Special travel usually falls into one of these six categories.
Arrangements for students, prospective employees, and visitors/guests

If you want to reimburse students, prospective employees, or visitors/guests for MIT-related business travel, you must follow the same guidelines that apply to other MIT travelers. In all cases, use your Department Travel Card for any expenses incurred during such travel. Follow steps for Reimbursing a Visitor using Concur.

Note that you may issue an MIT Travel Card to a student with the approval of the primary authorizer for the cost object associated with those expenses.

Traveling on temporary assignment

If you are assigned temporary duty at a location outside local commuting distance, you may be eligible for reimbursement of certain costs. This may apply in particular, to some of the costs associated with maintaining a temporary residence. Note that you must obtain advance approval from your department, lab, or center or sponsor and that you must adhere to strict IRS rules regarding the tax status of reimbursement for dislocation expenses.

Traveling on field-site assignment

If you are assigned to work in an approved field site for more than 30 days but less than one year, you may be eligible for incentive compensation equal to 20 percent of your monthly salary plus a subsistence reimbursement according to the guidelines for per diem expenses.

If the duration of your field assignment exceeds one year but is not longer than two years, you have the option of substituting relocation expenses in place of per diem expenses.

Traveling for emergency overtime assignment

If you are an MIT employee who is not eligible to receive overtime pay, you may be reimbursed for certain expenses when you are called to work on an emergency basis on a scheduled day off or recalled to work after a normal day’s work. Covered expenses include:

  • actual cost of lodging in Cambridge-area hotels (we strongly encourage you to use MIT’s preferred hotels)
  • current prevailing IRS mileage reimbursement rate or the actual cost of public transit, as applicable; the rate for 2023 is 65.5 cents per mile. The rate for 2024 is 67 cents per mile.
  • actual cost of meals
Traveling as an hourly employee

Review the MIT Human Resources Manual for guidelines on how to compensate hourly employees for MIT-related business travel expenses.

Traveling with your spouse

Updated April 13, 2022

If your spouse has a formal role in an MIT-related event, her or his travel expenses may qualify for reimbursement. You must submit a written request and obtain approval (in advance of your travel) from the Office of the Dean of your school or college, or the Office of the Vice President for Research (VPR), for labs that report directly to the VPR. Your request to these offices should include a clear explanation of your spouse’s role in the formal MIT-related program.

The written approval from one of the above-mentioned offices should be attached to requests for reimbursement.

Your spouse may accompany you for personal reasons at your own expense.

The Details

Arrangements for students, prospective employees, and visitors/guests

If you want to reimburse students, prospective employees, or visitors/guests for MIT-related business travel, you must follow the same guidelines that apply to other MIT travelers. In all cases, use your Department Travel Card for any expenses incurred during such travel. Follow steps for Reimbursing a Visitor using Concur.

Note that you may issue an MIT Travel Card to a student with the approval of the primary authorizer for the cost object associated with those expenses.

Traveling on temporary assignment

If you are assigned temporary duty at a location outside local commuting distance, you may be eligible for reimbursement of certain costs. This may apply in particular, to some of the costs associated with maintaining a temporary residence. Note that you must obtain advance approval from your department, lab, or center or sponsor and that you must adhere to strict IRS rules regarding the tax status of reimbursement for dislocation expenses.

Traveling on field-site assignment

If you are assigned to work in an approved field site for more than 30 days but less than one year, you may be eligible for incentive compensation equal to 20 percent of your monthly salary plus a subsistence reimbursement according to the guidelines for per diem expenses.

If the duration of your field assignment exceeds one year but is not longer than two years, you have the option of substituting relocation expenses in place of per diem expenses.

Traveling for emergency overtime assignment

If you are an MIT employee who is not eligible to receive overtime pay, you may be reimbursed for certain expenses when you are called to work on an emergency basis on a scheduled day off or recalled to work after a normal day’s work. Covered expenses include:

  • actual cost of lodging in Cambridge-area hotels (we strongly encourage you to use MIT’s preferred hotels)
  • current prevailing IRS mileage reimbursement rate or the actual cost of public transit, as applicable; the rate for 2023 is 65.5 cents per mile. The rate for 2024 is 67 cents per mile.
  • actual cost of meals
Traveling as an hourly employee

Review the MIT Human Resources Manual for guidelines on how to compensate hourly employees for MIT-related business travel expenses.

Traveling with your spouse

Updated April 13, 2022

If your spouse has a formal role in an MIT-related event, her or his travel expenses may qualify for reimbursement. You must submit a written request and obtain approval (in advance of your travel) from the Office of the Dean of your school or college, or the Office of the Vice President for Research (VPR), for labs that report directly to the VPR. Your request to these offices should include a clear explanation of your spouse’s role in the formal MIT-related program.

The written approval from one of the above-mentioned offices should be attached to requests for reimbursement.

Your spouse may accompany you for personal reasons at your own expense.

Did You Know?

Expenses not directly related to the business purpose of your travel—fitness club fees and movie rentals, for example—will not be reimbursed by MIT.
MIT offers mobile travel-related tools and applications, such as TripLink and the Concur mobile app in the App Center of Concur.
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