Form 14 - Volunteer Reimbursement Expense Report & Check Request Form

Contact the SCORE Accounts Payable Department at accounting@score.org or 1-800-634-0245 if you have questions about specific expenses.

**UPDATED GSA Lodging Policy as of 10/1/2022**

SCORE has secured the below Government Rate Letter for traveling SCORE representative to present to hotel staff to get the government (GSA) hotel rate. 

Effective October 01, 2022, in cases where local hotels will not accept the Government Rate Letter, traveling SCORE representatives will be allowed to book lodging that rate that is up to 10% greater than the local GSA lodging rate. Please see the SCORE Field Travel Expense Policy for additional Details.

Key Reimbursement Resources

Form 14 - Expense Voucher Reimbursement Form

Form 14 - Expense Voucher Reimbursement Form PDF Fillable

Form 14 Guidelines and Instructions

Volunteer Leader Expense Quick Reference Guide

Volunteer Travel Quick Reference Guide

Government Rate Letter

Key Reimbursement Policies

SCORE Reimbursement Policies

SCORE Field Travel Expense Policy

Chapter Accounting Policies and Procedures

FORM 14 GUIDELINES AND INSTRUCTIONS

SCORE volunteers are required to submit a completed and properly authorized Form 14 Expense Reimbursement Request through their local chapter to SCORE Headquarters in order to be reimbursed for out-of-pocket expenses, and/or chapter operating expenses incurred supporting SCORE’s mission. 

Deadlines:  Form 14 Expense Reimbursement Requests are due to SCORE HQ within 30 days for any expense over $25 with all other reimbursement requests being due within 90 days.  All expenses incurred during a fiscal year must be submitted before year-end close in order to be paid from federal grant or chapter restricted funds regardless of age.

INSTRUCTIONS:

Box 1: District, Chapter and Fiscal Year - Enter the District and Chapter numbers plus the Fiscal Year. Enter 0000 in the Chapter number box for District expense reimbursements. Current year federal grant funding cannot be used for expenses from the prior fiscal year expenses.

Box 2: Payee - Enter the name of the Volunteer who is requesting the reimbursement – If using the Form 14 as a check request form, enter the recipient’s name in the Payee field.

Box 3: Social Security Number - The last 4 digits of the social security number is needed on any volunteer reimbursement requests to distinguish between volunteers with similar names. It is not required for check requests to other entities or individuals.

Boxes 4, 5 and 6: Address, Email, and Telephone Number - The Form 14 requires a complete mailing address, email address and telephone number. Please indicate if your mailing address has changed recently by using the check box and by adding a note somewhere on the form. The email address and telephone number are used by the A/P staff to contact the Recipient if the form is incomplete or unclear.

Box 7: Expenditures - Enter details for each expense item in the appropriate columns.

• Date– Enter the Travel or Transaction date. Items listed for reimbursement; expenses will not be reimbursed after 90 days
• Explanation Fields- Enter an explanation and vendor name for out-of-pocket, and for office administration expenses. Enter the starting and ending locations as well as the purpose of the trip for travel reimbursements. If necessary, write additional details on the receipts attached to the Form 14 to provide information needed to document the purpose of the expense and to categorize it correctly in our accounting system.
• Mileage, Airfare, Tolls & Parking, Per Diem and Lodging- Enter amounts for each expense in the appropriate column. The amounts that SCORE will reimburse for travel expenses, may be limited by SCORE’s management, or by the Regional and District Directors prior to an event, meeting, or conference.
  • SCORE uses the per diem rates published by the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) (gsa.gov), which have been pre-determined based on locations.
  • The first and last days of travel are reimbursed at 75% of the published rate.
  • Actual expenditures for meals and incidentals can be submitted on the Form 14. However, SCORE will not reimburse expenses in excess of the published per diem rate.
  • Meals with others while traveling will be taken into account when determining Per Diem. (If recipient has a meal paid by another person or event, then that portion of the per diem needs to be deducted.  Please see the CAPP for more details.) (See Meeting Expenses for more information)
• Mileage- SCORE’s Board of Directors acknowledges that volunteers use personal vehicles to conduct SCORE business. Starting with trips on April 1, 2022, the mileage reimbursement rate will be the GSA privately-owned vehicle rate for the year. The PDF fillable and the Excel versions of the Form 14 calculate the reimbursement automatically for each line. Please attach documentation (e.g. a google or MapQuest map) for any line item more than $25.
• Airfare– SCORE will reimburse charges for economy/coach class, non-upgraded fare, plus the cost of one checked bag. Priority seating charges are not reimbursable. Excess baggage charges may be reimbursed only if the luggage is required to transport equipment and/or documents for a meeting.
• Tolls, Parking, Fares- Reasonable parking and toll expenses will be reimbursed. Valet parking will be reimbursed only when it is mandatory. Reasonable expenses for taxi, rideshare, or shuttle services are covered. All charges over $25 must include a receipt. All expenses must include an explanation.
• Car Rental – SCORE will reimburse for car rental while traveling for SCORE but will not pay for vehicle upgrades unless there is a specific reason stated.  Prepaying for fuel is only reimbursed if it is documented as the lowest cost option.
• Per diem is an allowance that is paid for meals and incidental expenses incurred when traveling (in lieu of the amount for actual receipts) while an individual is on official business for SCORE for more than 12 hours and/or further than 50 miles away from home.
• Lodging rates must be within 10% of the GSA published rates for that area for that month. If the GSA rate cannot be secured, the traveler will need to provide price comparisons for mid-range hotels within the area and will be reimbursed up to the lowest rate listed. Amounts over the GSA rate without price comparisons may be reimbursed if unrestricted funds are available. Luxury accommodations are not covered. Please use the Government Rate Letter to secure government rate lodging. Rates are found at https://www.gsa.gov/travel/plan-book/per-diem-rates/.
• Meeting Expenses– Enter the name of the vendor and the type of expense in the explanation section.
• Meals purchased while traveling are limited to the published per diem rates per individual for that meal. Per Diem M&IE should be in the Per Diem Meals column.  Other meals provided to the traveler must be deducted from Per Diem allowance.
• Local meals purchased for a meeting should be reflected in the Meeting Expense column and supported by an itemized receipt if over $25.  An attendee listing and an agenda is required for use of national allocation or chapter local restricted funds. If a formal agenda was not used then a detailed explanation is required of what was discussed and other pertinent information in order to justify to SBA auditors why using federal funds were required to buy someone a meal.  

