DTS Guide 3: Vouchers April 03, 2024
Defense Travel Management Office 3 travel.dod.mil
Chapter 1: Vouchers Introduction
A voucher is a claim for reimbursement of actual expenses you* incurred and payment of allowances you
earned while you were TDY. Once you complete your trip, DoD policy mandates travel voucher submission
within five working days of returning from TDY.
By design, information from the approved DTS authorization (cost estimates and assumptions) carries over into
the voucher at CREATED. Since the voucher must always reflect accurate cost and trip information, you must
update the voucher from estimated charges to actuals based upon the mission. In other words, your primary
responsibility on a voucher is to make changes to it, add the required receipts (i.e., all lodging and any expense
of $75.00 or more), and attach supporting documentation (if applicable – e.g., Constructed Travel Worksheet
(CTW), leave form). This guide focuses on how to make those changes.
* In this guide, “you” are a traveler, unless otherwise stated.
Travel documents are subject to internal (per local business rules) and external (e.g., Defense Finance and
Accounting Service [DFAS]) audits which help identify improper payments, recognize trends, implement
corrective measures to appropriately recover funds, and improve travel compliance. If you are uncertain if an
expense is allowable then review the JTR, contact your Lead DTA or supervisor before submitting the voucher
for approval and payment. Your AO should carefully review the submitted voucher and return it for correction, if
any portion is non-compliant for travel policy.
Note 1: If you’re logging into DTS after an extended period, DTS may provide you a pop-up message which can
include:
• Review and Update Profile - This option triggers when it is at least 60 days since your last log on to
DTS. Either choose Open Profile and make your changes or Continue without Updating. For more
about profiles, see the DTS Guide 1: Authorizations and DTA Manual, Chapter 7: People.
• What’s New - This feature alerts you when software changes occur. The first time you access an
affected module, the What’s New feature activates. A series of pop-up screens annotating any
revisions. Once you proceed through the overview, you must select Got It to close the messaging. Your
personal profile tracks your acknowledgement and then the What’s New feature inactivates. As this a
one-time alert, unless there is another system change, you will not see the What’s New alert again. For
more on the What’s New feature, review the DTS Guide 1.
Note 2: Before accessing DTS verify your web browser is fully compatible with the system. Chrome, Edge, and
Firefox browsers work with DTS. Contact your IT POC for technical support. See the bottom of the DTS Home
page, Need More Assistance? for the requirements.
1.1 Trip Processing Rules
Travelers and those who create, edit, or amend documents for travelers must adhere to trip processing rules.
Authorization specifications apply to reduce the possible invalid reservation selections (e.g., selections made in
the next Fiscal Year (FY) before airlines post flights) and incorrect per diem calculations (e.g., documents
crossing multiple FYs and per diem changes). Voucher specifications apply to reduce incorrect per diem
calculations resulting in debt. These processing rules include:
• Authorizations may not be created greater than 6 months in advance of the trip.
• Imported authorizations may not be created greater than 6 months in advance of the trip.