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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 (Available January 2023) |
Creation Date: | December 2022 |
Last Revision Date: |
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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 (5 days or more) 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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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:
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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. When 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, a project fund Reimbursement 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. Project fund reimbursements also require approval by a designated signer for the fund. 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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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
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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 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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