Travel Update 06-05

The State Finance Act (30 ILCS 105/12-2(b)) provides that mileage reimbursement for the use of personal vehicles be established on July 1 of each year and shall be in accordance with the federal government rate as of that date. Should this rate increase during the course of the fiscal year, no change will be made to the State’s rate. Should this rate decrease during the course of the fiscal year, the State’s rate will be changed immediately to reflect the new rate. 

This Update shall serve as a reminder to state agencies and employees that the mileage reimbursement rate may change on July 1, 2006 to reflect the federal rate in place at that time. The State's reimbursement rate is currently $0.405/mile. The current federal rate is $0.445/mile.

Should the rate include a ½ cent (e.g., $0.405), agencies shall adhere to the policies outlined below when calculating and entering mileage reimbursement claims on travel vouchers.

•  The Governor's Travel Control Board recognizes rounding as an acceptable practice when computing mileage reimbursement when the mileage rate is not stated in whole cents.

•  The preferred method to calculate mileage reimbursement is to use three (3) decimal places for computations entered in columns 12 and 17 on the travel voucher. The sub-totals for these columns may then be rounded to two (2) decimal places. If the sub-total entered in box 21 is an odd number, it will not equal the sub-total in box 22 when multiplied by the reimbursement rate. This is an acceptable situation.

•  Alternative methods for rounding may be utilized with approval of the agency head.

Again, unless the federal rate changes, the State of Illinois mileage reimbursement rate for the use of personal vehicles will increase from $.405/mile to $0.445/mile effective July 1, 2006.

As the appointed Travel Coordinator for your agency, it is your responsibility to disseminate this information to all appropriate personnel within your agency. If you have any questions, please contact Kelley Shaw, State Travel Coordinator at (217) 782-4705.