About travelling on official business

Official travel is to be carried out on behalf of Stockholm University and after a decision by the head of department or equivalent. Before booking a trip, you should always consider whether the trip can be replaced by digital meetings.

The University aims to ensure that official travel is planned and carried out as cost-effectively and environmentally friendly as possible. Stockholm University's policy for meetings and travel states that employees and students should always carefully evaluate the need for a journey on business or as part of their education.

Policy for meetings and travel

Travelling should be replaced as far as possible by digital forms of meetings. This also applies in cases where the mission is paid for or provided by external parties. Flying to a meeting or activity lasting less than one working day is not allowed if digital participation can be offered.

Booking the trip

Travel is booked through our travel agency Amex GBT (American Express Global Business Travel). Train travel is booked via SJ.

More information on booking can be found here: Book a trip.

For train journeys, Interrail cards may be purchased provided that the card is only used for business purposes. If, exceptionally, private travel is undertaken with an Interrail pass, the journey must be taxed as a benefit. Supporting documents for benefit taxation are e-mailed to the Payroll Section.

Form for benefit (to be filled in by the Administrator) Pdf, 149.7 kB.

Insurance when travelling on business

The State's occupational insurance applies when travelling on official business. You can find out more about the insurance conditions under Travel insurance.
Försäkring vid resor.

Travel allowance

A travel allowance is an allowance paid by an employer to an employee for increased living expenses incurred during a business trip. The rules on travel allowances apply only to multi-day travel, i.e. travel involving an overnight stay away from the usual place of work. The provisions on travel expenses apply to all missions. When travelling abroad, an international travel allowance is paid. The amount varies.

Read more at Skatteverket

Please note that travel expenses must be submitted no later than three months after the end of the assigment. Travel expenses older than three months will not be paid.

Definitioner

Terms and their meanings

Term

Definition

Official travel

Travelling for the purposes of the proceedings.

Place of employment

The place where a worker carries out the main part of his/her work.

Place of assignment

The place of work where an assignment is carried out.

Assignment

An assignment or duty that is carried out in a place other than the usual place of work.

One-day assignment

An assignment that does not involve an overnight stay.

Multi-day assignment

An assignment involving an overnight stay away from home.

Travel allowance

Compensation for increased living expenses paid by the employer to an employee travelling on official business and staying overnight away from the usual place of work.

Night travel allowance

Compensation when there are no substantiated accommodation costs.

Day

Time between 06:00 and 24:00.

Night

Time between 24:00 and 06:00.

Domestic official travel

Travel expenses

Compensation is paid for actual travelling expenses.

Accommodation costs

Compensation is paid for actual accommodation costs.

Travel allowance

The following travel allowances apply to single-day and multi-day assignments:

One-day assignment

No travel allowance is paid for a one-day event.

Multi-day assignment

Amount as from 1 January 2024.

Time

Tax-free travel allowance

Departure before 12:00

SEK 290

Departure after 12:00

SEK 145

Day of return before 19:00

SEK 145

Day of return after 19:00

SEK 290

Night travel allowance

SEK 145

In between days

SEK 290

From day 91

SEK 203

Meal deduction

Meal deductions shall be made when a free meal is received. Deductions from the travel allowance are made as follows:

Travel allowance

SEK 290

SEK 145

From day 91

Breakfast

SEK 58

SEK 29

SEK 41

Lunch

SEK 102

SEK 51

SEK 71

Dinner

SEK 102

SEK 51

SEK 71


However, no deduction should be made from the travel allowance for free meals on public transport. This means that for flights and trains, where the meal is included in the ticket price for the journey, the box in the travel claim is not ticked.

Night travel allowance

Travellers who cannot provide proof of accommodation costs will be compensated with half the daily allowance, i.e. SEK 130 per night.

The night travel allowance is not paid when the traveller spends the night on a train, ship or plane, nor when free accommodation is provided by an authority or by a transport company or equivalent.

Car allowance

Travellers using their own car for domestic official travel are compensated with SEK 25 per mile. This amount includes other travel expenses, such as compensation for co-passengers and heavy loads.

When using a trailer, SEK 1 per mile is paid.

When travelling by private boat on official business, compensation is paid for actual documented costs.

International official travel

Stockholm University's policy for meetings and travel states that employees and students must always carefully evaluate the need for travel on business or as part of their education. To minimise the impact on the climate and the environment, travel should be replaced as far as possible by digital forms of meetings. This also applies in cases where the mission is paid for or provided by external parties. Flying to a meeting or activity lasting less than one working day is not allowed if digital participation can be offered.

Travel allowance

The Swedish Tax Agency sets flat-rate travel allowances that are tax-free for different countries. The amounts set for each country relate to official travel of less than 3 months in a specific location.

