As a reminder, timecards must be up to date for hourly employees to be eligible for receiving reimbursements and expense recovery bonuses. |
Reimbursement Standards Guide
The Reimbursement and Expense Recovery Bonus Standard and Policy apply to all expenses incurred beginning January 1, 2023. Please watch the Reimburse and Expense Recovery introductory video to help understand the key changes to the previous standards and the tutorial video on how to Download & Submit our new Expense Submission Forms. |
Standard Name: | Reimbursement and Expense Recovery Bonus Standard |
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Relevant Policies: | Reimbursement and Expense Recovery Bonus Policy |
Relevant Forms: | Expense Submission Forms |
Creation Date: | December 2022 |
Last Revision Date: |
General Standards
Submission Standards
- Submission Request Types
- Alternative Expense Submission Types
- Expense Submission Forms
- Submission Timeframe
- Payment Dates
- Submission Review and Approval
- Sufficient Funds
- Lack of Funding
- Order of Expense Submission Pay
- Remove or Denied Expense Requests
- Receipt Guidelines
- Non-Employee Expenses
Standards by Expense Types
- Recurring Expenses - Ministry Expense (ME) Bonus, Monthly Phone Service
- Technology
- Travel and Events
- Office Expenses
- Other Ministry Expenses - Equipment, Continuing Education, Gifts, etc.
- International Worker Expenses
- Licensed Counselor Expenses - For those who serve as a licensed counselor
- Coaching, Counseling, and Spiritual Direction
General Standards
Anchor Stewardship Stewardship
Stewardship Responsibility
As noted in the policy linked above, field workers are expected to utilize sound judgment and prudent financial management regarding ministry-related expenses. This means ensuring that Reliant's financial resources are used appropriately; support the ministry; comply with Reliant policies, applicable laws, regulations, and donor restrictions; and consider the ministry's reputation in the sense that we strive for propriety in both fact and appearance. Our stewardship responsibility also means utilizing Reliant's non-profit status for ministry purposes alone and not for personal benefit (e.g., avoiding sales tax on the purchase of personal items or reimbursing personal expenses).
Anchor General Criteria General Criteria
Criteria for Determining a Permissible Expense
As noted in the policy linked above, the general criteria for determining whether an expense qualifies for reimbursement are that the expense must be:
- Reasonable in that the expense is not extreme or excessive, and it reflects the amount that would normally be spent in that specific situation;
- Ordinary in that one would normally expect this kind of expense to occur when performing ministry work;
- Necessary to achieve a valid ministry objective consistent with the mission of Reliant and its ministry partners;
- Directly related to the job/ministry of the field staff; and
- Sufficiently documented and timely submitted
Note: Reliant reserves the right to determine whether or not an expense fulfills the above criteria and to decline reimbursement of expenses that do not meet the criteria.
Submission Standards
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Reliant employees with a fixed-term support goal (interns and residents) are only eligible to submit expenses that have been pre-approved in their program parameters. |
Submission Request Types
Payment of a ministry expense may be completed through the following types of submission requests:
- Reimbursement: Submission of expenses that qualify under IRS guidance as non-taxable reimbursable business expenses are referred to as a “Reimbursement.”
- Expense Recovery Bonus: Submissions requesting recovery of expenses that do not qualify for non-taxable reimbursement under IRS guidance are referred to as “Expense Recovery Bonus” orERB. ERB payments take the form of a bonus, which will be treated as additional taxable wages (compensation) for the field staff. Since only paid employees can receive a taxable bonus, associates are not eligible to submit a request for an ERB or any expense with a taxable (ERB) component.
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Key Change to the Standard: Expense Recovery Bonus (ERB) is the new term for what was formerly known as a taxable reimbursement. |
As with other taxable wages, estimated income taxes will be deducted from the employee's payroll for the item purchased and recovered using an ERB based on the employee's current tax settings. To help offset the amount of tax that will be deducted, an automatic 25% bonus will be added to all ERB submissions. For example, an ERB submission for a $100 expense would result in an ERB of $125 to account for the estimated taxes associated with this taxable bonus. Employees may opt out of the 25% bonus for estimated taxes by selecting to exclude the tax bonus in the expense submission.
