DTS — without losing your mind.

The Defense Travel System exists to enforce the Joint Travel Regulations on every TDY. The official user guide is 400+ pages and was written by people who don't do TDY. This is the field guide: build an authorization, file a voucher, read the screen mockups for the four moments that trip people up, decode the 25+ status codes and pre-audit flags, and know the escalation ladder when DTS stops responding.

How DTS works in 90 seconds

Three phases. Everything else is detail.

Authorization Creation screen

The screen where first-timers make the mistake that stalls the entire trip.

Building the authorization — step by step

Six steps. Each one has a specific way to fail. Read the watch-outs.

1. 1
   Log in to DTS — defensetravel.dod.mil

   CAC required (mil/civ). Click Official Travel → Authorizations / Orders → Create New Document → Routine TDY (or Group, or Local — pick the type that matches your orders). If you have not been DTS-provisioned at this duty station, you cannot create a document — call your DTA (Defense Travel Administrator) to enable your profile.

   Watch out: If "Create New Document" is grayed out, your DTS profile is missing or expired at this installation. Do NOT try workarounds — call the DTA and have your new orders or assignment document ready.
2. 2
   Trip Type, dates, and primary destination

   Enter the trip type from your orders (TDY-to-CONUS, TDY-to-OCONUS, school, etc.). Set the start and return dates exactly as your orders read — not when you actually plan to leave or return. DTS calculates per diem based on these dates. Primary destination = the city/installation listed in your orders. Per-diem locality auto-populates from DTMO data.

   Watch out: Date mismatch with your orders triggers an audit hold. If your orders were amended after you created the auth, amend the auth before travel or you will fight the discrepancy on the voucher.
3. 3
   Itinerary — flights, lodging, rental car

   Use the integrated booking module ("Travel Authorization" tab). Search flights → select. DTS shows the City Pair Program (CPP) contract fare if one exists for your route — almost always cheaper than the lowest commercial fare. Take the CPP unless you have a documented reason not to (no available flights, mission schedule, medical exception). Lodging: search GovTrip-approved hotels first. Rental car: select compact class unless your orders or mission profile specify otherwise.

   Watch out: Booking outside DTS — directly with an airline or hotel — almost always requires a Constructive Cost justification on the voucher. Not worth it unless CPP has no flights for your exact dates.
4. 4
   Expenses — what you plan to spend

   DTS pre-populates per-diem M&IE, lodging-per-night, and the airfare/rental from your itinerary. Add any other estimated expenses: conference registration, tolls, parking, taxi, shuttle. Mark each as reimbursable via GTC, personal card, or cash. Most reimbursable expenses above a certain threshold should be charged to the GTC — split disbursement is mandatory for GTC charges.

   Watch out: Underestimating expenses is fine (you reconcile on the voucher). Overestimating by a large margin can trigger a budget review at routing. Use your best estimate.
5. 5
   Accounting — Line of Accounting (LOA) and routing

   Select the Line of Accounting (LOA) — usually pre-selected by your DTA based on your unit's fund cite. The routing list defaults to your AO (Authorizing Official). Add any required reviewers per local SOP. Save the document before signing.

   Watch out: Wrong LOA means funds get pulled from the wrong pot. The auth may route fine but the voucher will bounce at finance. If you have a choice between LOAs, ask your DTA which matches your TDY type and fiscal year.
6. 6
   STAMP SIGNED — this is the actual submit button

   Click Stamp Required → SIGNED. This digitally signs the document and sends it into the routing list. You'll see "STAMPED SIGNED" in your document status column. Routing fast = APPROVED within hours. Routing slow = days. You'll receive an email notification when the AO acts on it.

   Watch out: Clicking SAVE does NOT submit the document. It is a draft. Finance cannot see it. The AO cannot see it. Until you STAMP it SIGNED, it does not exist to anyone but you. This is the single most common reason authorizations sit in limbo.

Voucher Expenses screen

Where receipts get uploaded, GTC gets reconciled, and the ≥$75 rule bites people.

Filing the voucher — step by step

Five steps, 5-day deadline. Miss the deadline and the GTC starts accruing interest on your dime.

