Imburse Me, My Sweet Reimburseable You
We all know that come tax time, there are certain things we can write off. But even better than the write-off is the reimbursement. Freelance assignments can obviously involve some cost to the writer: gas, cabs, meals, phone bills, etc. How does a newbie know what one can ask the publication to pay back and what is something they’re expected to eat as part of the job?
I asked a friend who has worked both sides as a freelancer and as an editor:
Long distance phone calls are kind of ancient since most writers have cell phones and don’t get charged extra. BUT if you do get charged extra, definitely expense that. And cabs and meals. But expensing a stamp to send your freelance invoice seems laughably petty.
I’m sure it’s different at every publication, but it’s all about common sense. I mean, when you’re in Duluth for 24 hours on assignment, hopefully you’re not expensing $200 meals where you dine alone by candlelight. But you don’t have to feel like you should eat McDonald’s all day either. If you want to be really thorough, talk to your editor about a daily allowance amount that seems reasonable for food, transport, etc and stick with or below that…
Personally, I hate my cell phone and purchase a long distance calling card so that if I need to do interviews at work, I can do it without getting in trouble for the long-distance calls. The calling cards are getting so cheap now that I don’t keep track of the purchases, because figuring out how much 18 minutes on a call to New York figures on a 200 minute $20 phone card doesn’t seem worth the hassle. However if those phone cards add up, keep track of them come tax time.
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