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Key Change to the Standard: The bonus for estimated taxes has been increased to 25% (instead of the previous 20%). It is also now defaulted to automatically be added to the expense recovery bonus expense. In the past, the default was not to add the bonus, and field staff had to check the box to request that it be added. |
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Determination of taxable wages and taxes owed to governing authorities is ultimately the responsibility of each individual Reliant field worker who bears ultimate responsibility for her/his income tax return(s) in consultation with his or her tax advisor(s). |
Anchor Alternative Alternative
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Alternative Expense Submission Types
While most expense submissions by field staff will be either a Reimbursement or an ERB, there are several alternative means of recovering the cost of ministry expenses. They are listed in the drop-down below:
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Expense Advance: Field staff may request advance payment for anticipated expenses through an "Expense Advance." Advances are not available in all cases but will be considered for approval on a case-by-case basis. All unused portions of an advance must be timely returned to Reliant. Per Diem: Field staff may request per diem while traveling, opting to receive a daily set amount for travel expenses (lodging and meals) instead of submitting individual expense receipts for those travel expenses. Grant: For expenses related directly to a ministry project fund, field staff and associates can request payment through a "Grant" rather than a project fund Reimbursement. (See Reimbursements vs. Grants for more details.) Grants are typically used for the expense of an item that will belong to the broader ministry/project on a long-term basis. Allowance: A separate sum can be requested for certain expenses not eligible for submission through the expense submission form. This allowance will be given in the form of a taxable bonus through payroll. Receipts are not required. Support Goal: Certain recurring monthly expenses can only be recovered through submitting an updated support goal. We encourage employees to use this benefit to offset recurring monthly costs. Associates are not eligible for this benefit and, therefore, will not be able to recover certain recurring monthly expenses. |
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Expense Submission Forms
All expense submissions should use the appropriate form, each listed in the drop-down below with accessible links. Please open a new form for each month's expense submission (rather than copying a previously submitted form) to ensure the use of updated forms and to aid in accurate and timely expense processing.
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Current approved Expense Submission Request Forms are required for expense submission.
Expense Advances, primarily relating to large, expected travel expenditures, will be considered on a case-by-case basis. International Expense Allowance is available to International workers for expenses not eligible for inclusion on the International Expense Submission Form and not included in their monthly salary. The amount can be received before the expense purchase, as receipts are not used for requesting the amount. Moving Allowance is available to U.S.-based employees incurring moving costs for moving from one ministry location to another Exception Requests are available for submission in the event of a denied submission or to request special exceptions to the Standard Grants are available for expenses related directly to a project fund. The full grant process involves submitting a grant request and following the Board's policy on grant reporting Per Diem (U.S.) & Per Diem (International) is available to use for travel expenses incurred during longer periods of travel Support Goal- support goal submission is specific to program teams. Please reach out to the appropriate program liaison for assistance With each expense submitted on the relevant form, there should be:
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Anchor Timeframe Timeframe
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Submission Timeframe
For all Reimbursements and ERBs, requests must be received within 60 days after the end of the month in which the expense is incurred. An expense is incurred when an item is purchased, or in the case of pre-payment for travel, when the travel actually occurs, as long as both the payment date and travel date are listed on the receipt for documentation.
Reimbursements submitted in the third month (61-90 days after the end of the month in which the expenses were incurred) are considered late, and are eligible for recovery as an Expense Recovery Bonus (ERB), in which the total amount of the submission will be considered taxable wages.
Reimbursements submitted more than 90 days following the end of the month in which the expenses were incurred are not eligible for recovery. An exception request may be submitted for consideration for the expired reimbursement to be recovered as an ERB with tax implications.
Late submissions that require an exception request are not guaranteed to be approved and will be considered on a case-by-case basis. The late expense submission must include a valid reason for the late submission and supervisor approval.
Please reference the table below for the current submission timeframe.
Month in which expense was incurred | April 2024 (and previous months) | May 2024 | June 2024 | July 2024 | August 2024 |
Status of submission | Submission is considered late. | Submission is considered late. | Submission is currently on-time. | Submission is currently on-time. | Submission is currently on-time. |
Next steps for expense recovery |
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Please review the table below for more details on the timing of receiving Reimbursement/bonus funds based on the submission date.