If the official travel lasts longer than 3 months, the standardised amount is calculated at 70 per cent of the amount determined by the Swedish Tax Agency.

The current amounts can be found at Skatteverkets website.

In the case of a multi-day assignment, the following provisions apply to the day of departure, the day of return and in between days during the assignment:

  • departure before 12:00 – full travel allowance
  • departure before 12:00 – half travel allowance
  • day of return after 19:00 – full travel allowance
  • day of return before 19:00 – half travel allowance
  • in between days – full travel allowance

If accommodation costs cannot be substantiated, the night travel allowance is paid at 50 % of the travel allowance applicable to the country in question.

If the traveller stays in several countries on the same day, the daily travel allowance is paid at the rate for the country where the traveller stays the longest. If the traveller spends most of the time on assignment in Sweden, the Swedish travel sistence allowance is paid.

When travelling between two different countries, the time spent travelling from the port or airport of one country to the port or airport of the other country shall not be included in the period of stay in either country. Stopover time is not included in the length of stay.

Stops for overnight stays during the journey are equated with stays at the place of stay.

The local time of each country is used to calculate the length of stay.

No travel allowance is paid for one-day assignments abroad.

Meal deduction

Meal deductions shall be made when a free meal is received. Deductions from the travel allowance are made as follows:

  • breakfast: 15 %
  • lunch: 35 %
  • dinner: 35 %
  • completely free board: 85 %

Deductions are made for meals actually taken, see Meal benefit.

Car allowance (mileage allowance)

Travellers who use their own car for official travel abroad are compensated SEK 25 per mile.

Meal benefit

Meals during domestic and international official travel that are not paid for by the employee are a taxable meal benefit.

Free meals are a taxable benefit regardless of whether they are provided on an ongoing basis or on special occasions such as during a official travel/meeting, service elsewhere, courses, congresses, conferences, study trips or similar. However, free meals in connection with entertainment (external or internal) are not considered a taxable benefit.

Free breakfast is not taxable on overnight official travel when breakfast is included in the room rate.

Read more and see the current amounts at Skatteverket

Travel advances

Since 1 November 2023, Stockholm University has Amex GBT as its travel agency. Employees travelling on official business can request travel advances from the Human Resources Office to cover the costs incurred in connection with the trip.

Unauthorised travel advances

We do not authorise travel advances for:

  • flight tickets
  • train within Sweden
  • bus
  • car hire
  • hotels

as all of the above must be booked through our travel agency.

Authorised travel advances

Travel advances can be authorised for:

  • domestic and international travel allowances
  • fuel
  • hostels
  • materials
  • conferences
  • other costs that cannot be booked through the travel agency.

Form för travel advances

The payroll officer can authorise travel advances only after receiving the form "Rekvisition av reseförskott" (blankett SU 9016) Pdf, 96.7 kB..

The form must be completed with the following information:

  • personal data (name, social security number, address)
  • where the money should be sent, e.g. postal giro
  • bank/personal account
  • department name and department number
  • the date of departure and return and the accounting date
  • purpose of the advance and country of destination
  • specification of costs.

The form must be approved with eduSign by the head of department or equivalent. Please note that travel advances are personal.

Travel advances are only paid for the tax-free part of the travel expense allowance. Travel advances under SEK 1,000 are not paid.

The requisition is sent to the Payroll Section.

For payment around the 7th, the form must be received by the Payroll Section no later than the 25th of the month before payment and for payment around the 25th, the form must be received by the Payroll Section no later than the 13th of the current month.

The advance must be reported no later than one month after the return. The account is made on a travel invoice. Always attach original receipts. If the amount on the travel expense report differs from the advance paid, the difference will be paid to the person who received the advance or refunded to the University via salary deduction.

If the report has not been submitted within the specified time, the travel advance will be deducted from the next salary.

At the end of the journey, a travel expense report must be drawn up in the HR system Primula.

It is the responsibility of the traveller and the head of department or the person delegated by the head of department to ensure that all information is correct.

Please note that travel expenses must be submitted no later than three months after the end of the assigment. Travel expenses older than three months will not be paid.

Expenses

If you have incurred an expense on behalf of Stockholm University, you can apply for compensation in Primula.

Payment is made to the bank account where you receive your salary. Payment is made twice a month. Expenses must be accounted for as soon as possible after purchase, but within one year at the latest.

Travel information from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Are you travelling abroad? The Department for Foreign Affairs (MFA) has advice and information that you can use before and during your trip abroad.
MFA's travel information
List of countries the MFA advises against all travel to

Contact

Payroll Administration
Please, in the first place contact your personnel administrator at the Department. The Administrator will after that contact Payroll Officer at Human Resources Office.

Last updated: 2024-10-24

Source: Human Resources Office