Travel and Reimbursement Request

How to request your travel and reimbusements?

New Application for Travel Reimbursement

Starting January 1st, 2025, we will use the Zoho Expense application for Travel Reimbursement.

The transition period will go until January 31st, 2025. After this period, we will no longer accept reimbursement request made through the old format.

The instructions on how to download and use the application can be found in the Finance Team’s Google Drive shared folder.

For more information on how to use the Zoho Expense app, go to https://www.zoho.com/expense/help/

For questions about the Travel Policy or how to access to the Zoho Expense app, contact @Patricia Ferreira .

Travel Request

• All travel requests must be done using the Travel Request Form, in Zoho.

• All trips should be requested in the following time frame:

  • Domestic travel: at least 15 days in advance;

  • International travel: at least 21 days in advance.

• The travel request forms will be approved, first, by the Head of the Department and, second, by the Finance team.

  • If there are any exceptions to be approved, the Head of the Department can make an observation in the text field in the approval step.

  • Employees should not book their own flight tickets and request reimbursement before the travel request approval by Finance unless previously justified and approved by the Head of the Department.

• The Finance team has up to one business day to approve the travel request, after the Department Head's approval.

Travel Insurance

• Employees traveling internationally are required to hire travel insurance.

• The insurance policy must be attached to the travel request form, in order for your trip to be approved.

• The amount paid for the insurance will be reimbursed by Rocket.Chat. The employee must submit a Reimbursement Request Form (see section “Reimbursement Request” below) to request it.

• Rocket.Chat will pay the travel insurance reimbursement, according to the table below:

Flight Ticket Purchase

Employees Traveling from Brazil

• The Accounts Payable team will purchase the cheapest direct-flight ticket available, according to the travel schedule specified in the Travel Request form.

Employees Traveling from Other Countries

• Employees should buy their own flight tickets and request reimbursement, via the Travel Expense form, in Zoho.

• Employees should choose the cheapest direct-flight ticket available, according to their travel schedule.

Type of Flight Ticket

• Employees are expected to travel using economy class, with a few narrow exceptions (e.g. trips longer than 12 hours of direct flight time) and subject to the CEO or Head of Finance's previous approval.

In-Flight Internet Wi-Fi

• Employees can request the reimbursement for in-flight internet wi-fi only in cases of trips longer than 3 hours of direct flight time, up to the amounts in the table below:

Lodging

• Hotel rooms should be booked according to the maximum rate per night in each region:

• Employees should prefer hotels that include breakfast in their rates.

• If the employee chooses to book a room with a higher rate, Rocket.Chat will reimburse the employee up to the maximum daily amount per region described above.

• Exceptions, on the above rates, should be previously discussed and approved by the CEO.

Car Rental

• Employees should choose to rent cars in the “compact/economy” category. Employees should also include third-party insurance in their booking.

  • For employees in Brazil, Rocket.Chat has an agreement with Localiza. To use it, please send an email to @Patricia Ferreira, specifying:

    • Date and time of pick-up and return the car;

    • City/airport where you choose to pick-up and return the car.

• If the employee chooses to rent a car in a higher category, Rocket.Chat will reimburse the employee up to the “compact/economy” category daily rate amount.

• Rocket.Chat will also reimburse any tolls paid during the trip, as well as fuel and parking, all subject to the presentation of the receipts in the reimbursement request.

• Rocket.Chat is not responsible for the reimbursement of traffic tickets that may incur during the trip.

Mileage Reimbursement

• If the employee chooses to use their own car on a business trip, Rocket.Chat will pay the mileage reimbursement, according to the table below:

• The employee should submit an itinerary (origin-destination) and kilometers traveled.

• Rocket.Chat will also reimburse any tolls and parking paid during the trip, all subject to the presentation of the receipts in the reimbursement request.

• Rocket.Chat is not responsible for the reimbursement of traffic tickets that may incur during the trip.

Alternative Transportation

• Employees should use Uber as alternative transportation, using Rocket.Chat’s corporate account.

• To include Rocket.Chat’s corporate account in their app, employees should request @Patricia Ferreira , via e-mail, including the Department Head's approval for the trip.

• Taxi or other types of alternative transportation should only be used in locations where Uber is not available and it will be subject to the presentation of receipts in the reimbursement request.

Meals Daily Voucher per Person (Per Diem)

• Meals daily allowance (Per Diem will be reimbursed according to the table below (including tips):

• Alcoholic beverages will not be reimbursed by Rocket.Chat.

• Employees are not allowed to pay for meals for clients, suppliers, government officers and people who are not employed with Rocket.Chat.

  • The Sales Team is exempt from this rule, who can pay for meals for clients only.

  • Rocket.Chat will reimburse a fixed amount per person that attended the meal according to the table below, except for alcoholic beverages, which will not be reimbursed.

  • In the case of government officers, the expense must be previously approved by the CRO, even before it occurs.

• Employees are not allowed to accept clients, suppliers, government officers and people who are not employed with Rocket.Chat to pay for their meals.

• Group lunches/dinners:

  • The meal should be paid for by the most senior member of the group.

  • The reimbursement will be paid to this person.

Telephone Charges

• In the case of international travel, Rocket.Chat will reimburse telephone charges incurred from the activation of international roaming.

• Employees should attach their telephone bill to the Travel Expense form, in Zoho.

Reimbursement Request

• Reimbursement requests should be submitted using the Travel Expense form, in Zoho, up to 60 days after the trip took place. They will be validated and approved by the Finance Team.

  • You can submit multiple expenses in the same form - as long as they are related to the same trip (one Trip ID per Reimbursement Request form) - by clicking on the "Add Row" button in the "Expense" field.

Open

• Receipts must be scanned and submitted along with the Reimbursement template.

• Even if the purchases are made in local currency, don't forget to fill in the "Exchange Rate" field (with either 1 or the exchange rate amount).

• In case of mileage reimbursement: the employee should submit the itinerary (origin-destination) via Google Maps-type screenshot and kilometers traveled. The employee should also present receipts for any tools paid during the trip.

• In case of international purchases using the employee’s personal credit card: the employee should attach a copy of the credit card statement to the reimbursement request template.

• The dates for reimbursement payment are the same as the ones for the remote benefit:

  • Every request approved until the 20th of each month (or the next business day), will be paid in the payroll cycle of that same month.

  • Requests approved after the 20th (or the next business day) will be paid in the payroll cycle of the subsequent month.

    • e.g. If a request is made on April 19th, the reimbursement will be paid by the end of April, along with the salary payment. If a request is made on April 21st, the reimbursement will be paid by the end of May, along with the salary payment.

Inflation Adjustment

The amounts in this policy will be adjusted yearly, according to the inflation incurred in each region.