Our government agency processes payments for several customers. Therefore, it is common for us to receive a telephone call regarding a travel reimbursement.
We can issue reimbursements in four ways: electronic funds transfer (EFT), individually billed accounts (IBA), centrally billed accounts (CBA) and checks. The flexibility is necessary to accommodate different travel situations.
The following three scenarios show three travelers going on the same trip. All of the travelers need a flight on Tuesday from Washington, DC to Atlanta, GA for a three day conference. Each traveler will take a taxi to and from the airport and stay in the same Atlanta hotel, but their method of reimbursement will be different.
Traveler 1 will start to work at his government agency on Monday. Since he needs to fly out on Tuesday morning, his agency does not have time to get him an individual government credit card (IBA). Therefore they charged his airfare and hotel to their CBA. Traveler 1 will pay for all of his meals and taxi cab expense. When Traveler 1 vouchers for his trip, we will reimburse the agency’s CBA and the traveler’s bank account. Both reimbursements will be made by EFT.
Traveler 2 has been issued a government credit card so his airfare and hotel will be charged to his IBA. He will pay for some of his meals in cash and charge the rest of his meals and taxi cab to his government credit card. When Traveler 2 vouchers for his trip, we will reimburse his IBA for his airfare and hotel. The reimbursement for his meals and taxi cab expense will be based on how he enters them into the E-Gov Travel System. He can have the travel system reimburse him for all of the meals and taxi cab and he will be responsible for paying the IBA for the meals and taxi or he can change the method of reimbursement on his voucher to have us pay for the specific meals he charged to his IBA and submit the balance to his bank account. Both reimbursements will be made by EFT.
Traveler 3 is not a government employee. He lives in a foreign country and is in the United States giving speeches. He does not have a bank account in the United States. Since his last speech was in Washington, the government agency agreed to pay for his flight from Washington, DC to Georgia to give a presentation at the conference. The agency will charge the airfare and hotel to their CBA. Traveler 3 will be responsible for paying his expenses on the trip and will be reimbursed after he signs a paper voucher. Since his foreign bank is not affiliated with a bank in the United States, we will reimburse him by check for his meals and taxi. The CBA method of reimbursement will be by EFT and the check will be mailed.
Why the flexibility in methods of reimbursement . . . because we need them.
by Dean Cox
“The views expressed are those of the author and do not reflect any position of the Government or my agency.”