Can an employee sign the form electronically?

Yes. Electronic signatures are legally enforceable under the ESIGN Act (15 U.S.C. §7001) and UETA where adopted, provided intent, consent, attribution, and record retention are satisfied.

What if a receipt is missing?

Follow employer policy: many organizations allow a signed missing‑receipt attestation for small amounts, but larger claims typically require receipts to substantiate business purpose and IRS rules.

How long must I keep per diem records?

Retain records at least three years to meet IRS substantiation (IRC §6501(a)); extend retention if business or state law requires longer preservation.

Is notarization ever required for per diem forms?

Not usually. Per diem forms are internal reimbursement records and generally do not require notarization; only specific sworn or legal attestations might need notarization under state law.

What happens if names or IDs don’t match payroll?

Discrepancies can delay payment and require HR reconciliation; use exact payroll name and employee ID to prevent manual intervention.

Do HIPAA rules affect per diem forms?

Only if the form contains protected health information. If PHI is present, the electronic workflow and vendor must comply with HIPAA and the employer should have a BAA in place.

Expense Per Diem Form

This template is fully customizable. Edit the text, fill out the fields, and send it for signature. Give it a try!

EXPENSE PER DIEM AGREEMENT & REIMBURSEMENT FORM

This Expense Per Diem Agreement and Reimbursement Form (the Agreement) is entered into by and between:

Company Name: Effective Date:

Payee Name: Employment Status: Employee Contractor

WHEREAS

WHEREAS, Company engages certain personnel and contractors to perform duties that may require travel and incidental expenses; and

WHEREAS, Company and Payee desire to establish a per diem reimbursement methodology for subsistence and incidental expenses incurred while traveling on authorized business for Company; and

WHEREAS, the parties intend that reimbursement under this Agreement will be governed by the terms set forth below and, where applicable, applicable company policies as incorporated herein;

SCOPE OF WORK

Describe work or purpose of travel

TRIP AND EXPENSE DETAILS

Travel Location: Trip Start Date: Trip End Date:

Purpose of Travel:

Per Diem & Itemized Expenses

Per Diem Rate (daily): $ Number of Days: Total Per Diem Requested: $

Itemized reimbursable expenses (if applicable)

Receipts Attached: Yes No Advance Requested: Yes No

PAYMENT TERMS

Total Amount Payable: $

Payment schedule and method

Late Payment Fee (if payment not made within agreed schedule):

TERM AND TERMINATION

Term Start Date: Term End Date:

Either party may terminate this Agreement for convenience upon days' written notice to the other party. Termination for cause may be immediate where a party materially breaches a material obligation and fails to cure within a reasonable period.

CONFIDENTIALITY

Payee acknowledges that in the performance of duties and the processing of reimbursements the Payee may have access to confidential information of Company. Payee shall not disclose, use, or permit the use of any Confidential Information except as necessary to perform obligations under this Agreement. For purposes of this Agreement, "Confidential Information" includes nonpublic financial, operational and personnel information, but does not include information that is or becomes generally available without breach of this Agreement.

GOVERNING LAW; ENTIRE AGREEMENT

This Agreement shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the state of without regard to conflict of law principles. This Agreement, together with any incorporated company policies expressly referenced herein, constitutes the entire agreement between the parties with respect to reimbursement of per diem and related expenses and supersedes all prior negotiations and understandings, whether written or oral.

ATTESTATION AND CERTIFICATION

By signing below, Payee certifies that all expenses claimed are true, were incurred on authorized Company business, are supported by required receipts where applicable, and comply with Company policy. Company certifies that payment will be made in accordance with the Payment Terms set forth above.

PAYEE INFORMATION

Payee Mailing Address Department / Project Code Contact Phone / Email

Company Representative:

By:

Date:

Payee:

By:

Date:

What an Expense Per Diem Form Is and when it’s used

The Expense Per Diem Form is an employer or organizational record used to document daily allowances and reimbursable travel expenses for employees on business travel or temporary assignments. It typically captures traveler identity, travel dates, destination, per diem rates or actual meal and incidental expenses, and a short business purpose description. Employers use the form to validate claims, calculate payroll or taxable reimbursements, and maintain an audit trail for accounting and IRS substantiation. Well‑completed forms reduce disputes and support internal controls and external review.

