Our E-Gov Travel System (ETS) uses a variety of payment methods to reimburse the federal travelers. Some of the payment methods that we use are:
- Individually Billed Accounts (IBA)
- Centrally Billed Accounts (CBA)
- Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT)
- Direct Bill
In 1998, a Public Law mandated the use of a government issued travel charge card. Our travelers are issued IBA’s in accordance with the SmartPay 2 guidelines. Each traveler uses their IBA for expenses such as airline, hotels, rental cars, etc. The CBA is used when a traveler does not have an IBA. Generally in these situations, the traveler is new to the agency and has not yet received their credit card.
Other expenses that the traveler incurs are reimbursed via EFT directly to the traveler’s bank account. Examples of these expenses would include taxi, parking, and various other miscellaneous expenses.
The last payment method that we use is direct bill. Direct bill means that the expense is reimbursed directly to the vendor. For our agency, the only expense that this includes is the travel authorization and voucher (TAV) fee.
When the travel voucher is prepared, the traveler can update each expense to reflect the appropriate payment method. Usually, the only expenses that change are the miscellaneous expenses such as parking. They may have used their IBA instead of paying cash.
Within the ETS there is a payment totals page where the traveler can verify the amount of money being disbursed to each payment method. When the travel voucher is interfaced to the accounting system, up to three payments are disbursed. The first one is the EFT to the traveler’s bank account, the second to the IBA vendor to pay the credit card, and the third to the ETS vendor to pay the direct billed expense.
By Kim Fordyce
Disclaimer: The contents of this message are mine personally and do not reflect any position of the Government or my agency. Use of this equipment is consistent with the agency’s policy governing limited personal use.