Does New Hampshire require an employer to reimburse mileage?
Yes, for an expense incurred at the employer's request. RSA 275:57 requires it to be reimbursed within 30 days after you present proof of payment.
New Hampshire statute guide
New Hampshire Mileage Reimbursement Law
New Hampshire reimburses requested expenses within 30 days of proof of payment, and backs the deadline with a penalty.
Guide by MileagePilotUpdated Oct 19, 2026
Short answer
New Hampshire RSA 275:57 gives a mileage claim more teeth than most states. An expense you incurred at your employer's request has to be reimbursed within 30 days after you present proof of payment, and a willful violation carries interest plus a civil penalty of up to $1,000 for each violation. You can also enforce it yourself: the section lets one or more employees sue for unreimbursed expenses, or appoint someone to do it for them. RSA 275:57 fixes no rate, so the claim is for the expense itself; the figure the state pays its own travelers is the current IRS business rate, 72.5 cents per mile through June 30, 2026 and 76 cents per mile from July 1.
At a glance
- RSA 275:57 requires reimbursement of an expense incurred at the employer's request, within 30 days after you present proof of payment.
- Expenses normally borne by the employee as a condition of the job are outside the section, and so are costs already covered by wages or an advance.
- A willful violation can carry interest and a civil penalty of up to $1,000 for each violation.
- Employees can sue directly, or appoint a representative to claim on their behalf.
- The Department of Labor enforces it through the wage claim provisions of RSA 275:51.
- For its own travelers the state pays the current IRS business rate, so that figure moves whenever the federal one does.
The 30-day window and what it attaches to
The clock in RSA 275:57 does not start when you drive. It starts when you present proof of payment, which puts the practical burden on you to submit the receipt and keep the date you did.
The section also draws a line around itself. An expense you would normally bear as a precondition of holding the job is not covered, and neither is a cost already met through wages, a cash advance, or another employer payment.
| Question | What New Hampshire answers |
|---|---|
| Who owes | The employer, for an expense incurred at its request — RSA 275:57 |
| How much | The expense itself. RSA 275:57 fixes no rate |
| When it is due | Within 30 days after the employee presents proof of payment |
| If it is willful | Interest plus a civil penalty of up to $1,000 per violation |
New Hampshire pairs a short window with a penalty behind it.
How a New Hampshire claim is enforced
The Department of Labor administers the section through the wage claim provisions of RSA 275:51, so a mileage claim follows the same route as unpaid wages. The section separately preserves a private right of action, which means a claim does not have to wait on the department.
That combination is what makes the deadline meaningful. Elsewhere a missed window is a matter of policy; here the commissioner adopts rules for it and a willful failure carries a penalty.
Submitting a New Hampshire claim
- Attach proof of payment to the claim, because the 30-day window runs from that presentation.
- Submit the claim and keep evidence of the date you presented it.
- Separate commuting and any cost you would bear as a condition of the job from the requested travel.
- If nothing comes back, the wage claim route under RSA 275:51 is the next step.
New Hampshire's own travel rate
The New Hampshire Department of Administrative Services publishes these figures. Executive Branch officials and employees, classified or not and full or part time, and volunteers an agency has authorized to claim expenses. It does not set what a private employer owes.
MOP 1301 prints no figure of its own. It defines the mileage reimbursement rate as the current rate determined by the IRS, so New Hampshire has no independent number to compare an employer's method against. The state rate is the federal business rate for each half of 2026, and it follows the federal one whenever it moves.
| Applies to | Amount |
|---|---|
| Per business mile, Jan 1 to Jun 30, 2026 | 72.5 cents |
| Per business mile, from Jul 1, 2026 | 76 cents |
Source: New Hampshire DAS Manual of Procedures 1301, Reimbursement of Travel.
The 2026 federal business rate
The IRS moved the business standard mileage rate mid-year, so a 2026 trip prices by its date. This is the benchmark an employer's rate method usually follows.
| Period | Federal business rate | What it means for a claim here |
|---|---|---|
| January 1 – June 30, 2026 | 72.5 cents per mile | New Hampshire pays its own travelers this figure, and it is the benchmark an employer's rate method usually adopts for the first half of the year. |
| July 1 – December 31, 2026 | 76 cents per mile | The mid-year increase moved the state's rate with it, and left RSA 275:57 owing the requested expense either way. |
Both 2026 federal periods, and how each one reaches this state.
Official references
New Hampshire RSA 275:57 — Reimbursement of employee expenses
The 30-day window, the exclusions, the penalty and the private right of action.
New Hampshire RSA 275:51 — wage claims
The enforcement route RSA 275:57 runs through.
DAS Manual of Procedures 1301, Reimbursement of Travel
Section IX.F sets private-vehicle reimbursement at the Mileage Reimbursement Rate, which section II.E defines as the current IRS rate.
IRS Notice 2026-10 (Jan 1-Jun 30)
The announcement that set the federal business rate for that period.
IRS Announcement 2026-11 (Jul 1-Dec 31)
The announcement that set the federal business rate for that period.
Common questions
What happens if a New Hampshire employer refuses to reimburse?
The Department of Labor enforces the section through the wage claim provisions of RSA 275:51, and a willful violation carries interest plus a civil penalty of up to $1,000 per violation.
What rate does New Hampshire require for business mileage?
RSA 275:57 names no rate, so the claim is for the expense itself. The figure New Hampshire pays its own travelers is the current IRS business rate: 72.5 cents per mile through June 30, 2026 and 76 cents per mile from July 1, which is also what an employer's method pays if it follows the federal standard.
Do I split 2026 mileage at July 1 in New Hampshire?
Only if the rate you are paid follows the federal figure: trips through June 30, 2026 price at 72.5 cents per mile and trips from July 1 at 76 cents per mile. A rate the employer sets on its own applies to the whole year, and a statutory duty is owed either way.
Continue with tools
Calculate estimated reimbursement, review official rate tables, or download log templates.