1. 1
   Create the voucher within 5 business days of return

   Travel home → log into DTS → find your APPROVED authorization → click Create Voucher. DTS copies the entire authorization into a voucher document; your job is to update everything with actuals. JTR requires submission within 5 business days of return for most travel. The clock starts the day you get home.

   Watch out: Late voucher submission triggers GTC delinquency consequences. The GTC bill comes due on its own schedule regardless of when you file. File immediately.
2. 2
   Update every expense with actuals and upload receipts

   Walk through every expense line and update the actual cost. Upload receipts for: every expense ≥$75 (hard requirement), every lodging receipt regardless of amount, every rental car receipt, conference registration fees, and anything else local policy requires. Accepted formats: PDF, JPG, PNG. Combine pages of a multi-page hotel folio into a single PDF if needed.

   Watch out: The most common hard stop in voucher processing: missing a receipt for an expense ≥$75. Photograph every receipt at the time of purchase. Do not leave the hotel without the final folio in hand.
3. 3
   Reconcile every line against your GTC statement

   Open your GTC online account (Access Online) and compare every charge against your DTS expense list. Every charge on the GTC should appear in DTS with "GTC" selected as the payment method. GTC charges not reconciled in DTS go unpaid by split disbursement — that means you owe Citibank personally for that amount.

   Watch out: A GTC charge that isn't in your DTS voucher is your personal liability. Reconcile every single line. If a charge doesn't match, research it before you sign.
4. 4
   Handle constructed costs if you went outside CPP or government lodging

   If you used non-contract airfare or stayed somewhere other than a GovTrip-approved hotel, DTS requires a Constructive Cost justification — documentation that your actual cost was ≤ what the government would have paid via CPP or GovTrip. Upload screenshots of the CPP fare and GovTrip lodging rate for your exact travel dates alongside your actual receipts.

   Watch out: Without constructive cost justification, finance reduces your reimbursement to the theoretical government cost — often less than what you actually paid. There is no appeal path; get the documentation at the time of travel.
5. 5
   STAMP SIGNED — routes to AO for approval → DFAS for payment

   Same as the authorization: Stamp Required → SIGNED. The voucher routes to your AO. AO approves → DFAS processes payment. Split disbursement sends GTC-marked expenses directly to Citibank and personal/cash expenses to your personal bank account — typically within 3–5 business days of AO approval.

   Watch out: If the voucher comes back "STAMPED RETURNED," open the document and read the AO's comments. Fix the specific issue, re-sign. Do not create a new voucher. Do not assume the AO will fix anything on their end.

The SIGNED vs SAVED problem

The hotel folio problem

Most hotels offer express checkout — a receipt slipped under your door or emailed to you that says something like “Amount Due: $0.00 — Your credit card on file will be charged.” DTS will reject this document because it does not show an actual charge.

Missing Receipt Statement

When you genuinely lost a receipt for an expense ≥$75, DTS has a built-in mechanism: the Missing/Lost Receipt Statement. It's a sworn declaration — you certify under penalty of false official statement that you incurred the expense.

Constructive cost justification

When you fly outside the City Pair Program (CPP) or stay at non-government lodging, the government reimburses you only up to what it would have cost them to book through the official channels — the “constructed cost.” Without documentation, finance defaults to whatever that constructed cost was, which may be less than what you paid.

Routing / Status screen

Where your document lives in the approval pipeline — and what each colored badge means.

Status codes — what they mean, what to do

Pre-Audit Flags screen

The screen that appears when the automated rules engine catches something. Each flag has a justification box.

Pre-audit flags — all 12 with fixes

These are the automated triggers. Each one has a clear fix. Read before you file a voucher.

SABRS and finance reject codes

These happen after the AO approves — at the DFAS/SABRS accounting layer. Most require your RM or Comptroller, not you.

Escalation ladder

Work the ladder in order. Skipping levels wastes time — most issues are resolved at level 1 or 2.

Questions people actually ask

Official references

• defensetravel.dod.mil — DTS login (CAC required)
• Joint Travel Regulations (JTR) — the rule set DTS enforces
• DTMO DTS program page — manuals, training, system news
• DFAS Customer Care — for voucher-payment delays (1-888-332-7411)