Anchor Payment Dates Payment Dates
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Payment Dates
Expense Incurred... | Reimbursement Submitted by... | Paid to the Bank Account of Field Staff by... |
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Anytime in the previous month. | The 1st to 15th of the current month. | The last business day of the current month. |
Anytime in the previous month. | The 16th to 31st of the current month. | The 20th of the following month or the preceding business day if the 20th falls on a weekend or holiday. |
Anytime in the current month. | The 1st to 31st of the current month. | The 20th of the following month or the preceding business day if the 20th falls on a weekend or holiday. |
Expense Recovery Bonus (ERB) Submitted By... | Paid to the Bank Account of Field Staff By... |
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Last day of the month. | Payment included in the following month's paycheck. |
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Expenses from prior months that are correctly submitted by the 15th of each month, will be paid by the end of that same month, pending funding in the MTD account. When submitting reimbursements for expenses incurred in the current month, please note that these expenses may not be paid until the following month, in order to abide by IRS requirements regarding order-of-pay. |
Anchor Review Review
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Submission Review and Approval
If the criteria for determining a permissible expense are not met on the original submission, the expense may be resubmitted on a new submission form with the corrected information (in the event it was due to insufficient documentation), or an appeal may be submitted through an exception request if the reason for denial was related to other criteria that require director review for approval.
Anchor Funds1 Funds1
Sufficient Funds
As noted above, expense submissions may draw on funds from either the MTD account for which the field staff or associate is responsible or a project fund pertinent to the field worker's ministry. In either case, sufficient funds are required before payment is issued for the expense submission. (See also "Lack of Funding for Reimbursements and ERBs" below for details on what happens when sufficient funds are unavailable.)
Anchor Lack of Funding Lack of Funding
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Lack of Funding |
Lack of Funding for Reimbursements and Expense Recovery Bonus (ERB)
If the funding source (i.e., MTD account or project fund) lacks sufficient monies to cover the submitted expense, then the expense submission is considered a back reimbursement or back pay, as described below.
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Back Reimbursement If the funding source does not contain sufficient funds to provide full reimbursement for the amount on an expense submission request form, Reliant will hold the form and delay reimbursement, storing the expense submission as a "back reimbursement" until sufficient funds are available in the funding source, according to Reliant's order of pay protocol. If a field staff has more than one back reimbursement, they will be paid out in the order in which the reimbursement submissions were received once funds become available for the whole amount of each individual reimbursement. If the funding source covers only a portion of a back reimbursement, Reliant will not automatically partially pay the reimbursement. Field staff may request a reduction in the back reimbursement for a partial payment or altogether remove it from the queue, but in such cases, the remaining portion of a partial back reimbursement or the back reimbursement removed from the queue will not be eligible for reinstatement should funding become available later. To illustrate the process for partial reimbursement, suppose a field staff submits a $1,000 reimbursement that is next in line for the order of reimbursement payout, and only $650 is available to pay out. The field staff may elect to send an email to reimbursements@reliant.org asking the reimbursement team to pay the $1,000 reimbursement using the available funds and acknowledging that the field staff forfeits any un-reimbursed portion of that reimbursement. Note: this action is entirely voluntary and at the discretion of the field staff. Here's a sample email of how to word the email. "I would like to request that my April (Year-20xx) reimbursement totaling $X be paid out on X date using the available funds in the MTD account for which I am responsible. I acknowledge that any un-reimbursed funds from this reimbursement will be forfeited and unable to be reimbursed at a future date." Reliant will retain unpaid back reimbursements for the remainder of the calendar year in which the expenses were incurred, plus two (2) additional calendar years. Once this period has expired (i.e., after January 31st of that next year, when all expense reimbursements have been completely processed and paid by Reliant), any un-reimbursed back reimbursement expenses will be marked as expired and can no longer be paid. Example: expenses submitted in 2019 are eligible for payment as a back reimbursement until January 31, 2022, if the field staff has raised sufficient funds by December 31, 2021.
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Back Pay for ERBs If funds are not available to pay an ERB, Reliant will short-check those ERBs and include them with back pay following Reliant's approved order of pay. In the order of expense submission pay, Expense Recovery Bonuses take precedence over Reimbursements per IRS requirements. Back pay is eligible for compensation/payment during the year it is incurred, plus two additional years. For example, if an ERB was submitted in March 2019 and the funding source lacks sufficient funds to pay it, the back pay resulting from the ERB is eligible to be paid until December 31, 2021.
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Exiting Employment with Unpaid Reimbursements If a field staff is exiting employment and has reached his/her final month of payroll without receiving enough funds to cover the total amount of a submitted reimbursement fully, Reliant will automatically reimburse a portion (based on available funds) of the submitted reimbursement without the field staff needing to submit a request for partial payment of the reimbursement.
