Non-Overnight Travel

A state employee may be reimbursed for non-overnight meal expenses. If an employee on non-overnight travel receives reimbursement for meals, this amount would be considered income and must be reported on his or her W-2 tax form. See Meal Reimbursements.

Non-overnight meal reimbursements may not exceed $36, according to the General Appropriations Act, Article IX, Part 5, Section 5.05(b). The meal expense is only reimbursable if the employee is outside of his or her designated headquarters for at least six consecutive hours, per Texas Government Code, Section 660.113(b). A state employee’s mere passing through the employee’s designated headquarters while traveling to a duty point from the employees residence or from another duty point which is outside the employee’s designated headquarters does not terminate or suspend a consecutive-hour string of being outside the headquarters. See documentation requirements for non-overnight meal expenses.

Note: State agencies are not required to reimburse for non-overnight meals but may choose to do so by authorization of the agency’s chief administrator. The authorization may be provided on a case-by-case or blanket basis.