Countdown to America's 250th Anniversary:
An official website of the United States government
Here’s how you know
Official websites use .gov
A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.
Secure .gov websites use HTTPS
A lock
(
)
or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.
Ensuring accuracy, compliance, and fiscal responsibility.
April 2026
This handbook provides federal agencies with extensive guidance on complying with federal regulations for passenger transportation invoicing, understanding billing and audit requirements, and navigating the procurement process for official government personnel travel. The guide offers detailed information to help agencies understand and implement travel-related financial and procurement procedures while ensuring regulatory compliance.
Information in this handbook does not modify statutes or regulations governing procurement, billing, passenger movement and payment of passenger transportation services.
This guide is designed to improve efficiency in the procurement and payment of travel transportation services for the government, conserve agency travel funds, and improve the services provided by transportation service providers, or TSPs, when carefully applied.
Regulations governing the procurement, audit, payment, and use of travel documents are published in the Federal Management Regulation at 41 CFR Part 102-118, and in the Federal Travel Regulation at 41 CFR Chapter 301.
The Federal Travel Regulation, 41 CFR Subtitle F, provides the rules for official travel. The guidelines for temporary duty travel are found in 41 CFR Chapter 301.
Federal Travel Regulation, 41 CFR 301-10.3, requires agencies to select the method of transportation most advantageous to the government, when cost and other factors are considered. Employees should travel using the fastest and most efficient transportation method that makes sense for their work assignment. (See 5 U.S.C. 5733).
Methods of common transportation an agency may authorize include:
Travelers must book travel through:
All agencies must use one of these approved booking methods in accordance with 41 CFR Part 301-50.
Federal law requires all government employees to use their government-issued travel charge card for official travel expenses. This requirement comes from Public Law 105-264, Section 2(a), which we administer in consultation with the Treasury Department.
At GSA, we manage the SmartPay program. SmartPay is a governmentwide charge card program that provides agencies with tools and services to streamline purchasing and payment processes, offering benefits such as spend management, data analysis, and rebates.
There are two GCCCs available to agencies:
Travelers are required to purchase U.S. government airfare only using a GCCC unless an exemption has been issued in accordance with 41 CFR Part 301-51.
These are only valid alternatives when the GCCC is not an option.
Optional Form 1169, GTR, is used to procure passenger transportation services for the account of the government (see 41 CFR 301- 51.100) when a GCCC cannot be used.
The GTR is designed to meet the requirements of the government and the transportation industry and serves as a(n):
The GTR is for federal employee use only. It is available in the GSA forms library. Use of this form without an agency-assigned control number and proper agency signature is not allowed and cannot be paid.
The individual GTR form is distributed as follows:
The GTR document:
The GTR may be used to bill or purchase:
GTRs may be used to pay for international air travel. For domestic air travel, GTRs may be used under special circumstances and for travel-related expenses. Special domestic circumstances are defined as acts of God, emergency situations, and when purchasing a domestic ticket in the U.S. in conjunction with travel that originated overseas.
Federal agencies must sign agreements with TMCs to purchase multiple tickets using a single GTR. This is termed a “blanket purchase GTR.” Based on these agreements, the agency will issue a blanket GTR at the start of each calendar week (or another mutually agreed-upon payment period, up to one month). This GTR covers all tickets issued during that period. A list must be maintained to show the number and value of each ticket issued under the blanket purchase GTR, as well as other information essential to agency and TSP fiscal requirements.
Unused tickets procured on a previously paid blanket purchase GTR and all partially unused tickets shall be redeemed under the procedures for issuing an SF 1170. See Chapter 4 of this handbook.
The GTR SHALL NOT be issued:
The GTR shall be issued only for appropriate expenses to the government. Charges for services other than those authorized must be paid by the traveler and collected by the TSP or TMC.
Employees responsible for the issuance and use of GTR forms shall be held accountable for their disposition.
Travelers, or those who are accountable, are responsible for the custody of tickets and other transportation documents received in exchange for GTRs or other procuring instruments. Failure to safeguard such documents may result in personal liability, of the traveler or those who are accountable, if unauthorized persons use tickets or documents.
Agencies:
The TMC may only accept an agency authorized, properly completed, signed, and numbered GTR as the form of payment for airline tickets. This number, printed in the form of a payment box of the airline ticket, gives the TMC authority to sell U.S. government fares. The TMC pays the airline for the ticket and will invoice the federal agency to recover their funds. TMCs will not honor a GTR, which is incomplete, unsigned, or shows erasures or alterations that have not been endorsed by the issuing officer.
When needed and allowable, a GTR can be issued to purchase a ticket for any of the following modes:
The annotation “lowest coach” placed on the GTR means lowest-cost coach fare within policy. Unless the GTR expressly specifies otherwise, TSPs and their agents must provide the government travelers with the lowest cost coach fare available within policy, which meets traveler requirements when issuing a ticket in exchange for a GTR.
All Common Carrier transportation over $100.00 must be procured by a GCCC or GTR.