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Anchor Order of Pay Order of Pay
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Order of Expense Submission Pay
Reliant will pay approved Reimbursements and ERBs following Reliant's Order of Pay. While Order of Pay considers a variety of additional payroll-related elements, expense submissions follow this order:
- Current ERB
- Back Pay (if applicable), including any previously submitted ERB waiting for funding, as long as the ERB remains eligible for Back Pay (See Back Pay for ERB above for more detail)
- Back Reimbursements (formerly known as cabinet expenses), meaning unpaid Reimbursements waiting for funding and paid in the order they were received, as long as the Back Reimbursements remain eligible for Reimbursement (See Back Reimbursements above for more detail)
- Current Reimbursement (Again, reimbursements are paid in the order they are received)
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As a reminder, timecards must be up to date for hourly employees to be eligible to receive Reimbursements and ERBs. |
Anchor Removed or Denied Expense Requests Removed or Denied Expense Requests
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Removed or Denied Expense Requests |
Resolution of Removed or Denied Expense Requests
Upon review of expense submissions, Reliant may remove or deny expenses or return submitted expense forms for various reasons. Explanations for the return or denial of submitted expenses can be found in Google comments within the Google file, the Reliant email of field staff, or the reimbursement notes section of Toolbox. Field staff are responsible for checking their Reliant email and Toolbox for reimbursement notes and initiating with Reliant if there are questions about those notes. Reliant will notify field staff via email or Google Drive comments if a form is entirely denied.
If expenses are removed from or denied on an expense submission request, the expense denied may be resubmitted on a separate expense submission form for further review. Field staff should check the guidelines to ensure they have included proper receipt documentation and only include the items previously removed on the new form submission. There is no extension to the original submission timeframe deadline for re-submissions.
A formal exception request must be submitted if the expense was removed due to a policy issue.
Anchor Receipt Guidelines Receipt Guidelines
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Receipt Guidelines |
Receipt Guidelines
Reliant requires that itemized receipts for expenses greater than $75 must be submitted* along with the appropriate form. *The only exception to the $75 limit is that a receipt is always needed for all hotel/lodging, regardless of the amount requested for reimbursement. Receipts should be uploaded into a google folder and linked to the submission form. See Expense Receipt Google Folder for instructions.
Receipts must include the following itemized details:
- What was purchased
- Total amount paid
- Date
- Name of the company (or person) that was paid
- Name of field staff (only if applicable, such as for a flight, hotel, rental car, etc.)
- If there are multiple types of expenses on one receipt then the expenses should be separated by category on the expense submission form. If the amount that is being submitted on the expense form is less than the amount for the item listed on the receipt that is submitted, please add a note to the top of the receipt explaining why the request for submission is a different amount.
Anchor Shared Shared Anchor Hand-Written Hand-Written
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Hand-Written Receipts On the rare occasion when a field staff is unable to obtain a formal itemized receipt, hand-written receipts are acceptable, as long as they contain the following information:
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Receipts from Mobile/Banking App For receipts from mobile apps (such as Venmo, Square, Apple Pay, PayPal, Google Wallet, or a banking app, etc.), field staff should be sure to include a clear description in the memo or "what's it for?" section of the transaction, to document what expense the payment is related to. The expense submission should also include any information required for a valid receipt that is not visible on the mobile app "receipt" (see the guidelines above for what details must be included on the itemized receipt for it to be acceptable.) Please see the section below for details on receipts needed for shared expenses. |
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Receipts for Shared Expenses If a Reliant field staff pays an individual for a portion of an expense that requires a receipt (and the portion exceeds $75), he/she will need to submit two receipts. This includes both a copy of the original receipt with the total expense amount listed from the individual who collected the money and paid for the total expense, as well as a hand-written or mobile/banking app receipt for the portion paid to the individual. These two receipts provide Reliant with sufficient documentation of the transactions. The expense submission should include all details required for the hand-written or mobile/banking app receipts, as detailed above. |
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Non-Employee Expenses
Read the options below for details on expenses submitted for non-employees.
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Associate Expenses Associates are volunteers who have been approved to conduct ministry on behalf of Reliant. Expenses incurred by Reliant associates should meet the general criteria outlined in this standard. Associates are not eligible for any expense recovery that has a taxable component or that is submitted for recovery through a support goal.
