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Employee Reimbursements

I would like to obtain some information regarding your employees' reimbursement expenses. Please inform me of the different types of expenses along with any limitations the employees' are allowed to be reimbursed for and the overall procedures these expenses are handled with.

Thank You,

Magda Drab

We reimburse the individual's per minute rate for all business calls up to a max of their total phone bill.

Pamela A. Brosch, CPA Chief Financial Officer HSR Business to Business Inc.

I have one employee who we reimburse part of his cell phone usage. Instead of taking the time every month to go through his bill, we went through two month's bills and negotiated an amount that was business related based on those bills. Each month he just adds that amount to his expense report. We also keep several cell phones in the office for people to check out when they need them. For the rest of our employees we provide them their own cell phones.

Shanny R. Morgenstern, Chief Operating Officer Morningstar Communications Company
http://www.morningstarcomm.com

I would also like to know how folks are reimbursing staff for cell phones.

Neelum Singh

I keep getting the same question from my employees, does the company pay for cellular calls and what about free minutes that are taking up by my work calls? Is there some flat amount to give them? I am interested in how other companies pay their employees for cellular calls.

Ed Miller

Employee turns in cell bill itemizing minutes. We pay .35/minute for work related calls, whether free or charged.

Roxanne Cowan

We give our sales reps a $40.00 per month allowance for use of their personal cell phones for business. If they incur business call expenses in ecxess of this amount, we review a copy of their bill and reimburse them for the overage if appropriate.

Terry L. Jones, Jr.

We pay base on the actual charges on calls made on behalf of the company plus any applicable taxes. Every expense report submitted for calls has copies of telephone bill to support reimbursement.

Anita Tebbetts

We reimburse for their per minute charge (above their stated plan minutes) to a max of their phone bill. so, if an employee has a 300 minute plan for which they will be charged .22 per minute for every minute they are over their 300 minutes, we reimburse them for all minutes (for business related calls which they MUST identify on their bills) at the rate of .22. The reimbursement will never exceed thsir monthly bill. So if the total business minutes @ .22 is 134.22, but their total cell phone bill for the month is 98.33, we reimburse the 98.33.

Pamela A. Brosch, CPA Chief Financial Officer HSR Business to Business Inc.

For people with a legitimate need, such as production people who are on press frequently, we provide a phone and pay the bill directly under a company account with the carrier. If somebody wants to maintain an existing personal number we will arrange to reimburse them for it.

We would only pay someone for using a personal phone if work minutes actually threw them over the allowable plan minutes. In the last year that's only happened once, for a very minor amount.

Brent A. Byrd Chief Financial Officer Point Zero, Inc.

Iíve worked out an equitable deal with my employer. I have a cell phone with a 500 minute per month anytime plan, going for $49.95. They thought I should get a less expensive plan that they would pay for.

What I countered with was paying for HALF of my regular service charge. Going to a less expensive plan was not viable as it only gave more evening hours (not a good option for business use).

They thought it was a great idea. They reimburse me for $25.00 each month and I kept my service. Everyone is happy.

Phil Watkins creative director Wilson Chapman Advertising

We provide our Key Employees (Management and AE's) with cellular phones and pay the monthly fee which includes 200 free minutes. Normally, everyone stays within the 200 free, if they do not, the charge is minimal and the company pays the additional.

Laura Kennedy, Finance Manager Maier Advertising, Inc.

We are a small agency with six Account Executives and three partners (owners)who all have company owned cellular phones. The company has purchased the phones and pays for the cost of the phone and service plan. We contracted for different plans for each person based upon territory, travel and minute usage. The AEs are given the phones with the understanding that they are company owned and to be used for company business. We allow a small amount of personal use as long as it stays within the contracted plan and is not excessive.

Hope this helps!

Cheryl Brunner Office Manager Crowl, Montgomery & Clark Inc.