Overview

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  Employees required to travel for their job, regardless if they must travel down the street or to another country, should be aware of their rights in regard to fair compensation. Some employees may earn paid vacation time, allowing them to travel while still earning their regular wage, however this is not a requirement by federal law so much as a privilege some companies offer. Though some travel time must be compensated under the law, that does not mean that all travel time is required to be compensated for.
  
  

Working Hours

• Employees have the right to be compensated for travel time related to their job under certain circumstances only. For example, if an employee is required to travel outside of his job environment in order to pick up supplies, pick up a client, or for any other reason, he must be compensated since this is part of his working day. However, under the guidelines of the United States Department of Labor, employers are not required to compensate employees for the time spent traveling to and from work, as this is not considered part of their workday regardless of how far they must travel in order to get to their job.
  
  

Paid Travel

• Under the guidelines of the Fair Labor Standards Act, employers are required to compensate employees who travel for one day to another city--and return within the same day--work-related business. The act states that employees will be compensated for the amount of time it takes to travel to that city, and back, for a special one-day assignment. Employers are also required to compensate employees for mileage. In other words, if an employee must travel with a car to complete work-related business, her employer must help cover the cost. As of 2010, the suggested IRS reimbursement rate was 50 cents per gallon. Employers are allowed to compensate for mileage at a higher rate.
  
  

Overnight Vacation

• If an employee must travel to another city, state or country in order to conduct business and those travels result in the employee being away from home overnight, he must be compensated at his regular rate of pay. However, employers must only compensate working hours. In other words, if you travel for your work and, during your non-working hours, decide to go sightseeing or explore, you must do so at your own expense. Some companies will offer employees paid vacation days. Those who acquire paid vacation time may travel while still earning their regular workday rate. However, this is a privilege and not a right, as no federal labor laws are in place guaranteeing workers the right to paid vacation time.