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Family Expenses Travel, event/conference/training, and meal expenses related to a Reliant employee's immediate family members (i.e., spouses that are not also a Reliant employee/associate and/or children) that coincide with a field staff's job or ministry may be eligible for recovery, typically only as an ERB. When submitting an expense for a non-employed/non-associate spouse or child(ren) on an expense submission form, subtract those family expenses from any other costs on the receipt and enter those family expenses as a separate expense line on the form. Follow the drop-down instructions on the form to select "YES" that the expense is for a non-employed/non-associate spouse or children.
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Project Fund Expenses In addition to individual MTD accounts, Reliant also manages funds for ministries, non-profits, and churches. Project fund expense submissions require approval by a designated authorized signer for the fund. When an expense is not directly related to a field staff's specific job role but is more closely aligned to a project or ministry, project fund expenses can be submitted using the Project Fund Expense Submission Form. Reimbursements from a project require all the same documentation as those from an MTD account and are processed according to the same submission deadlines. These types of Reimbursements are paid directly from the project fund based on available funds and the order in which they were received. The MTD account balance the field staff is responsible for does not incur the expense for these reimbursed costs (therefore, the order of pay from the MTD account does not apply), so it is possible for an employee who has back pay and back Reimbursements to receive payment for a Reimbursement that was submitted to be paid from a project fund. Reliant pays project fund Reimbursements if there are available funds in the project fund. A project fund can accumulate back Reimbursements. If an expense submitted through a project fund will be owned, stored, and considered solely the property of the church/ministry (with no personal usage by the individual submitting the request), then the expenses are attributable to the church/ministry, which is not taxed for expenses that are usually fully or partially taxed to the field staff MTD fund. If an expense is not for an item that will be considered the sole property of the church/ministry, then a field staff can still specify that the project fund (rather than an MTD account) should be the source of funds for a Reimbursement or ERB. In the case of an ERB, the taxable expenditure (including expenses with a partial taxable component) is processed similarly to ERBs funded through MTD accounts. The ERB for project funds can only be routed through a paid employee's payroll; therefore, Reliant associates may not request an expense recovery using a project fund for payment for any taxable expenditures.
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Standards by Expense Type
The summary guidance below for the specific standards by expense type is intended as a table of contents and a quick reference guide for specific expense categories. Expenses below are Reimbursements unless otherwise stated as an Expense Recovery Bonus (ERB). Items not addressed in this guide could require approval from the supervisor and the Reliant reimbursement team. Please contact reimbursements@reliant.org with questions.
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Recurring Expenses
(Support Goal Submission)
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Ministry Expense (ME) Bonus | The ME Bonus is for field staff to cover routine, ongoing ministry expenses. Staff may request the following through support goal submission: Up to $600/month for full-time and 30-hour employees Up to $300/month for 25-hour, 20-hour, and hourly employees International workers' amounts are needs-based |
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Monthly Mobile Phone Service | U.S. employees may request through support goal submission to cover monthly mobile phone services Up to $100/month for full-time and 30-hour employees Up to $50/month for 25-hour, 20-hour, and hourly employees |
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Technology
(Relevant to all Reliant Field Workers)
Expense Category | Summary of Allowable Costs | Key Details | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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Mobile Phone Device | $1,000 max limit to purchase a phone Only eligible once every two years Recoverable as 75% nontaxable Reimbursement and 25% taxable ERB (*International workers see International Worker Expenses for sat phone) |
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Apps | One-time purchases and subscriptions for apps directly relevant to field workers' job responsibilities are allowed. |
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Computers & Computer Equipment | Computers (desktop/laptop/tablet), computer equipment (e.g., monitors, printers, hard drives), and warranties, to the extent they are required to perform ministry responsibilities. Each type of item above is only eligible once every three years 75% nontaxable Reimbursement and 25% taxable ERB. |
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Software | One-time outright purchases of software: Recoverable as 75% nontaxable Reimbursement and 25% taxable ERB. Only eligible once every three years per software type Monthly Software subscriptions are 100% nontaxable (*International workers see International Worker Expenses for VPN) |
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Equipment | Sound/lighting/projection equipment, musical instruments, and other types of equipment, to the extent they are required to perform ministry responsibilities. Recoverable as 75% nontaxable Reimbursement and 25% taxable ERB.