If Department of Defense, refer to:
Questions concerning preparation and processing of GTRs should be directed to your agency’s travel or transportation office.
Department of Defense travelers should contact their local transportation offices. Transportation Officers should direct questions to their area command or refer to the Defense Transportation Regulation (DTR) Part 1, Appendix D [PDF].
Passenger Movement 4500.9-R-Part I June 2025.
Travelers must comply with the rules in 41 CFR 301-51.100 through 301-51.103 that limit the use of cash.
The following payment methods are considered as equivalent of cash:
Exceptions for the reimbursement of unauthorized cash transportation purchases are at the agency’s discretion and cited in 41 CFR 301-51.102.
Cash may only be used to pay for transportation expenses in extreme circumstances when other forms are not an acceptable payment method. U.S. government airfares must be purchased with a GCCC or GTR only. Cash is not an acceptable form of payment for these fares.
Unused or partially unused airline tickets have monetary value and must be returned to the agency for processing as a refund to the government. Under no circumstances should these tickets be destroyed or discarded.
To ensure prompt processing and prevent losses to the government, travelers must submit the following to the designated agency office:
Note: The proper office for submission is typically the one that paid for the tickets, processed the travel reimbursement vouchers, or issued the GTR. Refer to your agency’s policy for clarification.
If the unused tickets or coupons are not available, the traveler or person in charge must obtain written acknowledgment of the situation from the TSP representative and submit it with their report. For party tickets, the TSP’s conductor or ticket collector should note on the ticket or coupon the number of persons actually transported and the accommodations furnished.
Upon presentation of proper documents, the contract carrier must fully and promptly refund all unused and partially unused portions of any government contract fare ticket to the appropriate party (agency, TMC, or individual traveler). If the TSP fails to process the refund, the agency must seek to recover all monies due to the government, including taking action under the Federal Claims Collection Standards.
Tickets which cannot be processed through the Unused Electronic Ticket, or UET, and are no longer valid for refund to the government funding agency/organization should be processed through the agency for refund. TSPs shall refund the value of unused tickets (after expiration), even if they do not receive a Redemption of Unused Tickets, SF 1170, from a government agency or TMC. Agencies should instruct the TSP to complete the refund within 90 days after the date of refund request.
The refund information shall include:
Refunds or credits for unused transportation should be provided on the individually billed government charge card.
The traveler must submit any unused ticket coupons, unused e-tickets, or refund applications to their agency in accordance with their agency’s procedures.
Any charges billed directly to an individually billed GCCC should be credited back to that account. TSP should coordinate with the issuing TMC and government agency to recoup any monies owed to the government.
Each agency must have internal controls and administrative procedures in place to collect refunds for unused or partially used airline tickets. This includes:
Government agencies should solicit refund services from their travel management company to automatically request refunds directly from the TSP carrier for any fully unused or partially used tickets. The TMC should provide, in accordance with the contract, an unused ticket report of all ticket refund requests to ensure refunds have been requested and to track timeliness of refunds and reconciliation of charges back to the government agency funding organization via the Individually Billed Account (IBA)/Centrally Billed Account (CBA).
Travel management companies have in place automated/electronic processes and resources for identifying and addressing unused electronic tickets.
The automated UET system searches for canceled reservations of electronic tickets and those are sent to the TMC system for faster processing and reporting. The UET checks status every four hours, which improves daily refund processing and notification of unused non-refundable tickets for tracking.
The TMC quality control process that audits transactions by Airlines Reporting Corporation, or ARC, verifies ticket usage. Once unused tickets are identified, refunding through the Global Distribution System, or GDS, Interactive Agent Reporting, or IAR, process is relatively simple and recorded. Partially used tickets require a calculation of the residual value.
Refunds are transmitted through the ARC’s IAR process of reporting sales and refunds.
Agencies, through their TMCs, should process unused tickets with the TSP(s) on a routine and timely basis to ensure refunds are returned to the agency. Refunds can be requested through the TMC’s automated refund process or by using an SF 1170, Redemption of Unused Tickets, directly to the carriers. Information provided should include:
Agencies may enter into agreements with TSPs for automatic refunds of unused/partially used tickets.
There is no time limit for the government to collect ordinary debts such as unused tickets using administrative offset (31 U.S. Code 3716(e)). Interest may be charged if the refund is not issued within 30 days after the Redemption of Unused Tickets (SF 1170) was issued.
Federal regulations that apply to denied boarding are found at 14 CFR Part 250.
If you are performing official travel and a carrier denies you a confirmed reserved seat on a plane, you must give your agency any payment you receive for liquidated damages. You must ensure the carrier shows the “Treasurer of the United States” as payee on the compensation check and then forward the payment to the appropriate agency official (41CFR 301-10.122).
When travelers voluntarily surrender their seat, at the request of scheduled airlines, they may only be compensated:
Travelers are required by the Fly America Act (49 USC 40118) to use U.S.-flagged airlines for all air travel funded by the U.S. government. One exception to this requirement is transportation provided under a bilateral or multilateral air transport agreement, Open Skies Agreements, to which the U.S. government and the government of a foreign country, such as the European Union are parties, and which the Department of Transportation has determined meets the requirements of the Fly America Act.
