dhs government travel card policy

Government Travel Charge Card - Financial and Travel System Transition Guidance

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ALCGPSC 128/22 SUBJ: GOVERNMENT TRAVEL CHARGE CARD (GTCC) PROGRAM: FINANCIAL AND TRAVEL SYSTEM TRANSITION GUIDANCE - UPDATE

• ALCGPSC 081/22 GOVERNMENT TRAVEL CHARGE CARD (GTCC) PROGRAM: FINANCIAL AND TRAVEL SYSTEM TRANSITION GUIDANCE
• ALCOAST 096/22 COMMANDANT DIRECTS STAND UP OF FSMS INCIDENT MANAGEMENT TEAM
• Government Travel Charge Card (GTCC) Program Policies and Procedures, COMDTINST M4600.18 (series)
• Joint Travel Regulations (JTR)
• Personnel & Pay Procedures Manual, PPCINST M1000.0 (SERIES)
• This message cancels reference (A). Restrictions on the use of the Centrally Billed Account (CBA)remain. The expanded use of the Government Travel Charge Card (GTCC) Individually Billed Accounts (IBA) to support travel until the Financial Systems Modernization Solution (FSMS) Incident Management Team (IMT) objectives are met as indicated in reference (B)are extended as well. These policy waivers offer a reliable means of financial support, particularly for Permanent Change of Station, Long-Term TDY, and Disaster Evacuation Orders. Members who currently do not possess a GTCC are strongly encouraged to apply for one as soon as possible to prevent unnecessary charges to the CBA.  
• Mission Critical (MC): MC status will expire on 30 September 2022. If your "balance due" is not paid in full by 28 October 2022 your GTCC account will become past due. Cardholders are required to file a travel voucher within three (3) days of travel completion and should use split disbursement to pay the balance. Cardholders are reminded to use the same "pay to" method on their voucher that they selected on their travel authorization. Vouchers shall be submitted for all completed travel to obtain reimbursement or identify system issues that need to be resolved for payment. Personnel experiencing voucher complications will have until 13 October 2022 to have their accounts resolved and then settled in Citibank by 28 October 2022. Personnel unable to resolve complications by 13 October shall work with travel managers to document the complication and the steps taken to attempt resolution. If system complications continue to prevent reimbursement/payment, CG PSC(BOPS) can work with Citibank to re-age the balance and escalate the help ticket for resolution. Travel managers must contact the GTCC program managers with pertinent information for a decision to re-age the account by 13 October. The list of Travel Managers is available on our site:   https://uscg.sharepoint-mil.us/sites/psc_spo/psc-bops/GTCC%20Library/Forms/AllItems.aspx . If system problems continue to prevent reimbursement at that point, CG PSC (BOPS) can work with Citibank to re-age the balance and escalate the help ticket for resolution. Travel managers will contact the GTCC program managers with all pertinent member and voucher information for a decision to re-age the account.  
• Available Resources include the Travel Assist Team,   HQS-SMB-CG-1332 [email protected],   and Service Now (SNOW) help ticket: Submission - FSMS ( https://dhs.servicenowservices.com/fsms .). Members should continue to monitor their GTCC using CitiManager online tools, applications, and Direct Access. You can verify the account balance and status of the payment by calling the number on the back of your card which is (800) 790-7206. Alternatively, you can view your account statement via the CITI online Account Access. To learn how to access your account online, go to the link below: http://dcms.uscg.mil/GOVTrvl/Travel_Card/#How_do_I_access_my_GTCC_account_online   or visit Citi Commercial Cards   https://home.cards.citidirect.com/CommercialCard/login .  
• Credit Limits: Travel Manager authorization to establish credit limits is returned to the maximum of $9999. Upon expiration of (MC) the GTCC program will bulk lower the credit limits of those members above $9,999 unless they have a current balance above the set credit limit. Any requests above $9,999 will be forwarded to the GTCC program managers for approval as per reference (C). Travel Managers are reminded to lower credit limits when the temporary increase is no longer needed.  
• Disaster Evacuation: GTCC is authorized for Member and Dependent Per Diem for the number of allowable evacuation days limited by the evacuation order and actual days evacuated. GTCC cardholders may withdraw up to $415 per week in cash at ATMs against their GTCC account to cover member and family M&IE Expenses while evacuated under evacuation orders.  
• Proper use of the GTCC for PCS consists of the following: (1) Temporary Lodging Expense (TLE) at the old or new Permanent Duty Station (PDS): Charges related to this expense include lodging and meals while in temporary lodging. See Chapter 5, reference (D) for additional TLE information. (2) Fuel for Privately Owned Vehicles (POV), but only if POV is the authorized mode of transportation for the PCS travel. This is not a directly reimbursed item; it is paid in the form of a Monetary Allowance in Lieu of Transportation (MALT). MALT is a flat rate per mile and per vehicle entitlement based on the distance between the old and new PDS, as determined by the Defense Table of Official Distances (DTOD). (3) Lodging and meals en route: These items are not reimbursed directly. The member and dependents are entitled to a flat rate per diem for the number of allowable travel days based on the mode of transportation, not to exceed actual travel days as outlined in Chapter 5, reference (D). (4) Airfare/Train/Bus/Ferry for the member and concurrently traveling dependents and only if it is the authorized mode of transportation for the PCS travel. Personal travel arrangements made for Leave In Conjunction With Official (LICWO) travel cannot be purchased with the GTCC. See Chapter 3, reference (D) for further details regarding LICWO travel. (5) Alaska Marine Highway System (AMHS) is paid for using the GTCC and purchased through the TMC service provider. (6) Tolls and miscellaneous fees may be charged to the GTCC.  
• Misuse: Non-travel-related expenditures will still be considered misuse. GTCC may not be used for local travel, team gear, permissive orders, retirement/separation, personally procured moves, during leave, to/from leave site, LICWO travel, or for cash withdrawals exceeding reimbursable amounts. Commanders/Supervisors will ensure travel cards are used only for official travel-related expenses. Examples of misuse include, but are not limited to: (a) expenses related to personal, family, or household purposes except for authorized PCS expenses, (b) cash withdrawals from an ATM used during non-travel periods or not related to official government travel requirements are "not authorized." This includes, but is not limited to, any withdrawal of a credit balance remaining on the card, (c) intentional failure to pay undisputed charges in a timely manner, and (d) ATM cash withdrawals taken more than three days prior to official government travel. Cardholders who misuse their travel card may be subject to administrative or disciplinary action, as appropriate.  
• Commands are reminded to pay particular attention to those newly reporting cardholders who typically would not have been issued a travel card from the departing unit. As soon as they have completed their travel claims, ensure the travel card limits are reduced to the $50 minimum limit.  
• GTCC Non-availability/Eligibility: If a GTCC Account cannot be established for a member then the CBA should be used to the maximum extent possible and the member may use a personal credit or debit card for related commercial lodging and M&IE costs. The Travel Management Center (CWT Sato) shall still be used for official travel reservations, including disaster evacuation reservations.  
• Applicability: This policy does not apply to accession, separation, or retirement travel, nor does it affect the payment of advance pay or advance Basic Allowance for Housing to pay for rental deposits. Additionally, this policy does not apply to PCS travel for civilian personnel, Selected Reserve members, or Individual Ready Reserve members as these populations do not use the same order writing and outbound interview processes.  
• GTCC Travel Managers may direct questions to Mr. Michael Duchossois at 703-254-7175 or   [email protected]   or Mr. Matthew Falor at 703-258-5996 or   [email protected] .  
• Released by: RDML D. C. Barata, Commander, Personnel Service Center (PSC), and RDML J. P. Hickey, FSMS Incident Commander; Director of Operational Logistics (DOL), send.  
• Internet release is authorized.

