The following two criteria must be met to receive meal allowance reimbursement:

Eleven Hour Rule - A traveler may be reimbursed for non-overnight (same day) meal expenses when the traveler has been in travel status for at least eleven hours. 

In travel status during the entire meal period – Travelers must be in travel status during the entire university determined meal period(s), as defined below, in order to qualify to collect meal payments for meals.

The normal work hours for CWU employees is considered to be 8 AM to 5 PM. The employee's designated work hours should be noted on the travel expense report if other than the normal work hours.  The three-hour rule still applies and meals will be reimbursed only when an employee is in travel status during the entire meal period.

The university designated meal periods are as follows:
Breakfast (7 to 8am)
Lunch (12 to 1pm)
Dinner (6 to 7pm)

Meal allowance breakdown can be found the following link: CWU meal per diems (in Meals and Lodging While Traveling accordion)

High cost locations for lodging allowance do not necessarily follow entitlement of high cost areas meal allowance. Reference the Washington State and Continental US Meal Per Diem Rates on the CWU Travel Website.

Meals included in the registration fees paid by the university are to be deducted from the allowance claimed for reimbursement. Continental breakfast and meals provided by airlines are not to be deducted and full reimbursement is allowed.

Foreign Travel

Foreign meal per diems do not always fall within the meal rates listed above.  When it becomes necessary to determine the amount to reimburse for individual meals, use the following calculations rounded to the nearest dollar.

1. The breakfast portion is 25% of the set daily meals entitlement.
2. The lunch portion is 30% of the set daily meals entitlement.
3. The dinner portion is 45% of the set daily meals entitlement.

Foreign per diems rates can be found at on the CWU travel website.

[Responsibility: BFA; Authority: VP BFA; Reviewed/Endorsed by: Cabinet/PAC; Review/ Effective Date: 02/01/2017; 03/08/2019; Approved by: James L. Gaudino, President]