Why a clear Expense Per Diem Form matters

A standardized Expense Per Diem Form improves reimbursement accuracy, reduces administrative friction, and creates a consistent audit trail for payroll and tax purposes. It helps employers apply policy consistently, document business purpose, and meet IRS substantiation and recordkeeping expectations without unnecessary delay.

Who completes and reviews the Expense Per Diem Form

Completed forms are retained by the employer for accounting and tax substantiation; external parties rarely sign the form except when required by policy or audit.

Traveling employees who incur per diem or reimbursable business expenses and must certify business purpose and dates.
Supervisors and managers who verify trip purpose, approve amounts, and confirm policy compliance before payment.
Payroll, accounts payable, and finance teams that reconcile claims, apply tax rules, and retain records for audits.

Core parts that make a professional per diem form

A high‑quality Expense Per Diem Form balances clarity and auditability by grouping traveler data, trip facts, expense breakdown, approvals, and accounting details so reviewers can validate claims efficiently and consistently.

Header

Organization name, form title, revision date, and a form ID to track versions and ensure consistent use across departments.

Trip Details

Fields for purpose of travel, departure/return dates, times, and destinations to document business necessity and support per diem eligibility.

Expense Breakdown

Line items or per diem rate fields for meals, incidentals, and lodging; show per diem versus actual expense options and totals.

Attestation

A short signed statement where the traveler certifies accuracy and business purpose, with space for exceptions or policy deviations.

Accounting Codes

Fields for project/customer codes, GL account numbers, and cost center information to route costs to the correct ledger accounts.

Signatures

Traveler signature and date plus approver signature and date; include printed name and title for clear attribution.

Essential data elements to collect

Employee Name: Full legal name

Employee ID: Payroll or staff ID

Travel Dates: Departure and return

Destination: City and state

Per Diem Rate: Daily allowance

Total Amount: Reimbursement sum

Step-by-step: completing and submitting a per diem form

Follow these four steps to prepare, approve, and process an Expense Per Diem Form for reimbursement and records.

01

Prepare Form: Gather dates, destinations, and receipts if required.
02

Enter Trip Details: Complete fields carefully using required formats.
03

Submit for Approval: Send to manager or delegated approver promptly.
04

Process Reimbursement: Finance records, posts payment, and archives the form.

Configuring an online per diem workflow

Set up an e‑form workflow that captures fields, routes approvals, and retains receipts to make reimbursement repeatable and audit-ready.

Field	Configuration
Approval Routing	Two-step manager then finance approval routing
Authentication Method	Email link or SMS code for signer authentication
Attachment Settings	Require receipt upload for expenses above a threshold
Notification Rules	Auto alerts for pending approvals and payroll cutoffs

How electronic submission typically flows

Electronic per diem workflows follow a repeatable sequence from creation to storage; each step is captured in an audit trail for compliance.

Create: Sender uploads and populates the form fields.
Route: System sends to approver(s) in order.
Sign: Approver and traveler sign electronically.
Store: Signed copy and audit trail saved securely.

Platform basics for secure electronic per diem processing

Confirm the provider offers TLS and AES encryption, audit trail exports, receipt attachment support, and a BAA if the workflow will touch protected health information for HIPAA compliance.

File Formats: PDF, DOCX, and Excel supported
Integrations: Connectors for payroll, ERP, and accounting
Authentication: Email, SMS code, or SSO options

Timelines and cutoffs to watch

Important timing items include employee submission windows, manager approval deadlines, payroll cutoffs, and IRS recordkeeping intervals.