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Website Hosting & Email Distribution | Website hosting services or email distribution services that are directly related to the worker's ministry role |
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Media Downloads | Media downloads such as books, digital photos, graphics, etc., and other resources required for ministry-role. |
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Travel and Events
(Relevant to all Reliant Field Workers)
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Ministry trips are defined as "trips outside of the field staff's local metropolitan area, required for ministry purposes, and for which the majority of time is spent on ministry job responsibilities." Reimbursable costs for ministry trips include reasonable and customary transportation, lodging, meals, and related travel expenses, to the extent that job responsibilities require travel. Trips that include both ministry job responsibilities and personal interests are reimbursable only for the portion required for ministry. See also: FAQ for Cancelled Trips. |
Expense Category | Summary of Allowable Costs | Key Details | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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Hotel/Lodging | Up to $250/night for ministry trips |
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Flight | Airfare Baggage fees (for transportation of luggage) Seat upgrades, if required as a reasonable accommodation. TSA pre-check or CLEAR, if the service is used for ministry-related travel 3 or more times per year. |
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Rental Car/Borrowed Car |
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Mileage/Carpooling | Mileage for necessary ministry-related trips in excess of 50 miles each way (less than 50 are included in the support goal bonus) from the starting ministry location. (*International workers see International Worker Expenses) |
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Parking & Tolls | Parking costs of more than $10 when conducting ministry work in a location that is not the local place of work. Parking costs incurred during travel (airport parking costs, hotel or conference center parking, etc.) Tolls when traveling on a ministry trip.
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Other Transportation | Taxi, bus, rideshare, train, water transportation, etc., when traveling on a ministry trip |
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Covid Testing | Mandated testing for COVID in order to travel |
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Visa and Passport | Mandatory fees paid to regulatory agencies and governing bodies (*International workers see International Worker Expenses)
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Vaccinations and Immunizations (short-term international trips) | Vaccinations and immunizations required for international travel (taxable ERB) (*International workers see International Worker Expenses) Certain medications required for international short-term travel related to mission trips are reimbursable |
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Meals During Travel | Meals during ministry trips Per Diem for meals during travel (U.S. Per Diem and International Per Diem) is available upon request for field workers traveling for their Reliant role for a period of 5 or more days. |
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Internet Access During Travel | Charges for internet and email fees while traveling for ministry purposes. (*International workers see International Worker Expenses) |
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Travel Insurance |
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Weddings and Funerals | If the criteria (under Key Details) for the wedding/funeral are met, then airfare, mileage, lodging, rental cars, meals, and other travel-related expenses, etc., can be reimbursed. |
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Event/Conferences/Training Fees | As a general rule, most events, conferences, and training fees are reimbursable as long as the field workers substantiate why attendance was necessary for their current ministry job responsibilities. |
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Mission and Outreach Trips | The fee(s) for the Mission and Outreach Trip are reimbursable. |
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Spiritual and Ministry Planning Retreats | Spiritual and Ministry Planning Retreats are intended to be dedicated, focused, and intentional times of immersion in the Word, prayer, and/or ministry planning and preparation. Costs associated with the retreats may be reimbursed with pre-approval on a Personal Development Plan. |
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Event Facility Rental | For rental facilities related to events: Room rental for an event, park shelter rental, etc. (Typically reimbursed through a project fund.) |
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Office Expenses
(Relevant to all Reliant Field Workers)
Expense Category | Summary of Allowable Costs | Key Details | ||||||||||
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Office Supplies | Due to the different job responsibilities of Reliant Employees, the types of office supplies used for ministry purposes are vast and varying. It is the field worker's responsibility to use discretion when purchasing supplies to ensure the items are truly reasonable and necessary for ministry expenses. |
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Office Rent/Utilities | Office rent and utilities (water, electricity, gas, etc.) are reimbursable when the office is used exclusively for ministry purposes. A rental office that is only partially used for ministry purposes cannot have rent or utilities reimbursed through Reliant. |
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Office Furniture & Décor |
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Rental Office Renovations | Small-scale renovations (such as painting) are reimbursable for a rental office used exclusively for ministry purposes. A rental office that is only partially used for ministry purposes cannot have renovations reimbursed through Reliant. | |||||||||||
Rental Office Internet/Landline Phone | Internet and landline phones are reimbursable for a rental office used exclusively for ministry purposes. A rental office that is only partially used for ministry purposes cannot have internet/landline phone expenses reimbursed through Reliant. | |||||||||||