49 USC Chapter 411 prescribes guidelines on the use of American flag vessels and certificated air carriers. Issuing officers and travelers must adhere to the regulations requiring the use of certificated air carriers, when available, for travel on official business.
Expenditures for service furnished by a foreign flag TSP generally will be allowed only when service by a U.S. flag certificated air carrier is unavailable. (41 CFR 301-10.135). Each voucher covering any expenditures involving foreign-flag ocean or foreign-flag air passenger transportation must be supported by a certificate or memorandum as to the unavailability of U.S. flag service. This should be signed by a responsible official of the agency that authorized the travel or transportation or by the traveler who has knowledge of the facts concerning usage.
Generally, passenger service by a U.S. flag air TSP is available if the TSP can perform the commercial foreign air transportation needed by the agency and if the service will accomplish the agency’s mission. Expenditures for service furnished by a foreign-flag air TSP generally will be allowed only when service by an U.S. flag air TSP is considered unavailable.(41 CFR 10-135).
The agency must establish internal procedures for denying reimbursement to travelers when use of a foreign air carrier was neither authorized nor otherwise permitted under this regulation.
The employee will not be reimbursed for any foreign air carrier service transportation cost that was improperly used. If the employee is authorized by the agency to use U.S. flag air carrier service for the entire trip, and the employee improperly uses a foreign air carrier for any part of or the entire trip (i.e., when not permitted under this regulation), then the transportation costs on the foreign air carrier will not be paid by the agency.
If the agency authorizes the employee to use a U.S. flag air carrier for part of the trip and foreign air carrier service for another part of the trip, and the employee improperly uses a foreign air carrier (i.e., when neither authorized to do so nor otherwise permitted under this regulation), the agency will pay the transportation cost on the foreign air carrier for only the portion(s) of the trip that the employee was authorized to use foreign air carrier service.
Airline ticket: A negotiable hardcopy or electronic document issued by an air TSP or their agents for passage on a flight or flights by designated TSP.
ARC (Airlines Reporting Corporation): Members of the Air Transport Association are the stockholders of ARC. The purpose of ARC is to provide a method of approving authorized agency locations for the sale of transportation. ARC is responsible for the domestic airline and travel agency area settlement plan.
Baggage: Government property and personal property of the traveler necessary for the purposes of official travel.
Centrally billed account, or CBA: A card or account established by the contractor at the request of a participating agency. These may be card/cardless accounts. Payments are made directly to the contractor by the agency.
Commercial travel office, or CTO: A Department of Defense travel arranger known as a travel management company. This office provides a full range of travel services for the DOD traveler. The CTO may be staffed with DOD personnel or may be a commercial travel agency.
Excess baggage: Baggage in excess of the weight, number of pieces or size that is carried without incurring an extra charge by transportation companies.
Fly America Act: Federal travelers are required by 49 U.S.C. 40118, to use U.S. air carrier service for all travel and cargo transportation services funded by the U.S. government.
Global distribution system, or GDS: A computerized, centralized service that provides real-time travel related transactions.
Government contractor-issued charge cards, or GCCC: An individually billed account or centrally billed account.
Government transportation document: Any executed agreement for transportation service, such as bill of lading, government bill of lading, government travel request, or transportation ticket.
Government transportation request, or GTR, (Optional Form 1169): A government document used to procure passenger transportation services from a TSP. The document obligates the government to pay for transportation services provided and is used when a government contractor-issued charge card is not accepted by the TSP.
Individually billed account, or IBA: A contractor-issued card used by travelers of a participating agency/organization to pay for passenger transportation service, subsistence expenses, and other travel expenses incurred in connection with official travel.
Interactive Agent Reporting, or IAR: ARC’s IAR is an electronic sales reporting system for travel agents and CTDs that facilitates the settlement of sales, refunds, exchanges, and memos.
Ticket refund application: A document or receipt issued by the TSP for a refund due as a result of a change of routing, class of service, or cancellation of a flight. A ticket refund application can also be referred to as Transportation Refund Application or Transportation Credit.
Transportation service provider, or TSP: Any party, person, agency or carrier who undertakes by contract or agreement to provide transportation services to the federal government.
Travel management company, or TMC: A manner to arrange travel services for federal employees on official travel, including reservation of accommodations and ticketing. A TMC includes a commercial ticket office, electronic travel management system, or other commercial method of arranging travel.
Unused electronic ticket, or UET: When utilized, unused e-ticket is an easy, user-friendly, interactive GDS tool that informs TMCs that the traveler has unused electronic tickets that notifies and applies to the current travel reservation booking that a ticket is unused.
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, and U.S. territories and possessions are set by the Department of Defense.
Rates for foreign countries are set by the Department of State.
Rates are available between 10/1/2023 and 09/30/2026.
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.
U.S. General Services Administration