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Question:

I am interested in finding out your school's policy on moving expense reimbursement limits.

  • Do you have a formal policy or just rough guidelines?
  • Do you pay for "actual cost of the common carrier move" plus expenses so that the total cost of move varies by location?
  • Or do you have set amounts by level of position?
  • For each of the following positions what would you typically pay?

    Asst. Olympic Sport Coach Head Olympic Sport Coach Asst. Revenue Sport Coach Head Revenue Sport Coach Associate Athletics Director Assistant Athletics Director one level down from Assistant Athletics Director How far down the organization does your policy extend?

    -Keith VanDerbeek, University of Virginia

    Responses:

    At UMKC, we do have a formal moving policy, however, we do not have to grant moving expenses for all positions. Each deparment can decide which positions they are going to pay moving expenses for. Athletics pay moving expenses for the following: AD, Asst. AD, and head coaches. (We don't have an Assoc AD or football). The only assistant coaches we pay moving expenses for are men's and women's basketball. We do not pay moving expenses for assistants in any other sports.

    Our policy is as follows:
    Moving expenses, not to exceed 10% of the employee's annual salary or the actual cost of moving, whichever is less, may, as a condition of employment, be authorized for new employees. Actual moving expenses may also be authorized when it is in the best interests of the University to move a current employee from one campus or location to another. Moving expenses will be paid only if the employee's new place of work is at least 50 miles from his/her former residence.

    Under this policy, allowable moving expenses are based on what the IRS allows for moving expenses.

    ALLOWABLE EXPENSES
    Moving expenses include:

  • Actual cost of moving household goods and personal effects from the former residence to the new residence.
  • When employees elect to move themselves, allowable expenses include cost of rental truck, trailer, and other related equipment; cost of assistance in loading and unloading; cost of gas if using a rental vehicle; mileage allowance if using a personal vehicle; and lodging while en route (for employee only)
  • Temporary storage (maximum of thirty days)

    Moving expenses do not include:

  • Meals consumed while traveling or while living in temporary living quarters
  • Temporary living quarters
  • Temporary storage that exceeds thirty days
  • Selling or settling an unexpired lease on the former residence
  • The cost of buying a new residence
  • House hunting costs
    -Carla Wilson, University of Missouri-Kansas City

    At UTSA we pay up to 10% of the annual salary in qualified moving expenses.
    -Ross Cobb, University of Texas-San Antonio

    At Oregon State, our starting point is one month's salary for most all staff. If that becomes a limitation for lower paying positions, then we negotiate from there. We get quotes from two local carriers and then assign from there.
    - Greg Goracke, Oregon State University

    Purdue just changed it's all-university policy re: moving. We now pay an "allowance", i.e. we don't pay actual expenses. The new employee just receives the check and can do whatever he/she wants with it (i.e. it does not even have to be spent on moving expenses). For that reason, it is considered taxable income and PU withholds the taxes, at some pre-determined rates, and sends the new employee the "net". We make sure we clarify that in our standard offer letter. Then, if the individual actually uses some, or all, of the money for moving expenses, they can claim that on their tax return and get some, or all of the withholdings back.

    Using the procedure outlined above, in Athletics, we provide an allowance of $10,000 for our Senior Staff, all revenue coaches, and all Head coaches of our Olympic sports. Everyone else gets and allowance of $5,000.
    - Glenn Tompkins, Purdue University

    Vanderbilt does not have a formal policy and the amount we would pay for a coaching level position would likely be a part of the contract negotiation process. One example since I have been here of a Head Revenue Sport Coach was $30,000.

    We have paid relocation expenses for certain other staff members, at varying levels of the organization, usually not exceeding $1,000.
    -Beth Baldwin, Vanderbilt University

    At UWGB, we do not have a formal policy for the Athletic Department. We do however, have to assure our decisions fit within the UW System policies. In general we provide a moving expense allowance to the head coaches and assistant coaches of our revenue generating sports (men's and women's basketball) and head coaches of a few of our olympic sports (volleyball, men's & women's soccer). The allowance is based on a percentage of the coaches salary, with a maximum allowance of 10% of the annual salary.

    Per UW System policies, we pay actual expenses. New employees are encouraged to use one of the vendors the UW System has contracts with. If one of these vendors are not used, the total amount to reimbursed for moving expenses is limited based on UW System policies.

    We have not paid moving expenses for any administrative level positions.
    - Dan McIver, University of Wisconsin-Green Bay

    WKU does not have a formal moving expense policy. The University does not pay for moving expense. However, they will allow each department on campus to pay an amount if the associated budget can cover the expense. In athletics, we usually do not pay for full moving expense unless for a Head Coaching position. All other positions varies in amount from $500 to $2,500.
    -Darrell Horn, Western Kentucky University

    We have a guideline to pay actual costs not to exceed 10% of annual salary. Not all positions are eligible and exceptions can be approved by the AD.
    - Bobby Gleason, Texas Tech University

    At Arizona State we pay 10% of annual salary for moving expenses. Not all positions qualify but most administrators and coaching positions do (and down to a Director level).
    - Amy Schramm, Arizona State University

    At UNLV - we generally pay one month's base salary - AND per our state regulations, if any employee should leave prior to working at UNLV for one full year - that person is responsible for reimbursement to the university.

    The Ath Director has the ability to exceed one month's base, but that is on an exception basis and ONLY when the AD approves in writing.

    - Wendy Myers, University of Nevada-Las Vegas