Postage/Shipping/Fax | Postage, fax, and shipping expenses that are associated with your ministry role. |
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Printing & Copies | Printed prayer letters, magnets, photos, signs, booklets, copies, etc. |
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Other Ministry Expenses
(Relevant to all Reliant Field Workers)
Expense Category | Summary of Allowable Costs | Key Details | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Furniture (ministry gathering/small and large groups) | To the extent the furniture is required to perform ministry responsibilities related to ministry gatherings (such as small/large group indoor or outdoor meetings and events), recoverable as 75% nontaxable Reimbursement and 25% taxable ERB. |
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Meals/Groceries (not associated with travel)
| Meals for ministry contacts, donors, and group events Groceries for prepared meals for ministry purposes One-time special event/celebration meals with co-workers that are out of the ordinary can be submitted
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Books | Books that are ministry-related (they do not need to be religious in nature). |
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Continuing education courses Course-related books Associated Fees Some other continuing education-related expenses can be recovered through an Expense Recovery Bonus, such as school-required health checks and immunizations and related travel costs associated with continuing education. |
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Counseling | Certain expenses relating to counseling, coaching, and spiritual direction may be eligible for recovery through either a standard reimbursement, or an Expense Recovery Bonus, with tax implications. Please reference this section for specific details. (*International workers see International Worker Expenses) |
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Gifts
| Gifts from field workers are reimbursable, assuming:
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Gift Cards | A gift card given by a Reliant employee to donors may be reimbursed with a valid ministry purpose, but annual limits for giving (see "Gifts" above) apply. As a Standard, Reliant does not allow field staff to give gift cards to other field staff (employee or associate). |
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Moving Costs | Moving costs are not submitted through expense submission. (*International workers see International Worker Expenses) A moving allowance is available for moving costs incurred while moving from one U.S. ministry location to another U.S. ministry location. |
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Professional Fees | Professional fees paid to companies, agencies, or individuals for services necessary to conduct ministry are reimbursable. Professional fees include coaching, designers, photographers, videographers, etc. (*International workers see International Worker Expenses) |
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Phone Calling Card/Prepaid Phone | Phone expenses (unrelated to cell phones or landline costs) used for rare situations that require a prepayment or phone card to perform ministry duties. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Recreation/Activities | Use discretion when submitting requests for reimbursement of recreation/activity expenses. The recreation/activity needs to have a valid ministry purpose related to the field staff role and must follow the Standard for reasonable, necessary, etc. A recreation/activity for the purpose of general fellowship would not qualify as a clear ministry purpose. Please see the key details for specific expenses that do not qualify for expense submission.
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Sabbatical Expenses | Reliant acknowledges that sabbatical expenses can vary significantly from person-to-person, and, that a number of sabbatical expenses can easily blur the line between professional and personal costs. In order to bring simplicity and clarity to the expense recovery process, Reliant offers a Sabbatical Bonus to cover most sabbatical-related expenses. |
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Subscriptions and Dues |
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Supplies | Due to the different job responsibilities of Reliant employees, the types of supplies used for ministry purposes are vast and varying. It is the field worker's responsibility to use discretion when purchasing supplies to ensure the items are truly reasonable and necessary for ministry expenses. |
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Tax Consulting | Only those U.S. Reliant employees who are ordained/commissioned ministers are eligible and can only be recovered through an ERB. (*International workers see International Worker Expenses) |
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International Worker Expenses
(Relevant Only to International Field Workers) For secure locations, use Secure Lexicon when entering ministry purposes on the expense submission form.
Expense Category | Summary of Allowable Costs | Key Reminders | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Bank Fees | Bank fees such as ATM fees, wire fees, and international transaction (credit card) fees are reimbursable if incurred by International field workers as they travel back to the US or to other countries for ministry purposes. Or if they are incurred in situations where the safety of a Reliant International worker is a concern or in which local banking options are either not allowable or unadvisable (e.g., due to the secure nature of their ministry role.) |
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Counseling | Certain expenses relating to counseling, coaching, and spiritual direction may be eligible for recovery through either a standard reimbursement, or an Expense Recovery Bonus, with tax implications. Please reference this section for specific details. Additionally, there is a counseling allowance available to International workers (See International Counseling Resources) |
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Crisis Preparation | Supply items needed for crisis preparation (items to carry while traveling, go bag, vehicle supply bag, etc.) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Global Communication |
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Immigration Fees | Mandatory fees paid to regulatory agencies and governing bodies.
