INFORMATION PAPER: What is a Valid Receipt?
Defense Travel Management Office 3 December 2023
b. You bought gas three times on your trip, spending $30 each time, but totalled them and
claimed a single gas expense of $90. Even though there were three separate
expenditures, because you claimed a single $90 expense, you must supply the three
receipts that support that $90 claim.
c. You parked your car in an airport parking lot for 12 days at a cost of $10 per day. Upon
your return, you paid the full amount – $120. Even though each day only cost $10, you
paid for all the days all at once, so this is a single purchase and a receipt is required.
*This is true regardless of the payment method. If your airfare was paid by a centrally-billed
account, you must still provide the required receipt. (DoD FMR, Vol. 10, Ch. 12, par. 5.5)
2. If you lose a receipt, you must provide a statement that explains the circumstances of the
loss and contains the same information as the lost receipt. (JTR, par. 010301-B) You can
provide this on any document and in any format that your local or Component business
rules allow.
3. Although you do have to show that you paid the full amount you owe, there is no
requirement that your receipt also show a zero-dollar outstanding balance.
4. Although there is no DoD-level regulatory requirement for your receipt to be written in
English, check your Component or local business rules on this point. After all, it’s clear that
the certifying officer must be able to review all provided receipts to validate the accuracy of
your expense claims. (DoD FMR Vol. 9, Ch. 5, par. 2.2) If the certifying officer cannot read
the receipt, they will not be able to do this, so they may legitimately reject the claim.
5. Reimbursement to a traveler for paying another traveler’s expenses is strictly forbidden.
(DoD FMR, Vol. 9, Ch. 8, par. 4.1.8)
6. All receipts must be retained for 10 years after the final payment. (DoD FMR, Vol. 1, Ch. 9,
Figure 9-1) Although the system retains electronic copies of all submitted receipts, travelers
should consider retaining the originals for the same length of time.
Remember that it is not sufficient merely to provide a valid receipt. You must also ensure that in
EVERY case:
1. Combining expense types on a single receipt is a common hotel practice. Even so, you must
only submit a claim for reimbursable expenses, even if your receipt shows both
reimbursable and non-reimbursable expenses.
2. You must always claim the precise amount shown on the receipt for those reimbursable
expenses – no more, no less.
Finally, please keep in mind that the rules stated throughout this info paper apply regardless of
the travel system (DTS) that you used to create your trip.