3000 Travel Claims
3100 When to Submit Travel Claims
Travel Policy July 2025
Travel Claims and Services can only process claims that are within the current fiscal year plus the two previous fiscal years through eTravel.
Every 30 Days for Claims Under $200.00
Travelers submit travel claims once every 30 days when the claim is under $200.00.
No more than two consecutive months may be combined and submitted on one travel claim.
There are two exceptions to the 30-day rule for travelers who have:
- Left the agency.
- Secured new positions within the agency.
For either exception: In eTravel, the traveler or supervisor enters “No Longer Employed” or “Secured New Position,” and new contact information in the Traveler or Supervisor Comments section of the Summary Page of the travel claim. When unable to submit the claim in eTravel, complete Form 4104x Travel Voucher. The traveler or supervisor writes “No Longer Employed” or “Secured New Position,” and new contact information on the top border of the front page.
Immediately for Claims of $200.00 or More
Travelers may submit travel claims as soon as the total of accumulated expenses equals or exceeds $200.00.
All trips and expenses must be completed with no overlapped or split trips to another travel claim or advance settlement.
Within 90 Days of the Last Travel Date of Travel for All Claims
Travelers are required to submit travel claims within 90 days from the last date of travel.
In eTravel, the approval process for late travel does not require a form; however, it is part of the eTravel online approval process. The eTravel system calculates if the travel claim is within 90 days from the last travel date.
If the travel claim is late, the Summary Page will state “I have failed to submit my travel claim within 90 days for the following reason: (provide a brief description).” The traveler is required to enter the reason into the Traveler Comments field. No more than two consecutive months may be combined and submitted on one Travel Claim.
Over 90 Days of the Last Travel Date of Travel for All Claims
Travel reimbursement requests over 90 days require two levels of approval. The eTravel system will route the travel claim to the next level supervisor or appropriate level of management:
- 1st level of approval-direct report supervisor
- 2nd level of approval-program administrator, ROSA (Regional Operations Support Administrators), or appropriate level dependent on the program area
No more than two consecutive months may be combined and submitted on one Travel Claim that’s over 90 days late.
The traveler is required to add a comment of explanation for the reason the claim was late. Travel reimbursement requests over 90 days will be honored but may result in corrective action at the discretion of the regional or division director.
For when to expect reimbursement, see 1600 Reimbursements.
3200 Justifications
Travel Policy July 2025
Justifications on a Travel Claim need to be concise, but they also need to be clear enough that auditors can understand them. Abbreviations are acceptable as long as they are defined on the Travel Claim or are included on the eTravel Approved Travel Abbreviation/Acronym List.
If abbreviations are used to explain duties, then a definition of the abbreviation must be given.
In eTravel, the Traveler Comment field on the Summary Page or the Comment field, alongside transactions of the Travel Claim, will be used to enter any definition necessary.
See the eTravel Approved Abbreviation/Acronym List.
3300 Combining Personal and State Business
Travel Policy July 2025
An authorized traveler who leaves official duties for personal reasons must clearly show the hours and dates of departure and return on the Travel Claim.
In eTravel, additional lines indicating the departures and arrivals associated with the personal leave must be entered in the Trips tab of the Travel Claim. The traveler must add the necessary comments in the Traveler Comments field for each line of the Trips tab. In the Trips tab under the Duties Performed section of the Travel Claim, the traveler indicates the dates and times that personal business started and ended by stating “Went (off or on) official duty at (date and time).”
The supporting documentation for the reimbursement of transportation expenses incurred on a trip that combines personal and state business must include details of the type and cost of transportation that would have been used to transport the employee between their designated headquarters and duty points had the employee not conducted personal business during the trip.
3400 Completing Travel Claims
Travel Policy July 2025
In eTravel, the approvals are automated and scheduled through a workflow process. eTravel is the agency travel system, and executive level management has mandated that eTravel be used for all travel reimbursement claims. Only a few exceptions must be completed with Form 4104x Travel Voucher and not in eTravel, such as:
- Small Claim Travel Vouchers (see 1100 Terms and Definitions)
- Travel reimbursement for non-DFPS state employees (Form 4116 DFPS Purchase Voucher)
- 3500 Supplemental Travel Claims associated to previously processed claims.
Travel Claims
- Out-of-Country travel claims.
- Form 4104x Travel Voucher requires the original or electronic signatures of the traveler and approving authority.
- Form 4116 DFPS Purchase Voucher is submitted for travel reimbursement for a member of a committee or council, volunteers, and interns, and are completed by the liaison office for the group the member serves. Before the liaison can complete Form 4116 DFPS Purchase Voucher, the member of a committee or council must submit all the necessary supporting documentation (receipts, point-to-point travel, and so on) to the office responsible for preparing the form.
- Expenses that authorized travelers cannot claim include, but are not limited to, the following:
- Not related to official state business.
- Used to attend association meetings and conferences that did not involve training or other official state business.
- That are personal (video rentals, personal phone calls, alcohol, tips or gratuities, excess baggage charges, laundry and dry-cleaning charges, fuel for personal vehicles, and similar).
- Expenses to attend award ceremonies when the traveler is not nominated, receiving, or presenting an award.
See Travel Forms.
3500 Supplemental Travel Claims
Travel Policy July 2025
To claim an additional expense or to correct an error after a travel claim was submitted and processed, an employee must file a “supplemental,” (Form 4104x Travel Voucher). A supplemental cannot be processed until the original Travel Claim is paid.
Write “Supplemental” and the original claim number across the top of Form 4104x Travel Voucher and include additional expenses or those expenses that are to be corrected such as toll fees, a missing itemized fuel receipt that has been located, and so on. Original or electronic signatures are required on the supplemental travel claim.
