10 Aug 2023
TSP Response
2yThank you for taking the time to provide us and the Glassdoor community your brief feedback on your time with TSP so far.
You highlight straight away one major aspect that we strive to maintain for every employee — we strongly encourage a healthy work/life balance, it's one of the reasons we've instituted an open vacation policy — we want every employee to be able to have the flexibility and time they need for their mental health and personal lives.
You also bring up a valid point. As our policy states, the meal allowance is only a guideline — this is not a per diem amount. If you're visiting a major metropolitan area and need to exceed this guideline, all we ask is that you receive approval from your manager before your trip — we know that the cost of travel and food is different and fluctuates based on your geographic location.
Regarding mileage, the IRS states that you can deduct the difference between the IRS standard rate deduction per mile and the TSP standard reimbursement per mile on your annual tax forms. To receive the mileage deduction, both of these must apply: You must itemize your deductions. Your miscellaneous expenses must be more than 2% of your adjusted gross income.
We hope this helps clarify some things for you — we appreciate the hard work you provide in the field. And again, we always encourage our employees to have direct conversations with their managers.