Coach mileage question | Golden Skate

Coach mileage question

bunnybarista

If I risk it all, could you break my fall?~
On the Ice
Joined
May 27, 2018
I have a very specific / niche question that I'm hoping someone on here might be able to help me with! When bringing your coach to a competition that requires traveling, I know it is customary to reimburse your coach for whatever they have spent on travel. If they are driving their own car to the competition, is there a rule of thumb on how much to pay them per mile? I seem to remember USFSA having guidelines on mileage rates for reimbursing judges, but now that they've redone their website, I can't find it. Any help in locating this document would be much appreciated, or if you've reimbursed your coach for mileage in the past and have tips to share, that's great, too! :)
 

gkelly

Record Breaker
Joined
Jul 26, 2003
The mileage rate for USFS officials is based on whatever the current government-set rate is. It is currently 57.5 cents/mile.

In Members Only, on the Officials tab, choose Officials Info and then any of the types of officials. Scroll down to the bottom of the page for that official type and you will find the latest version of the Travel Expense Report, which includes the mileage rate.

You can also find the rate online elsewhere without searching the USFS website. E.g.,
https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/irs-issues-standard-mileage-rates-for-2020
 

SmallAminal

On the Ice
Joined
Jul 26, 2016
As with any job, I agree with gkelly - its the gov't mandated rate (which is evaluated and updated periodically, usually effective at the start of a calendar year). But I would also hope that your coach is doing the calculation for you and then splitting the cost with the other students (if any) at the competition. We had a coach once that used to make me do the billing and track everything and it was super annoying. Part of being a service provider (in this case, a coach), is billing for the work and expenses.

One thing I have seen people get confused about above and beyond mileage is whether other expenses should be covered. The way I think about this is as follows:
When my work asks me to travel out of town, they cover my travel (mileage, airfare, etc.), lodging and meals while I am away as I can't cook for myself. However, they give me a limit for how much I can charge for each meal and I can't stay at a super fancy hotel (but I don't stay at a yucky place either).
If I decide to indulge, I absorb the overage myself and only charge for my allowance. Also, if I have more than one client I am seeing on the trip, the costs are split between the two.


It might be wise to ask your coach about their travel policy - what do they expect you to reimburse, etc. I appreciate the transparency of our current coaches - yes, they ask us to reimburse all the travel expenses (shared amongst the skaters attending) but they also don't charge us for any "special celebrating" the coaches do that is not meeting their basic lodging/eating needs and they stay at reasonable lodging.
 

bunnybarista

If I risk it all, could you break my fall?~
On the Ice
Joined
May 27, 2018
The mileage rate for USFS officials is based on whatever the current government-set rate is. It is currently 57.5 cents/mile.

In Members Only, on the Officials tab, choose Officials Info and then any of the types of officials. Scroll down to the bottom of the page for that official type and you will find the latest version of the Travel Expense Report, which includes the mileage rate.

You can also find the rate online elsewhere without searching the USFS website. E.g.,
https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/irs-issues-standard-mileage-rates-for-2020

Thank you so much, this is exactly what I was looking for! :)
 
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