IDT Travel Reimbursement For Guard and Reserves
Julie Provost
Idt travel reimbursement and tax deduction for national guard and reserves.
For soldiers in the Reserves and National Guard, the cost of traveling to and from Inactive Duty Training (IDT) every month can add up. Many live long distance from where their unit is located, some even traveling by plane for drill. It is not always easy to transfer units, as some military occupational specialties (MOS) have limited available slots. Since Reservists and those in the National Guard often need to work full-time civilian jobs, this may require them to move from where they originally enlisted or from where they had found an available MOS slot.
Who Gets Reimbursed for IDT/Drill Travel Costs?
For those in the Reserves, each branch and unit may have different rules for travel reimbursement. Below are some travel reimbursement resources for each branch, but be sure to check with your individual unit before submitting any requests. For all IDT outside of the normal commuting distance, or 150 miles, the maximum allowed reimbursement authorized by the DOD is $500.00. This was increased in 2018 from $300.00. (See the DOD memo PDF with the updated changes here .)
- Air Force Reserves : You can find detailed information on qualifications, as well as submit your travel reimbursement request here . This link also includes voucher processing status updates, travel guides, details on booking flights, and contact information.
- Army Reserves : I was unable to find more specific resources for IDT reimbursement. The Defense Finance and Accounting Service (DFAS) provides reimbursements and travel voucher submissions for Permanent Change of Station (PCS) and Temporary Duty Travel (TDY), but makes no mention of IDT. I would recommend checking with your unit, as the maximum of $500.00 round trip reimbursement should still apply, if you qualify.
- USMC Reserves : Eligibility details, including eligible ranks and MOS, authorized exceptions, detailed reimbursement guidelines, and contact information is available here for the 2020 Fiscal Year.
- Navy Reserves : There is no reimbursement for travel from a member’s permanent residence to their permanent IDT location. Reimbursement is available for IDT assigned at alternate locations, and the allowance limitations are detailed in this PDF .
- Coast Guard Reserves : Members and officers are not authorized a substance allowance for travel to and from their normal IDT site. The PDF, including contact information and other references, for this information can be found here , updated April 2020.
As stated above, I was not able to find specific resources or information for IDT reimbursement for those in the Army, and this of course applies to those in the National Guard. In contrast to the Reserves, the National Guard is state-run, and therefore may have even more variance between units regarding reimbursement rules and eligibility.
What If I’m Not Eligible or Never Receive a Reimbursement?
Ideally every soldier would be paid within a reasonable time for thier travel costs, but for various reasons this may not be the case. You also may not be eligible, for example if you live outside the 150-mile radius, or you may not want to deal with the potential hassle of sending in reimbursement requests. In any of these situations, you should be deducting travel costs from your taxes.
What National Guard/Reserve Travel Costs Can I Deduct From My Taxes?
According to the IRS , for those in the National Guard and Reserves, in order to deduct travel expenses from your taxes your expenses must not be reimbursed, travel must be overnight, and your destination must be more than 100 miles from your home. Expenses that qualify must be “ordinary and necessary,” and these may include:
- Air, car, train, bus, or car travel from your home and your business destination
- Baggage shipping
- Driving your car or rental while at your business destination
- Non-entertainment-related meals
- Dry cleaning and laundry
- Any tips associated with the above expenses
- The IRS also lists “other similar ordinary and necessary expenses related to your business travel”
National Guard and Reservists’ travel tax deductions are limited to the regular federal per diem rate for lodging, meals, and incidental expenses (you can find per diem rates here for each state and city). Deductions are also limited to the standard mileage rate for car expenses (the 2019 standard mileage rate for business use is 0.58 per mile ), plus parking fees and tolls.
RELATED: Basic Training for Taxes for Military
How Do I Claim These Expenses?
In order to claim these expenses, you will need to fill out the IRS Form 2106, and detailed instructions for this form are located here . You will also need to report these on Form 1040 or 1040-SR as an adjustment to income.
Do I Have to Keep Records of My Expenses?
As with any source of income or deductible expenses, you should keep all receipts of purchase and prepare a written record of all deductions. This PDF published by the IRS gives detailed recordkeeping guidelines in Chapter 5, page 24. It also gives further detailed information on business related travel expenses, non-entertainment-related meals, gifts, and transportation.
List of Resources
- DOD memo from 2018 increasing maximum travel reimbursements: Link
- Air Force Reserves Travel Resource: Link
- USMC Reserves IDT Travel Resource: Link
- Navy Reserves Order Processing and Travel Arrangements: Link
- Coast Guard Reserves IDT Subsistence Allowance: Link
- IRS, Topic No. 511 Business Travel Expenses: Link
- IRS, Form 2106 Instructions: Link
- IRS, Travel, Gift, and Car Expenses Publication: Link
- Federal Per Diem Rates: Link
- The Defense Travel System (DTS): An Overview
- Space A Travel: Everything You Need To Know
- National Guard Benefits Access Enabled With Extended Orders
About the author
Julie Provost is a freelance writer, and blogger. She lives in Tennessee with her National Guard husband and three boys.
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DFAS is committed to making its information and communication technology accessible to individuals with disabilities in accordance with Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended in 1998 (Section 794d of Title 29, United States Code). For persons with disabilities experiencing difficulties accessing content on a particular DFAS ...