Submit the completed and signed Form 4104x, along with required receipts, to the Travel Policy mailbox.
See About Travel Forms for additional information.
3600 Workshops, Meetings, and Conferences
Travel Policy July 2025
A travel claim for reimbursement of travel to a workshop, meeting, or conference must include:
- The name of the event.
- The name of the training completed or information gained.
- This information must be documented in the Duties Performed section of the Travel Claim.
3700 Attachments Required
Travel Policy July 2025
The traveler attaches the following authorizations, certifications, emails, or receipts and documents them on the travel claim or advance settlement:
- Receipt for airfare if paid by the employee or direct billed to the agency. The Travel Authorization (TA) in eTravel must be in TA Completed or TA Review Complete status before making the airline reservation. (If a receipt is not available, see the Comptroller of Public Accounts-Fiscal Management website for additional requirements.)
- Receipt for rental car if paid by the employee or direct billed to DFPS. The TA in eTravel must be in TA Completed or TA Review Complete status before making the car rental reservation. (If a receipt is not available, see the Comptroller of Public Accounts-Fiscal Management website for additional requirements.)
- Itemized fuel receipt for a rental car. Pre-pay receipts are not reimbursable. The itemized receipt must show the number of gallons purchased, the price per gallon, and the total cost of fuel.
- Receipt for bus fare (city to city) if paid by the employee or direct billed to DFPS. The TA in eTravel must be in TA Completed or TA Review Complete status before requesting the bus reservation.
- Receipt for train fare (city to city) if paid by the employee or direct billed to DFPS. The TA in eTravel must be in TA Completed or TA Review Complete status before requesting the train reservation.
- Itemized receipt for registration fee (such as for a conference) paid out-of-pocket while in travel status.
- Original, itemized lodging receipt, showing a zero balance. (If a receipt is not available, the traveler includes the canceled check or credit card slip used to pay the lodging expense, the credit card bill on which the lodging charges appear, or a copy of the receipt, check, slip, or bill.)
- Confirmation email from contracted hotel vendor.
- Itemized receipts for attendant care while in travel status.
- Itemized receipts for personal attendant services (such as interpreters or communication devices) while in travel status.
- Itemized receipts for miscellaneous expenses such as copies, faxes, supplies, or postage, while in travel status.
- Itemized receipts for any expenses for a minor client such as meals, lodging, or entertainment, while in travel status.
- Authorization (signed by the Commissioner or designee) for reimbursement for lodging and meals at a higher rate than indicated by the U.S. General Service Administration. (The traveler uses Form 4181 Comparison Tool - Increasing the Maximum Lodging Rate to determine whether a higher rate is more cost effective and, if so, submits Form 4180 Request to Increase Maximum Lodging for signatures.) Approval of Form 4180 should be completed prior to travel to avoid the possibility of denial for the additional expense.
- Authorization for reimbursement of lodging, meals, and other expenses while traveling outside the United States (Form 4186 Travel/Car Rental Authorization).
- Current executive travel authorization for reimbursement of actual expenses, up to twice the maximum rates for lodging and meals, while traveling with or on behalf of the Commissioner.
- Form 4150 – Fifty Mile Waiver for overnight travel expenses less than 50 miles from both the traveler’s designated headquarters and residence addresses. Approval of Form 4150 should be completed prior to travel to avoid the possibility of denial for the additional expense.
- Certification for training (Form 7905 Request for Certification for Internal Training) for attending training conducted by DFPS if travel expenses are incurred. Form 7905 will include the official name of the training course and date range of when the course was completed. (If the form or a link to the form was not received, contact the course instructor or the registrar at the registrar mailbox for assistance.)
- Texas Office of State-Federal Relations (OSFR) Report of State Agency Travel to Washington, DC for all travel to Washington, D.C., for activities that involve obtaining or spending federal funds or that affect federal policies. OSFR provides this form to the traveler, and it must be attached to the travel claim. Also see the Texas Office of State-Federal Relations website and Travel Policy 2322.
All travel forms are on the DFPS intranet under DFPS Travel Forms.
In eTravel, all required attachments must be uploaded to the Docs/Receipts tab of the Travel Claim or Advance Settlement before entering travel expenses in the Expenses tab. The Docs/Receipts tab provides the necessary documentation to justify the associated expenses.
For out-of-state travel, the travel authorization must be in TA Completed or TA Review Complete status before traveling in a personal vehicle or by public transportation.
3800 Travel Claims with Errors
Travel Policy July 2025
Travel claims with errors create delays in processing the claims for the reimbursement payment. To ensure that travel claims are not delayed due to errors, the travel claim must be thoroughly checked by the traveler for completeness and accuracy. Supervisors are required to approve their employee’s travel claims, certifying that they are true, correct, and unpaid, or return the travel claim to the traveler to make noted corrections. A review by supervisors to ensure claims are reasonable, economical, accurate, authorized, and logical (REAAL) must be performed.
State law requires agencies to audit travel claims to ensure state and agency travel regulations are followed and that calculations are correct. The Travel Claims team performs this function and will return the travel claim to the submitting employee for correction.
In eTravel, all errors identified by the Travel Claims team will be returned to the traveler or the traveler’s supervisor for appropriate and corrective action. At this point, all travel claims must go back through the approval process. The traveler must make the appropriate changes or supply additional supporting documentation. Once the travel claim is re-approved by the appropriate chain of command, and since the claim has been through an initial approval process, the corrected travel claim goes to the top of the auditor’s work list for completion.