The single most important item on this page:
Save your receipts! You will need to compile a summary page and submit all receipts to Stacey Caro for reimbursement.If your offer letter indicated that you are eligible for moving reimbursement, read on.
You are eligible for reimbursement for both househunting and moving expenses. This includes moving services, airfare, lodging, personal auto mileage and meals. We have summarized IHUM's moving policy below, but if you are interested, you may consult Stanford's Faculty/Staff relocation page.
Moving Services
- Stanford will reimburse actual and reasonable expenses of moving the household and personal effects of a new employee, spouses/same-sex domestic partners and dependent children living at home, up to the amount specified in your offer letter.
- Stanford Risk Management Office recommends that insurance on the move be obtained from the Moving Contractor. Insurance on the household goods should be all-risk, replacement-cost valuation.
- Below is a list of movers. You are not required to use these companies but if you choose to hire them, you can ask them to send a bill to us and thereby avoid having to front the expense.
United Van Lines
LDM Moving Services
1355 Adams Court
Menlo Park, CA 94025
(800)227-5081
Contact: Ted TannerA Small Business Graebel Van Lines
Erickson Movers
1001 Montague Expy
Milpitas, CA 95035
(800)397-2601
Contact: Olga AlanisNorth American Van Lines
Valley Relocation & Storage
4020 Nelson Ave, ste 200
Concord, CA 94520
(800)284-6285 ext 191
Contact: Shelly Kearns
A Small Business
Airfare
- We will reimburse househunting travel and/or moving travel.
- Retain original air passenger receipt (last part of ticket) that shows the actual airfare; For electronic travel, use receipts generated by the travel agency. For ticketless travel, the itinerary and the confirmation are acceptable receipts. Copies of receipts are not acceptable. If you lose your receipt, contact the airline or travel agency for a new copy.
- Retain all boarding passes
- You must make every effort to use the lowest available fare. Stanford will reimburse for up to the coach fare.
- For more information about Stanford's policies about airfare, check out the admin guide.
Lodging
- You can be reimbursed for lodging while traveling, or for temporary living here.
- Retain original itemized hotel receipts that show payment was made. Meals should be itemized separately.
- Personal charges on hotel bills, such as movies and gym use are not reimbursable.
- Wireless and wired internet usage are not reimbursable since they are personal charges.
- Indicate your relationship to any persons who stayed with you.
- Reasonable costs will be reimbursed.
Auto
- We reimburse 27 cents ($0.27) per mile.
- Gasoline is not reimbursable. It is part of the mileage allowance.
- Be sure to record your total mileage.
- If you rent, you do not need to purchase rental car insurance (Stanford covers the insurance on pre-approved business-related rentals.
Meals
- Provide original receipts and indicate any amount spent on alcohol.
- Reasonable costs will be reimbursed.
Tax Implications
Expenses fall into two categories: Not tax-reportable and tax-reportable. You may wish to consult the following information to minimize your tax-reportable reimbursement (by selecting to be reimbursed for the not tax-reportable expenses.)
Not Tax-Reportable: moving household goods and personal effects; en route travel (If by car, mileage allowance is 27 cents ($0.27) per mile.); en route lodging (but not meals); storage of household goods for up to 30 days; expenses for the employee or members of the employee's household. (The IRS does not recognize a domestic partner as a member of the employee's household.)Please contact us if you have any questions that are not answered by this information or by the Stanford website.Tax-Reportable: house-hunting expenses; temporary living expenses; Same-sex domestic partner moving expenses; en route meals; an additional 20 cents/mile mileage allowance; an additional 30 days storage of household goods; expenses for return trips to the employee's former residence .Further information about tax reporting of moving expenses may be obtained from the IRS web site. Look for Publication 521.