How are business trips compensated?

A business trip or business trip is one in which the company, due to business needs, asks us to travel to another city or country to represent it in dealing with any professional issue. Negotiating a sale, providing a service, resolving an incident, renegotiating an agreement, etc. There are many functions that we can perform on this trip.

And the first thing we have to keep in mind is that if they have chosen us it is because we are doing things well. Since we are going to be the visible face of the company on that trip.

This doesn't mean that if it's your first business trip you may have a lot of questions about it. Do I have to charge diet? Is it included in my salary? How do I declare the trips I have during the trip?

First of all, we must know that most often work trips are paid as a normal working day, if the length of the working days is the same in number of hours, and if they do not fall on holidays.

But there is also the case that your work trip took place on extended days, on your days off, or on holidays. And if that were the case, the company would have to pay you more under current legislation with a differential rate.

But beyond this, what is important and we should know is that your company must compensate you for expenses that arise outside your routine.

The most common expenses that the company will cover are:

• Transportation
• Health insurance
• Visas
• Accomodation
• Cleaning and laundry
• Meals
• Local transport
• Translations
• Internet or telephone charges

If, due to the type of work you do, it is essential that there are other types of expenses, the company should also compensate them, if these are directly related to the work environment. For example, a commercial who is going to present a project or proposal, and has to buy a projector, a blackboard, or exhibition cards.

Personal and leisure expenses

On many occasions, people who travel for a business trip want to take advantage of their free time visiting tourist places, museums, buying souvenirs, etc.

These expenses will not be covered by your company. Since they are out of the workplace.

How do I know how much I can spend?

Normally, companies have established corporate travel policies, in which protocols and budgetary limits are established for each type of employee, as well as for each type of trip and country.

However, if you have questions about this policy, you can always ask your boss or the Human Resources department. They are the ones who can guide you to apply them.

How do I pay and record my expenses?

Every company has a different way both for payments and for recording expenses.

There are some that will give you a business card so that you can pay all these expenses with it, and others that will ask you to pay for it yourself with your personal card and then return the full amount.

In both cases, it is necessary to justify these expenses by collecting all the invoices and receipts that are generated, to then provide them to the company. And this can be done manually by taking photos or scanning everything, or with an app that makes this task easier for you.

The latter is very important, since the company may refuse to reimburse you for anything that you cannot document or justify.

If you have paid with your personal card, these expenses can be reimbursed, together with diets or bonuses (if any), either in the payment of the next salary, or in a separate payment.

Automate it and don't worry with Vyootrip

At Vyootrip, we offer a business travel management platform that automatically implements business travel policies, so that travelers can directly book and digitize their expenses, automating the process of spending, justification and control for the company.

This makes it easier and saves a lot of time and money for both travelers and managers who have to control their spending. Because from one place they can centralize all these processes.

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