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Immunizations, Vaccinations | To the extent not covered by Reliant health plans, pre-field physicals, vaccinations, and immunizations (including oral vaccinations with a prescription) required for international placement or internship can be recovered through an ERB. |
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International Mileage | Mileage for necessary ministry-related trips in excess of 50 miles each way (less than 50 are included in the support goal bonus) is reimbursable. When the cost of operating a motor vehicle in the international field worker's country of ministry exceeds that of the United States, the International field worker may submit ministry-related mileage at a rate that exceeds the United States IRS’s approved mileage reimbursement rate to be recovered through an ERB. |
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International Wardrobe | For International employees moving to a new International location, Reliant allows for a max limit of $500 ERB per employee to cover costs for clothing and apparel needed for a new wardrobe related to the change of culture and/ or climate associated with a new international location. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Legal Fees |
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Moving, Vehicle, Hardship, etc. | There is a specific International Expense Allowance designed to recover personal expenses for International workers that are not eligible for submission on the International Expense Submission Form such as moving, vehicle, and expenses related to hardship. |
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Training and Development | For International workers pre-field readiness and training, debriefing, security training, webinars, etc. |
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Professional Fees |
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Storage Fees | Reimbursement may be requested for storage costs for personal items stored in the U.S. while the worker serves at an international assignment when connected to an international move. |
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Licensed Counselor Expenses
(Relevant to those Reliant Field Workers who serve as licensed counselors as part of their Reliant ministry role)
Expense Category | Summary of Allowable Costs | Key Reminders | ||||||||||
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Counselor Supervision Fees | Available for counselors who require someone to supervise their counseling as part of a mentor/training program. |
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Counselor Dues and Subscriptions | For those counselors who have dues or fees for professional counseling organizations that provide support, resources, and/or training for licensed professional counselors. |
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Counselor Liability Coverage | For those counselors who desire additional liability coverage. |
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Coaching, Counseling, and Spiritual Direction Expenses
(Relevant to all Reliant Field Workers)
Reliant acknowledges the need for field employees to have access to resources that help them thrive in the context of their ministries. Among the variety of resources that are available to employees, we want to highlight the proper paths one should consider when seeking to recover expenses related to coaching, counseling, and spiritual direction.
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For coaching, counseling, and spiritual direction expenses, employees must submit a detailed receipt from the service provider that includes the provider's name, date of service, and the applicable charges. When submitting, a description of how the session's content applies to the worker's job description must be included in the form. |
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Coaching | Reliant field workers often seek outside instruction for ongoing ministry and development in their role. These may be temporary, such as during a sabbatical or role transition, or ongoing and should be discussed with one's local supervisor or program team to confirm the coaching is necessary for maintaining and improving skills needed for the worker's role. Expenses related to coaching, as described above, are considered professional fees and can be recovered non-taxably through the standard reimbursement submission process. |
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Counseling | Personal counseling (counseling concerning issues and needs not related to one's role with Reliant) is not eligible for expense recovery via a reimbursement for ERB. Short-term personal counseling is available through Reliant's Employee Assistance Program. Additionally, employees who are enrolled in Reliant's insurance are welcome to cover counseling expenses through HSA funds. Personal development needs that are related to or impact an employee's role with Reliant, that have been recommended, required, or approved by one's local supervisor or program team are now recoverable through an ERB, with tax implications. These can include expenses related to professional counseling, biblical counseling, spiritual direction, marriage counseling, and family counseling.
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Spiritual Direction | Expenses relating to spiritual direction that relates directly to one's role with Reliant are now also recoverable through an ERB.
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Personal development refers to activities and efforts that enhance the employee's overall well-being, self-awareness, and personal skills. These can encompass a wide range of activities and may include but is not limited to professional counseling, biblical counseling, spiritual direction, marriage counseling, family counseling, and coaching related to aspects of life outside of the employee's ministry role. As established above, most personal development expenses are not recoverable through a reimbursement or an ERB. Some of these services can be recovered through an ERB with attestation that the service is crucial for the betterment of your professional job description. Professional development focuses on activities and efforts aimed at enhancing the employee's job-related skills, knowledge, and competencies. These are critical for career growth and may include but is not limited to job-related coaching (time/task management, ministry skills, leadership development, transitions, language learning), professional mentorship, debriefs, and pre-launch self-awareness training (International). These coaching expenses can be recovered through a standard non-taxable reimbursement. |
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