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    Travel News

    • January 9, 2026 – Through tax year 2017, the Internal Revenue Code provided an exclusion from employees’ income for qualified moving expense payments and reimbursements made by employers.  The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act suspended this fringe benefit for tax years 2018 through 2025.  In July 2025, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act made the elimination of the exclusion permanent.  Moving expense deductions are no longer allowed unless specifically authorized by Congress.   Therefore, all amounts that the Commonwealth pays or reimburses for employee moving expenses will continue to be reported to payroll as compensation.  Commonwealth employees should refer to Management Directive 625.03, Moving Employee Household Goods for the policy on moving expenses. 
    • December 30, 2025 – The U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) announced changes to the Personally-Owned Vehicle (POV) mileage reimbursement rates.  Commonwealth traveler claims for personal vehicle mileage are reimbursed according to ground travel policies and the applicable GSA mileage rate.  Effective January 1, 2026, the higher “standard” rate increases from $0.70/mile to $0.725/mile and the lower “other vehicle available” rate decreases from $0.21/mile to $0.205/mile. 
    • December 5, 2025 - The new Preferred Hotel Guide (PDF) effective for the period from October 2025 through December 2026 is now posted.  Preferred hotels must be confirmed through SAP Concur if available and within a reasonable distance of your business trip destination.  If a preferred hotel is not available within a reasonable distance of your destination, any hotel can be selected provided the rate is at or below the GSA maximum lodging rate.
    • August 16, 2025 – The U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) announced its rates for lodging and subsistence for travel that began on or after October 1, 2025.  The new rates can be found on the GSA website by selecting FY2026 from the “For Fiscal Year” dropdown menu.  The Commonwealth’s maximum lodging rates equal the GSA rates; maximum subsistence rates equal the GSA rates.  Travelers with questions should send us an email or refer to Manual 230.1, Commonwealth Travel Procedures Manual.
    • March 14, 2023 - The Governor's Office issued a memo updating Out-of-State and International Travel directives.  The memo decentralized out-of-state approval to agency authorities (Deputy Secretary of Administration or equivalent) effective March 27, 2023.  International travel and out-of-state requests for which estimated expenses exceed $5,000 will continue to require Governor's Office approval.  All requests must continue to be submitted through the Commonwealth Out-of-State Travel Application (COSTA).

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