This is an update from the U. S. Coast Guard Pay & Personnel Center  in Topeka, KS. We use this distribution list to keep our customers informed about USCG Travel policy and the ETS travel claim system. If you are no longer interested in receiving updates from PPC, please follow the link (at the end of this message) in the SUBSCRIBER SERVICES section to unsubscribe. Address any comments, concerns, or questions to PPC-SMB [email protected]. Also, please contact us by email if you have an announcement you would like to share with our customers

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Department of Defense Travel Card Benefits

Progress informed from the past, and inspired by the future, cardholder guide.

Official travel for the Department of Defense just became easier with the Citi Department of Defense Travel Card. When you are preparing to use your new card, please read What To Do When I First Receive My New Card . For more information regarding your new card, please read the Department of Defense Cardholder Guide .

Department of Defense Travel Insurance

As a cardholder, you will receive global travel accident and lost luggage insurance so you feel safe and secure wherever you travel with a Citi ® Commercial Card.

• Travel Accident Insurance Guide
• Lost Luggage Insurance Guide

MasterCard Guide to Benefits

Visa Guide to Benefits

In addition to the card benefits provided by Citi, Visa provides card benefits such as Car Rental Insurance and Travel and Emergency Assistance. For full details, please read the Visa Guide to Benefits .

Travel Tips

For more information on your Citi Department of Defense Travel Card, please read What to do Before, During and After travel .

Online Tools

Citi's global online tool, CitiManager ® , enables you to manage business expenses from anywhere around the globe from your computer or mobile device; you can view statements online, confirm account balances, sign up for email and SMS alerts, and much more. If you have not already signed up for the CitiManager ® tool, please log on to www.citimanager.com/login and click on the 'Self registration for Cardholders' link. From there, follow the prompts to establish your account.

