Travel Pay Traps: Handling it Correctly

Travel Pay Compliance: Avoid Costly Mistakes, Stay Audit-Ready

Handling travel pay isn’t just complicated - it’s a compliance minefield. One wrong move can lead to wage and hour violations, overtime miscalculations, or IRS penalties.

If you’re unsure what counts as paid travel time, how it impacts overtime, or whether your reimbursement process is compliant, you’re not alone - but you are at risk.

This webinar breaks down exactly what you must do (and avoid) when compensating employees for travel - so you can stay compliant, reduce liability, and stop second-guessing your decisions.

Why This Matters Now

Travel pay has become one of the most misunderstood - and heavily scrutinized - areas of payroll compliance. With evolving federal and state wage laws, multi-state complexities, and increased enforcement, even small errors can trigger audits, employee disputes, or costly lawsuits.

And it’s not just the U.S. Department of Labor watching - 
the Internal Revenue Service has strict rules on how travel reimbursements are taxed. Misclassify payments, and what you thought was a reimbursement could suddenly become taxable wages.

What You’ll Walk Away With

By the end of this session, you’ll have the clarity and confidence to:

• Identify what qualifies as compensable travel time - and what doesn’t
• Apply travel pay rules correctly to avoid underpaying or overpaying employees
• Handle overtime calculations accurately, including tricky travel scenarios
• Navigate federal vs. state law conflicts, especially for multi-state employees
• Implement best practices that reduce audit risk and ensure consistency
• Understand per diems, accountable plans, and reimbursement methods
• Determine when travel payments become taxable income

Key Topics Covered

• What must be paid - and why (under wage & hour laws)
• Who qualifies for travel pay and when it applies
• Common compliance mistakes that lead to claims and penalties
• Travel pay’s impact on overtime (exempt vs. non-exempt employees)
• Handling special and complex travel scenarios
• Multi-state compliance challenges and conflict resolution
• IRS rules for travel expenses, including:
  • Per diem payments
  • Accountable vs. nonaccountable plans
  • Taxability of reimbursements

Bottom Line

If you handle payroll, HR, or compliance, this is a topic you can’t afford to get wrong. This session gives you practical, real-world guidance to protect your organization and ensure every travel payment is handled correctly.

Who Should Attend

• Payroll Executives/Managers/Administrators/Professionals/Practitioners/Entry Level Personnel
• Human Resources Executives/Managers/Administrators
• Accounting Personnel
• Business Owners/Executive Officers/Operations and Departmental Managers
• Lawmakers
• Attorneys/Legal Professionals
• Any individual or entity that must deal with the complexities and requirements of Payroll compliance issues

Speaker(s)

Vicki M. Lambert, CPP

Vicki M. Lambert, CPP, is President and Academic Director of The Payroll Advisor™, a firm specializing in payroll education and training. The company’s website www.thepayrolladvisor.com offers a payroll news service which keeps payroll professionals up-to-date on the latest rules and regulations. With 40 years of hands-on experience in all facets of payroll functions as well as over three decades as a trainer and author, Ms. Lambert has become the most sought-after and respected voice in the practice and management of payroll issues. She has conducted open market training seminars on payroll issues across the United States that have been attended by executives and professionals from some of the most prestigious firms in business today. A pioneer in electronic and online education, Ms. Lambert produces and presents payroll related audio seminars, webinars and webcasts for clients, APA chapters and business groups throughout the country. Ms. Lambert is an adjunct faculty member at Brandman University in Southern California where she is the instructor for the American Payroll Association’s “PayTrain” online program offered by Brandman University.

CEUs

The use of this seal confirms that this activity has met HR Certification Institute’s® (HRCI®) criteria for recertification credit pre-approval.

Credits: 1.5

Compliance Prime is recognized by SHRM to offer Professional Development Credits (PDCs) for the SHRM-CPSM or SHRM-SCPSM. This program is valid for PDC(s) for the SHRM-CP or SHRM-SCP. For more information about certification or recertification, please visit www.shrmcertification.org

Credits: 1.5

Compliance Prime is registered with the National Association of State Boards of Accountancy (NASBA) as a sponsor of continuing professional education on the National Registry of CPE Sponsors. State boards of accountancy have final authority on the acceptance of individual courses for CPE credit. Complaints regarding registered sponsors may be submitted to the National Registry of CPE Sponsors through its website: https://www.nasbaregistry.org.

Credits: 1.5

Credits: 1.5

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