Employee submission deadline:

Follow employer policy, often within 30–60 days of travel

Manager approval timeframe:

Approve before payroll cutoff to prevent payment delay

Payroll cutoff date:

Varies by employer; affects reimbursement timing

IRS substantiation period:

Retain records at least three years per IRC §6501(a)

Tax reporting deadline:

Provide supporting documentation for audits and reporting

Key processing milestones from travel to retention

A milestone timeline helps teams track the claim from the travel event through payment and long‑term retention for audits.

01

Travel Occurs

Employee completes trip and collects receipts if required

02

Form Completed

Employee fills and signs the per diem form promptly

03

Approval and Payment

Manager approves and finance issues reimbursement

04

Record Retention

Store the signed form for required retention period

Common mistakes that slow reimbursements

Submitting incomplete travel dates or ambiguous destinations, which prevents correct per diem computation and triggers manual follow‑up from payroll.
Failing to attach required receipts when policy mandates them, causing rejection or delayed approval by finance teams.
Using inconsistent employee identifiers or names that do not match payroll records, leading to reconciliation issues and payment delays.
Relying on handwritten forms with illegible entries, increasing data entry errors and requiring time-consuming clarification.

Consequences and compliance risks to be aware of

Incorrect TIN: Backup withholding may apply

Late Filing: Payroll misstatement risk

Missing Receipts: Claim rejection or audit flags

Inflated Claims: Disciplinary or recovery actions

Policy Noncompliance: Denial of reimbursement

HIPAA Exposure: BAA required if PHI included

Real-world examples of electronic per diem adoption

Organizations across industries move per diem processes online to reduce manual work, improve compliance, and speed reimbursements.

Tim Martin, Martin Properties

A property management firm automated travel claims to centralize approvals and reduce manual follow ups.

Per diem submissions shifted to mobile and web.
"I can process and execute all of these documents online with 100% compliance and built-in security. Whether on mobile or working offline, I can get forms back to their necessary parties efficiently."

Kodi‑Marie Evans, Xerox

NetSuite integration allowed finance to route claims by cost center automatically.

Routing and approval tied to projects.
"airSlate SignNow provides us with the flexibility needed to get the right signatures on the right documents, in the right formats, based on our integration with NetSuite."

eSignature pricing and capability snapshot for per diem workflows

Compare starting price and common capabilities for platforms commonly used to digitize Expense Per Diem Forms; signNow is listed first per platform data.

	signNow	DocuSign	Adobe Sign	PandaDoc	HelloSign
Starting Price	$8/user/mo	$15/user/mo	$14/user/mo	$19/user/mo	$15/user/mo
Bulk Send	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	No
Audit Trail	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
HIPAA Compliant	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	No
Envelope Cap	No cap	100 envelopes/user/year	Varies by plan	Varies by plan	Varies by plan

FAQs and troubleshooting for Expense Per Diem Forms

Answers to common questions about form completeness, eSignature legality, retention, and missing receipts to help avoid processing delays.

Need help? Contact support

Can an employee sign the form electronically?
Yes. Electronic signatures are legally enforceable under the ESIGN Act (15 U.S.C. §7001) and UETA where adopted, provided intent, consent, attribution, and record retention are satisfied.
What if a receipt is missing?
Follow employer policy: many organizations allow a signed missing‑receipt attestation for small amounts, but larger claims typically require receipts to substantiate business purpose and IRS rules.
How long must I keep per diem records?
Retain records at least three years to meet IRS substantiation (IRC §6501(a)); extend retention if business or state law requires longer preservation.
Is notarization ever required for per diem forms?
Not usually. Per diem forms are internal reimbursement records and generally do not require notarization; only specific sworn or legal attestations might need notarization under state law.
What happens if names or IDs don’t match payroll?
Discrepancies can delay payment and require HR reconciliation; use exact payroll name and employee ID to prevent manual intervention.
Do HIPAA rules affect per diem forms?
Only if the form contains protected health information. If PHI is present, the electronic workflow and vendor must comply with HIPAA and the employer should have a BAA in place.

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