AAAS Science & Technology Policy Fellowships

Fellowship Support: Relocation

2012-13 Relocation Allowance Guidelines

First-year AAAS Science & Technology Policy Fellows who receive monthly stipends via AAAS will be provided up to a maximum of $4,000 for properly documented relocation expenses that are incurred to move from outside the greater Washington DC area.

NOTE: First year executive branch Fellows who are hired directly by their host office and receive a salary directly from the agency are not eligible for reimbursement for moving expenses, as stipulated by federal policy.

The following guidelines apply only to fellowships administered by AAAS. Other sponsoring societies may have different policies. Many scientific societies sponsoring Congressional and Executive Branch Fellows provide reimbursement for initial moving expenses (allocations vary). Check with the representative of your sponsoring society for details.

General Criteria
Relocation reimbursement is provided for Fellows moving to the Washington, DC area from outside the DC metropolitan region who meet the IRS qualifications on moving expenses. These include both a distance and time test: new main job location is at least 50 miles farther from your former home than your old main job location was from your former home, and the move is closely related to the start of work at your new job location. See IRS Publication 521 for details: http://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/p521.pdf .

Allowable Expenses
The relocation allowance may cover a variety of moving-related expenses, up to the maximum allowed (detailed in the fellowship offer letter). Allowable costs include:

• moving items into storage and short-term storage costs (note: AAAS will pre-pay only up to three months of storage – any storage costs paid in advance that apply to time after a Fellowship is terminated must be reimbursed to AAAS).
• moving items to Washington, DC via a shipping firm or moving company
• short trip(s) in advance of the move to find and secure an apartment (by air, train, or car – economy travel only), including mileage, tolls, food and lodging expenses.
• Trip for actual move (economy travel only).

Non-Reimbursable Expenses
The following expenses are not allowable. This list is illustrative but not exhaustive; it is intended to help provide clarification.

• Expenses for family members. All transportation, food, and lodging allowances are for the Fellow alone. If traveling with a spouse or partner, and/or children, one shared room is covered (i.e., the Fellow does not have to subtract the difference between the double and single rates). To avoid confusion, Fellows should pay for their own expenses (as opposed to using a spouse or partner's credit card).
• Mileage for rental cards. Reimbursable expenses for a rental car are limited to the rental itself, insurance and gas.
• Sublets and living expenses. The purpose of the relocation allowance is to provide reimbursement for short trip(s) to explore neighborhoods and secure housing, and to relocate you and your household goods. The relocation allowance is not designed to cover your living expenses between residences or for short-term leases.
• The relocation allowance may be used only for moving to the fellowship area; it may not be used for the move back to the previous location or to a new location at the end of the fellowship year.

Reimbursement Procedure
Expenses may not be filed prior 1 September or later than 15 December (other than ongoing storage fees). Reimbursement typically takes four weeks to process once all required documentation is received. All expenses are reimbursable for actual costs only; per diems are not allowed. Original receipts must be submitted, including boarding passes and passenger ticket receipts if applicable. When requesting reimbursement use the AAAS Travel Expense Report.

If you have questions and/or special circumstances, please contact the Fellowships staff at (202)326-6700.