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How do you count work hours when traveling?

According to the DOL, for one-day business trips, the employee is compensated for all of their time spent traveling between work sites, but you may subtract time they spend commuting” to the airport, bus stand, or train station they're departing from.



Counting work hours during travel depends largely on your company's policy and local labor laws, such as the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) in the U.S. Generally, for "non-exempt" employees, travel time that takes place during their normal work hours (even on weekends) is typically considered compensable work time. For example, if you normally work 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM and you spend those hours on a plane on a Sunday, those hours should be counted. However, the time spent traveling outside of regular work hours as a passenger (like on a late-night flight) is often not considered "work time" unless you are actually performing work tasks while in transit, such as answering emails or preparing a presentation. For "exempt" or salaried employees, the distinction is usually less rigid, as they are paid for their output rather than their hours; however, many professionals still track "travel hours" separately to account for burnout or to bill clients for travel time. It is a best practice to keep a detailed log of your departure and arrival times, as well as any time spent working at the airport or on the plane, to ensure you are accurately reflecting your professional contribution and complying with your employer's expectations.

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In many cases, travel time is paid at the same rate as regular working hours. However, if employees exceed their normal work hours or if the travel time falls under overtime criteria, it should be compensated at the appropriate overtime rate.

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Time spent traveling during normal work hours is considered compensable work time.

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Commuting from home to work should be less than 50 miles and within 30 minutes, and the surrounding area of your workplace should be within 50 miles of your home. It is ideal for commuters to take at least 5 minutes to commute to work, and the one-way commute should take more than 16 minutes.

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Employers generally pay for your travel expenses when you are traveling as part of your job. They may be covered at the time of the expense by providing an allowance, an employee credit card, or a prepaid card. However, some businesses may have you pay the expenses and then reimburse you.

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Under the FLSA, travel time is creditable if the employees is required to travel during regular working hours, either for a trip or other official business. For the most part, those who work in executive, professional, and administrative jobs are exempt from the FLSA.

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30% of working time means that 30% of the total hours you are expected to work in a given period should be dedicated to travel. For example, if you are expected to work 40 hours per week and 30% of your working time is allocated for travel, then 12 hours (or 1.5 days) should be spent on traveling during that week.

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