To submit a DTS voucher, create it from your approved authorization, update the trip and expenses to reflect what actually happened, attach the required records, review payment details, and complete the signature and confirmation steps. Then monitor it for approval or requested corrections.
Submit your travel voucher within five working days of returning from TDY. DTMO's voucher guide states this requirement and explains that the authorization's estimates carry into your voucher. Creating the document alone does not submit it. DTS Guide 3, Chapter 1.
This walkthrough covers a traveler submitting a routine TDY voucher in DTS. It follows the August 2026 official guide; the steps were checked against that guide rather than a signed-in DTS session, and screen labels may change. Local vouchers, documents entered by an agent, and unusual travel situations can require different steps. Your unit's travel office can help with those cases.
Before you open DTS
Gather the approved authorization, actual travel dates, final lodging bill, transportation receipts, other expense records, and any approval or explanation supporting a change. Have your Government Travel Charge Card (GTCC) transactions available so you can compare charges with the voucher.
A useful preparation method is a small reconciliation list:
| Record | What to check |
|---|---|
| Authorization | Correct trip and any reimbursement limits |
| Actual itinerary | Departure, return and each TDY location |
| Hotel folio | Dates, nightly charges, taxes, fees and payment |
| Transportation records | Actual fare or rental cost and payment method |
| Other expenses | Date, amount, business purpose and supporting record |
| Travel-card activity | Posted trip charges and payments already made |
This list is a preparation aid. Having a receipt does not by itself make an expense reimbursable.
1. Create the voucher from the correct authorization
On the DTS dashboard, select Create New Document, then Voucher. Locate the approved authorization for the completed trip and select Create Voucher beside it. Check the trip before continuing, especially if you have several similar school or training trips. DTS Guide 3, Chapter 2.
If you already started a voucher, locate that document instead of trying to start another. If the authorization you need is unavailable, ask your local Defense Travel Administrator (DTA) for help resolving its status or your document access.
2. Correct the itinerary before reviewing allowances
Use Edit Itinerary to review the actual dates and TDY locations. A trip that ended early or ran longer needs an accurate itinerary before you finish the per diem review. For travel to a military installation, the guide directs you to use the installation rather than a nearby city. DTS Guide 3, Chapter 3 and Chapter 5.
A transportation change needs special attention. The guide says the voucher's itinerary page cannot change the Travel By field. Instead, update the relevant expenses, remove charges or mileage you did not incur, and provide the required explanation and supporting records. Ask your travel office how the change affects your authorized reimbursement.
3. Replace estimated expenses with actual amounts
Open Expenses and work through the entries carried over from the authorization. Use an entry's Details to inspect or update it; use Add for a missing expense. Review dates, amounts and reimbursement methods. Remove expenses you did not incur, and check for duplicates before importing travel-card transactions. DTS Guide 3, Chapter 4.
For example, suppose the authorization estimated $45 for airport transportation but your eligible ride actually cost $38. Update the existing entry to the actual amount. Adding a second $38 entry while leaving the $45 estimate creates an inaccurate claim.
Treat a card transaction as something to reconcile, not automatic proof of eligibility. Likewise, do not enter personal spending simply because it appears on the same hotel bill or card statement.
4. Attach receipts and supporting documents
For routine TDY, the JTR requires itemized receipts for all lodging, regardless of amount, and generally for individual expenditures of $75 or more. Some expenses have additional requirements. Standard meals and incidental expenses allowances generally do not require meal receipts; actual-expense arrangements can differ. JTR 010301 and 020304.
Attach records to the appropriate expense or document category. Open the attachment afterward and confirm it is complete, readable and associated with the intended claim. DTS provides both individual attachments and an Import PDF workflow. DTS Guide 3, section 4.3.
If a required receipt was lost, first try to obtain a replacement from the vendor. The JTR provides for a statement explaining the circumstances and containing the information the receipt would have provided; ask your travel office how to document your case. A missing-receipt statement does not guarantee reimbursement. JTR 010301-B.
5. Review per diem by date
In Per Diem, check lodging costs and the conditions affecting meals and incidental expenses. Verify leave, provided meals and any other applicable duty conditions. If your trip dates changed, edit the itinerary first. You can turn off Group Similar Days to inspect individual dates. DTS Guide 3, Chapter 5.
Do not change meal selections just to make the total match a classmate's payment. Two members at the same school may have different travel days, authorizations or meal circumstances. Ask your travel office to resolve an unexplained difference using your own trip records.
6. Check accounting and split disbursement
Review accounting information and any advances or scheduled partial payments. If funding information appears wrong, get help from your travel office rather than guessing which accounting entry to use.
In Financial Summary, review the amount going to your personal account and the amount going to the GTCC. The Adjust Disbursements function handles specified adjustments, including additional payment to the card for legitimate charges such as meals. Reconcile the proposed distribution with the amount owed for this trip, considering payments already made. DTS Guide 3, Chapters 6–7.
The amount deposited into your bank account may therefore be smaller than the total reimbursement. Review both destinations before assuming money is missing. Continue monitoring your card account; submitting a voucher does not itself pay the card bill.
7. Resolve review items, sign and confirm
Follow the review sequence: Review Profile, Review Voucher, Other Auths and Pre-Audits, then Sign and Submit. Check that the GTCC and electronic funds transfer details in your profile are valid before signing. Provide specific explanations for flagged items and any required reason codes. Read advisories too. An explanation must accurately describe the trip; entering text does not make an otherwise unauthorized expense allowable. DTS Guide 3, sections 8.1–8.3.
On Sign and Submit:
- Review the document status and resolve errors that prevent signing.
- Select I agree to SIGN this document.
- Use your instructed routing list; change it only when directed.
- Add comments to the approving official when useful.
- Select Submit Completed Document.
- Read the confirmation and select Confirm and Continue.
- Verify that DTS acknowledges successful submission.
These steps follow the official digital-signature instructions. Missing required supporting records, including a constructed travel worksheet when applicable, can block signing. DTS Guide 3, section 8.4, printed pages 74–77.
After submission: watch for action, approval and payment
Check the document status. If it is returned, read the comments, make the requested corrections, and sign it again to send it back through routing. Once approved, verify payment and the card distribution. Contact your DTA if payment does not arrive or you need help interpreting the status. Submission, approval and receipt of payment are separate events. DTS Guide 3, sections 1.1 and 8.4.3.
Common questions
How long after TDY do I have to submit my voucher?
The official guide states five working days after returning from TDY. If access problems or missing documentation prevent you from finishing, contact your travel office promptly and explain the specific blocker.
Does an approved authorization mean my voucher is finished?
No. The authorization contains planned travel and estimates. The voucher records the completed trip and claim, and requires its own submission and review.
Why is my voucher still not submitted after I uploaded receipts?
Attachments are one part of preparation. Review the signature page for errors, finish the confirmation process and verify the submission acknowledgment.
Make the next TDY easier before departure
Some useful questions are worth asking before your next class: what arrival instructions changed, which office handles local travel questions, and what practical arrangements should you check early?
For your next school TDY, organize your preparation questions before departure. TDY Spy is being built to connect members attending the same class so they can compare practical arrangements early. Your travel office and approving official handle your voucher; keep receipts and account information in the appropriate official channels.