There are numerous guidelines available to Federal travelers and the staff who administer the payment of that travel voucher. I feel that the most important of the tools available is the Federal Travel Regulations (FTR) 41 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR), Chapters 300 – 304. The FTR administers the laws governing travel allowances and entitlements for federal employees. The FTR covers travel from who is considered a federal traveler; to how travel should be booked, through the payment process.
The FTR mandates that all federal travel should be made using a Travel Management Center (TMC), and paid for utilizing the government issued charge card. This means that the traveler is not permitted to charge official expenses on a personal card. This also allows for the government to get the contract city pair fares which you cannot get on a personal card, and allows for accurate reporting for the government.
The FTR covers which receipts are required to be attached to your voucher; they consist of the airline receipt, the hotel receipt, and an individual item over $75. It also covers the miscellaneous expenses which are allowed to be claimed. In my 21 years in working for my Bureau in the travel team, believe me; travelers will try to get the government to pay for an array of items. Although the FTR mandates which expenses can be claimed; it is the responsibility of the approving official to ensure that only allowable expenses are on the reimbursable voucher. In our agency only random vouchers are audited through stat sampling.
Most agencies have Agency or even Bureau policy to further explain or provide additional guidance or policies. Some may even be more restrictive than the FTR.
I personally like the FTR in the present format much better than I did in the old format. I believe it is much easier to find what you are looking for if you need to copy and paste something to a traveler or approving official/manager.
By: Shirley Keller
“The contents of this message are mine personally and do not reflect any position of the Government or my agency.”