§ 200.464 - Relocation costs of employees.

§ 200.464 Relocation costs of employees.

(a) Relocation costs are costs incident to the permanent change of duty assignment (for an indefinite period or for a stated period of not less than 12 months) of an existing employee or upon recruitment of a new employee. Relocation costs are allowable, subject to the limitations described in paragraphs (b), (c), and (d) of this section, provided that:

(1) The move is for the benefit of the employer.

(2) Reimbursement to the employee is in accordance with an established written policy consistently followed by the employer.

(3) The reimbursement does not exceed the employee's actual (or reasonably estimated) expenses.

(b) Allowable relocation costs for current employees are limited to the following:

(1) The costs of transportation of the employee, members of his or her their immediate family and his their household, and personal effects to the new location.

(2) The costs of finding a new home, such as advance trips by employees and spouses to locate living quarters and temporary lodging during the transition period, up to a maximum period of 30 calendar days.

(3) Closing costs, such as brokerage, legal, and appraisal fees, incident incidental to the disposition of the employee's former home. These costs, together with those described in paragraph (b)(4) of this section, are limited to 8 per cent eight percent of the sales price of the employee's former home.

(4) The continuing costs of ownership (for up to six months) of the vacant former home after the settlement or lease date of the employee's new permanent home, such as maintenance of buildings and grounds (exclusive of fixing-up expenses), utilities, taxes, and property insurance.

(5) Other necessary and reasonable expenses normally incident to relocation, such as the costs of canceling an unexpired lease, transportation of personal property, and purchasing insurance against loss of or damages to personal property. The cost of canceling an unexpired lease is limited to three times the monthly rental.

(c) Allowable relocation costs for new employees are limited to those described in paragraphs (b)(1) and (2) of this section. When If relocation costs incurred incident to the recruitment of a new employees employee have been charged to funded in whole or in part by a Federal award, and the newly hired employee resigns for reasons within the employee's control within 12 months after hire, the non-Federal entity recipient or subrecipient must refund or credit the Federal Government for its share of the cost. If a new employee is relocating to an overseas location and dependents are not permitted at the location for any reason, and the costs do not include costs of transporting household goods, the costs of travel to an overseas location must be considered travel costs in accordance with § 200.474 Travel costs, and not this relocations costs of employees (See also § 200.464).relocation costs under this section.

(d) The following costs related to relocation are unallowable:

(1) Fees and other costs associated with acquiring a new home.

(2) A loss on the sale of a former home.

(3) Continuing mortgage principal and interest payments on a home being sold.

(4) Income taxes paid by an employee related to reimbursed relocation costs.

[78 FR 78608, Dec. 26, 2013, as amended at 79 FR 75887, Dec. 19, 2014; 85 FR 49570, Aug. 13, 2020]