• Per SBA grant guidelines, SCORE cannot provide reimbursements for purchases of alcoholic beverages using restricted funds. If alcohol is on any receipt, then the entire expense is subject to being reimbursed from chapter local unrestricted funds. The chapter may choose not to reimburse at all for these unallowable items. Itemized receipts even without any alcohol are required to use local chapter restricted funds or national allocation. SCORE will not reimburse entertainment or social expenses.  Chapters may hold one recognition event a year using national allocation and/or chapter local restricted funds.
• Chapter Expenses– check the Volunteer Leader Expense Quick Reference Guide the Chapter Accounting Policies and Procedures Manual for specific information about the types of operating, administration and program expenses that qualify as “allowable” expense for federal grant funds. Please note that:
  • The following expenses are “unallowable” for use of federal grant or chapter restricted funds and are may only be reimbursed from chapter local unrestricted funds:
    • Gifts regardless of the situation.
    • Shirts, caps and other items that have a SCORE logo for promotional purposes. Reasonable expenses for pens and paper for use at workshops are acceptable.
    • Any chapter fundraising activities or grant writing expenses
  • Non-Reimbursable Expenses- In addition to any travel expenses that are unallowable per federal guidelines, following are examples of expenses that will not be covered by SCORE from either federal grant funds or chapter local funds. This list is not intended to be all-inclusive.
    • Medicines,
    • Gift Cards,
    • Laundry and dry cleaning services,
    • Childcare or pet boarding,
    • Lost or stolen items, including baggage,
    • Personal items (such as toothpaste) or clothing,
    • Traffic or parking fines,
    • Rental car “add-on” items, such as a navigation system,
    • Travel insurance or rental car daily collision, damage waiver or loss waiver insurance,
    • Maintenance, damage, or loss associated with personal property

Box 10: Signature of Submitter, Payee - Form 14s must be signed by the volunteer requesting reimbursement or the submitter to be considered for further processing and must be approved by the Chapter Chair or designee.  SCORE will accept an email request accompanying a scanned Form 14, if it includes the request and proper authorization. For clarity, SCORE requires that the Printed Name and Title be included in the signature box. Please use a current date in the date box for the submission.

Boxes 8 and 9: Subtotals and Total Amount Claimed – The Excel and PDF fillable versions of the Form 14 will total columns automatically. A total for each claim must be entered in the last column of line 9.

Box 11: Authorization –

• Volunteer reimbursements are authorized and submitted at the discretion of the Chapter Chair or his/her designee.
• The District Director may elect to approve all expenses submitted for reimbursement within his/her District.
• All expenses charged to a chapter must be authorized by the Chapter Chair or the chapter designee.
• The District Director must approve any Form 14 for Chapter Chairs, Co-Chairs, and Assistant District Directors.
• An Assistant District Director’s reimbursement requests for expenses related to counseling may be approved by the Chapter Chair.
• Any Form 14 for District Directors require the approval of the SCORE Vice President of Finance or his/her designee. Submit to accounting@score.org HQ will forward for approval within Bill.com.
• Any Form 14 submitted by Regional Directors require the approval of the Vice President of Field Operations. Submit to accounting@score.org HQ will forward for approval within Bill.com.

Submitting a Form 14 – The Approver will submit a properly completed and approved Form 14 with receipts to SCORE Headquarters (do not CC accounting@score.org when submitting to the approver and do not send duplicates):

Via email to accounting@score.org
Via mail to The SCORE Association, 1165 Herndon Parkway, Suite 100, Herndon, VA 20170 (expect significant processing delays)

SCORE HQ cuts checks daily.  Our promise is to process properly a completed Form 14 within 4 business days of receipt except at fiscal year-end and after the National Leadership Conference due to the significant increase in volume received.  Volunteers who sign up for ePayment will have funds deposited in their bank account directly.  Please see more information regarding ePayments here. If you have not heard anything about your pending reimbursement within 15 business days, please reach out to accounting@score.org.  SCORE HQ is closed on all federal holidays.