PAYING TRAVEL EXPENSES

• Citation: 41 CFR Part 301-51
• Sections: 13

§ 301-51.1 Government contractor-issued travel charge card mandatory use.

Employees are required to use the Government contractor-issued travel charge card for all official travel expenses unless:

(a) Payment through the card is impractical ( e.g., a vendor does not accept the travel charge card) or imposes unreasonable burdens or costs; or

(b) The Administrator of General Services or the agency head or their designee has granted an exemption under § 301-51.2.

§ 301-51.2 Exemptions from mandatory use of the Government contractor-issued travel charge card.

(a) The Administrator of General Services exempts from mandatory use of the Government contractor-issued travel charge card any payment, person, type or class of payments, or type or class of personnel in any case in which—

(1) It is in the best interest of the United States to do so;

(2) Payment through a travel charge card is impractical or imposes unreasonable burdens or costs on Federal employees or Federal agencies; or

(3) The Secretary of Defense or the Secretary of Homeland Security (for the Coast Guard) requests an exemption for members of their uniformed services.

(4) The Administrator of General Services has exempted the following classes of employees from mandatory use of the Government contractor-issued travel charge card:

(i) Employees who have a pending application for the Government contractor-issued travel charge card;

(ii) Employees for which issuance of the Government contractor-issued travel charge card would adversely affect the mission or put the employee at risk; or

(iii) Employees who are not eligible to receive a Government contractor-issued travel charge card.

(b) The head of a Federal agency or their designee(s) may exempt any payment, person, type or class of payments, or type or class of agency personnel if the exemption is determined to be necessary in the interest of the agency. Agencies must notify the Administrator of General Services, Office of Government-wide Policy, at [email protected], within 30 days after granting an exemption from the mandatory use of the Government contractor-issued travel charge card, stating the reasons for the exemption.

§ 301-51.3 Voluntary card use after exemption.

An agency-granted exemption does not prevent the employee from using the Government contractor-issued travel charge card on a voluntary basis for official travel expenses.

§ 301-51.4 Payment methods after exemption.

If an employee receives an exemption from use of the Government contractor-issued travel charge card, the agency may authorize use of personal funds, travel advances, or Government Transportation Request (GTR). The General Services Administration City Pair Program contractors are not required to accept payment by personal funds or travel advances.

§ 301-51.5 Misuse of Government contractor-issued travel charge card.

Employees may not use the Government contractor-issued travel charge card for personal reasons. Agencies should establish internal policies and procedures defining what are considered to be misuses of the Government contractor-issued travel charge card. Appropriate action may be taken pursuant to those policies if an employee fails to activate the Government contractor-issued travel charge card within 60 days of receipt or misuses the travel charge card.

§ 301-51.100 Payment methods to procure common carrier transportation.

Employees must use a Government contractor-issued individually billed travel charge card, centrally billed account, GTR, or other method of payment authorized in accordance with their agency's internal policy to procure common carrier transportation.

§ 301-51.101 Cash-equivalent payment methods.

(a) The following payment methods are considered the equivalent of cash:

(1) Personal credit cards;

(2) Cash withdrawals obtained from an ATM using a Government contractor-issued individually billed travel charge card; and

(3) Checks, both personal and travelers.

(b) Agencies must comply with § 102-118.30 of this title, which limits payment of transportation services to electronic fund transfer (EFT), unless excepted.

§ 301-51.102 Reimbursement for unauthorized cash purchases of common carrier transportation.

If an employee makes an unauthorized cash purchase of common carrier transportation, the agency may limit reimbursement to the cost of such transportation using the authorized method of payment.

(a) Limited reimbursement. For cash payments that an agency determines were made under non-emergency circumstances, reimbursement to the traveler is limited to the cost that would have been properly chargeable to the Government had the traveler used a government provided payment resource, such as an individual Government contractor-issued travel charge card, centrally billed account, or GTR.

(b) Full reimbursement. Agencies may choose to make full payment when circumstances justify it, such as for invitational travel, trips by infrequent travelers, and interviewee travel.

§ 301-51.103 Liability for a lost GTR.

An employee is liable for any Government expenditure that is caused by the employee's negligence in safeguarding the GTR or tickets received in exchange for the GTR. To avoid liability, the employee should immediately report a lost or stolen GTR to their administrative office. If the lost or stolen GTR shows the carrier service desired and point of origin, the employee should promptly notify in writing the named carrier and other local initial carriers. The employee should not use a GTR recovered after having been reported as lost or stolen. Instead, the employee should report the recovered GTR to their administrative office.

§ 301-51.200 Travel advance eligibility.

Employees may receive a travel advance for expenses deemed necessary by the agency while on official travel. Advances for non-cash transaction expenses may be authorized in accordance with the agency's internal policies.

§ 301-51.201 Maximum travel advance amount.

The amount the agency advances the employee may not exceed the following amounts:

Table 1 to § 301-51.201

For

The maximum amount the agency may advance is

Cash transaction expenses

The estimated amount of the employee's cash transaction expenses.

Non-cash transaction expenses (See § 301-51.200)

Generally zero, however see § 301-51.200. If the employee is authorized a travel advance for non-cash transaction expenses, the agency will determine the maximum amount the employee is authorized to receive.

§ 301-51.202 Accounting for travel advance.

Employees must account for their travel advance after completion of their assignment. The employee must file a travel claim which accounts for the advance in accordance with the agency's policy. If the employee is in continuous travel status or submits periodic reimbursement vouchers on an individual trip authorization, the agency may reimburse the full amount of the employee's travel expenses without any deduction of the advance until such time as the employee files a final voucher.

(a) If the amount advanced is less than the amount of the voucher on which it is deducted, the employee will be reimbursed the net amount.

(b) If the advance exceeds the reimbursable amount, the employee must immediately refund the excess.

§ 301-51.203 Procedure for canceled or postponed trip.

If a trip is canceled or postponed indefinitely, the employee must notify the appropriate agency officials and refund any monies advanced.