For more information on the CitiManager ® tool, view our CitiManager ® Cardholder Quick Reference Guide .

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Travel charge card

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• Per Diem Lookup

What is the travel charge card? The GSA SmartPay® 3 program provides charge cards to U.S. government agencies, as well as tribal governments, through master contracts that are negotiated with major banks. 

There are currently more than 560 federal agencies, organizations and Native American tribal governments participating in the program, spending $30 billion annually, through 100 million transactions on more than three million cards.

There are three types of travel accounts:

• Individually billed accounts are issued to employees to pay for official travel and travel-related expenses. The government reimburses employees for authorized expenses. The employee is responsible for making payment to the bank.
• Centrally billed accounts are established by some agencies to pay for official travel expenses. Centrally billed accounts are paid directly by the government to the bank.
• GSA SmartPay Tax Advantage Travel accounts  are new product offerings that combine an Individually Billed Account (IBA) and Centrally Billed Account (CBA), providing a means to obtain tax exemption automatically at the point of sale for rental cars and lodging charges. The combined features of CBAs and IBAs are a key characteristic of this product. When using the Tax Advantage Travel Account, charges for rental cars and lodging will be automatically billed to a CBA for payment. Charges for other travel-related purchases, such as meals and incidentals, are billed to the IBA portion of the account.

What is the benefit for federal agencies? Each agency or organization using the travel charge card receives a rebate based on sales volume. The sale refund is remitted to the organization. In addition, a separate refund is provided to agencies and organizations based on improving speed of payment.

How can travel managers make it happen? In 1988, Congress mandated that federal employees use the government travel charge card for all payments of expenses related to official government travel, with some exceptions. 

Travel managers should ensure that all of their travelers use their government-issued travel charge card for all purchases of travel-related services or products such as rental cars, hotel rooms, and telephone or Internet service.

Looking for more information on SmartPay? The  GSA SmartPay program provides charge cards to U.S. government agencies/departments, as well as tribal governments, through master contracts that are negotiated with major national banks. Additionally, to contact Travel Program call 888-472-5585 or email [email protected]

• Download the complete Federal Travel Regulation
• Joint Travel Regulations
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PER DIEM LOOK-UP

1 choose a location.

Error, The Per Diem API is not responding. Please try again later.

No results could be found for the location you've entered.

Rates for Alaska, Hawaii, U.S. Territories and Possessions are set by the Department of Defense .

Rates for foreign countries are set by the State Department .

2 Choose a date

Rates are available between 10/1/2022 and 09/30/2025.

The End Date of your trip can not occur before the Start Date.

Traveler reimbursement is based on the location of the work activities and not the accommodations, unless lodging is not available at the work activity, then the agency may authorize the rate where lodging is obtained.

Unless otherwise specified, the per diem locality is defined as "all locations within, or entirely surrounded by, the corporate limits of the key city, including independent entities located within those boundaries."

Per diem localities with county definitions shall include "all locations within, or entirely surrounded by, the corporate limits of the key city as well as the boundaries of the listed counties, including independent entities located within the boundaries of the key city and the listed counties (unless otherwise listed separately)."

When a military installation or Government - related facility(whether or not specifically named) is located partially within more than one city or county boundary, the applicable per diem rate for the entire installation or facility is the higher of the rates which apply to the cities and / or counties, even though part(s) of such activities may be located outside the defined per diem locality.

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Travel Card

Audit of dhs fiscal year 2017 purchase and travel card programs.

Except for identified questioned costs, reported DHS Purchase and Travel Card transactions for FY 2017 were appropriate and complied with relevant laws and regulations.  The auditor, CohnReznick LLP, identified 17 control deficiencies within DHS Purchase and Travel Card Programs related to maintenance of purchase documentation, application of required procurement policies, price reasonableness determinations, price quotes/competitive bids, required sourcing, tax exemptions, and split purchases.  The DHS Travel Card Program deficiencies related to maintenance of travel documentation, allowability of transactions per regulations, credit balance refunds, the prudent traveler standard, and improper use of a travel card.  The auditor identified $43,508 in questioned costs for FY 2017 and made 12 recommendations.  When implemented, these recommendations should ensure that Purchase and Travel Card transactions are appropriate and comply with relevant laws and regulations.  The Office of the Chief Financial Officer concurred with six recommendations and non-concurred with six recommendations. 

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Trusted Traveler Programs

Trusted Traveler Programs (TTP) provide modified screening for preapproved members. The programs improve security by being more efficient during screenings, and facilitate legitimate trade and travel at ports of entry. They allow members to use expedited lanes at the U.S. airports, and when crossing international borders.

Use the tool on the Trusted Traveler Programs website to find the right program for you, or to learn more about all of the Trusted Traveler Programs that DHS offers.

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The TSA PreCheck ® program expedites traveler screening through participating TSA security checkpoints.

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