Travel Pay and Expense Reimbursements in 2026: Avoiding Payroll Errors, Penalties, and Wage Claims

Webinar Description

Employee travel time and business travel reimbursements continue to be among the most misunderstood areas of payroll compliance. With increasing wage-and-hour litigation, evolving state labour requirements, remote and hybrid work arrangements, and heightened scrutiny of expense reimbursement practices, employers must ensure that travel pay is handled correctly and consistently.

This webinar provides a comprehensive review of the federal and state rules governing employee travel compensation, including when travel time must be paid, how travel pay impacts overtime calculations, and how to address multistate compliance challenges. Attendees will also gain practical guidance on reimbursing travel expenses under current IRS accountable plan and per die rules, helping organizations avoid costly payroll errors, tax issues, and wage claims.

Whether your employees travel occasionally, work across state lines, or routinely incur business-related travel expenses, this session will provide the tools and best practices needed to maintain compliance in 2026 and beyond.

Why You Should Attend

Travel pay compliance remains a significant challenge for payroll, HR, finance, and compliance professionals. Misclassifying travel time, improperly calculating overtime, or incorrectly reimbursing expenses can lead to wage-and-hour disputes, tax liabilities, audits, and penalties. This webinar explains the latest requirements and practical strategies for managing travel pay while reducing compliance risks.

Areas Covered in This Webinar

Understanding when employee travel time is compensable under federal wage-and-hour laws
Distinguishing between ordinary commuting, same-day travel, overnight travel, and special assignments
Determining which employees must be paid for travel time and under what circumstances
Applying travel pay rules to exempt and non-exempt employees
Calculating overtime correctly when travel time is involved
Managing travel pay compliance across multiple states and jurisdictions
Addressing conflicts between federal and state wage-and-hour requirements
Best practices for documenting travel time and maintaining payroll records
Identifying common travel pay mistakes that lead to audits and litigation
Understanding IRS requirements for travel expense reimbursements
Using per diem allowances effectively and compliantly
Implementing accountable and nonaccountable reimbursement plans
Determining when travel reimbursements become taxable wages
Managing employee expense reimbursements in remote, hybrid, and multi-state work environments
Reducing payroll, tax, and labor-law compliance risks related to employee travel

Ask your question directly to our expert during the Q&A session following the live event.

Speaker

Vicki M. Lambert

Vicki M. Lambert, CPP, is President and Academic Director of The Payroll Advisor™, a firm specializing in payroll education and training. The company’s website www.thepayrolladvisor.com offers a payroll news service which keeps payroll professionals up-to-date on the latest rules and regulations.

With 40 years of hands-on experience in all facets of payroll functions as well as over three decades as a trainer and author, Ms. Lambert has become the most sought-after and respected voice in the practice and management of payroll issues. She has conducted open market training seminars on payroll issues across the United States that have been attended by executives and professionals from some of the most prestigious firms in business today.

A pioneer in electronic and online education, Ms. Lambert produces and presents payroll related audio seminars, webinars and webcasts for clients, APA chapters and business groups throughout the country. Ms. Lambert now presents a weekly podcast, Payroll 24/7, on all things payrolls.

Certification

Pedu is recognized by SHRM to offer Professional Development Credits (PDCs) for the SHRM-CPSM or SHRM-SCPSM. This program is valid for 1.5 PDCs for the SHRM-CPSM or SHRM-SCPSM. For more information about certification or recertification, please portal.shrm.org.

This Program has been approved for 1.5 HR (General) recertification credit hours toward aPHR™, aPHRi™, PHR®, PHRca®, SPHR®, GPHR®, PHRi™, and SPHRi™ recertification through HR Certification Institute®. (HRCI®).

Pedu Courses and Webinars or any Education published “Articles & Materials” strictly follow the standards and guidelines of the Professional Credit / CEU Providers and Well well-researched before publishment.

Pedu doesn’t support any Fake – News, Articles, or Compliance updates; Our Industry Experts are highly verified and recognized, and their Pre-publishment is verified via our experts and fact-checkers.

FAQ's

How do I get enrolled for this webinar/course?

Sign up now on pedu.io. Visit pedu.io to discover a wide range of webinars from industry specialists. Tick on either ‘live webinar’ or ‘on-demand’, and simply click on ‘buy now’ to get enrolled.

Can I get somebody else enrolled for this course? If yes, how?

You can refer Pedu to anyone in your social circle. Explore your industry with your colleagues by getting them signed up on pedu.io today!

How can I access the live webinar?

Go for the topic of your keen interest on pedu.io. Tick on ‘live webinar’ and get enrolled! Easy registration, transparent transaction.

Can I attend the webinar without an internet connection?

You can request for an on-demand webinar that records the live webinar for you. After the webinar ends, you will have full access to the webinar’s recording.

What is an “On Demand”?

If you can’t attend the live webinar, simply go for the ‘on-demand webinar’ for the same price! Now, the live webinar recording will be saved in a cloud storage for you to access anytime from anywhere.

Will the transcript be a hard-copy or a soft-copy?

Pedu offer only soft copies of the webinars. It contains all the highlights as well as comprehensive descriptions of the webinar, so you never miss out a single detail.

Can I ask question(s) to the speaker?

At the end of each webinar, you have the opportunity to interact with your industry experts, where you will get answers to all your queries.

I missed the live webinar. What now?

Don’t worry, If you can’t join live webinar. Pedu has automatically send you On Demand on your registered mail id after conducting live webinar. So, you never miss out a single detail.