Completing your Travel Voucher (DD Form 1351-2) IMPORTANT: It is essential to read your travel authorizations/orders prior to travel to know what you are authorized. Failure to do so may result in additional expenses that will not be reimbursed. What Type of Travel Am I On? The type of travel you're performing may impact how you complete your ...
If you're a DoD employee using a CAC enabled computer securely connected to the DoD VPN, you can check the status of your travel voucher by using the Travel Voucher Payment Status Tool here. Contact the DFAS Customer Care Center at 1-888-332-7411 options 4, 1. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) Return to Army TDY Homepage
Make sure you use the May 2011 version of the DD1351-2 travel voucher form! Use the SmartVoucher interactive application to fill our your travel voucher, DD Form 1351-2. SmartVoucher makes it easy for military members to complete their TDY vouchers. However, do not use if your voucher is processed in the Defense Travel System (DTS).
Military personnel are required to designate a payment that equals the total of their outstanding government travel card balance to the GTCC contractor. NOTE: A split disbursement is only necessary when a GTCC is used while on official travel for the Government. 2. NAME (Last, First, Middle Initial) (Print or type) 3.
DTS Guide 3: Vouchers April 03, 2024 Defense Travel Management Office 3 travel.dod.mil Chapter 1: Vouchers Introduction A voucher is a claim for reimbursement of actual expenses you* incurred and payment of allowances you earned while you were TDY. Once you complete your trip, DoD policy mandates travel voucher submission
Get your Permanent Change of Station (PCS) travel voucher paid faster. Once you submit one PCS SV, your next voucher will be even easier to prepare. Streamlin. e. the . PCS Voucher . Process ... the Army please call DFAS Customer Care Center at 1-888-332-7366 or sub-mit your question online at AskDFAS (Ask Travel Pay at https:// ...
DTS provides information to financial systems to provide the reimbursement of travel expenses incurred by individuals while traveling on official business. DTS includes a tracking and reporting system whereby DoD can monitor the authorization, obligation, and payment for such travel. ROUTINE USE: To Federal and private entities providing travel ...
Travelers and unit travel clerks are able to: Determine the status of an authorization or voucher at any time. DTS allows the traveler, if authorized, to select the Line of Accounting (LOA) to which his or her travel expenses will be charged. However, DTS is not an official accounting system. DTS can check travel targets loaded in the budget ...
Save time at the airport and find out how you can participate for free. Access the Joint Travel Regulations and other travel policies. Featuring the best practices in industry and plug-and-play components, Defense Travel System streamlines the entire process involved in global Department of Defense (DoD) travel.
With SmartVoucher, Soldiers can attach orders, amendments, leave forms and other supporting documents. They can also sign forms electronically, which route to Army Military Pay Offices for review. SmartVoucher makes it easy to complete travel vouchers by guiding you step-by-step through a series of questions then it creates a completed DD Form ...
Electronically sign the SmartVoucher in the View/Print tab and select Submit Travel Voucher. This will send a copy of the voucher to your new . A. MPO for their review. If you make any errors, the . A. MPO or DFAS. Rome Travel Office will return the voucher to you in SmartVoucher, so watch your e-mail for any follow-on. messages.
DFAS streamlines payment process for Army PCS moves. GRAFENWOEHR, Germany, April 27, 2022 - U.S. Army PCS travelers can now use the DFAS SmartVoucher tool to quickly and easily complete their travel vouchers. This streamlined process allows Soldiers to get their travel expenses paid faster. The SmartVoucher is a web-based tool that guides ...
yourself and your travel (and your dependents (as applicable)). Your responses to these questions help to populate your DD1351-2 and other necessary forms. The tool prompts travelers to upload supporting documents that will be securely and electronically submitted with your travel voucher. Where is SmartVoucher located?
In accordance with Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended, (29 U.S.C. 794d), DFAS is committed to ensuring that AskDFAS functionality and content is accessible to all customers. Send feedback or concerns related to the accessibility of this website to the DFAS 508 coordinator at: [email protected].
Below are some travel reimbursement resources for each branch, but be sure to check with your individual unit before submitting any requests. For all IDT outside of the normal commuting distance, or 150 miles, the maximum allowed reimbursement authorized by the DOD is $500.00. This was increased in 2018 from $300.00.
US Army Corps of Engineers Finance Center. An official website of the United States government Here's how you know Official websites use .mil ... Travel Voucher or Subvoucher. Link to DD Form 1351-2, May 2011. Contact Us. Accounts Payable Branch 901-873-9077 Accounts Receivable/ Debt Management Branch
1. Locate the airfare travel invoice that was emailed from Carlson Wagonlit/SATO prior to travel. See example below. Failure to upload the correct document will delay your reimbursement. 2. Gather all other receipts reimbursement will be requested for. Scan them and save as a PDF to thedesktop. 1. TAXI (tips are not reimbursable) 2.
Army Military permanent change of station (PCS) travelers are now able to use SmartVoucher to easily complete their travel vouchers and securely submit their DD 1351-2 and any supporting documentation electronically. (See full list of voucher types below.) In addition to traditional PCS Vouchers, Soldiers are able to use SmartVoucher for the following:
The mileage rate is $0.665, so your reimbursement for one direction is 50 miles - 30 miles = 20 miles x $0.665 = $13.10 (Figure 4-7a). Figure 4-7a: Mileage Expense Screen - From Residence. If your Start Location is Duty Station, just enter the total Miles driven. DTS calculates the mileage (Figure 4-7b).
Submit your travel voucher packages via email to [email protected] or mail to: DFAS-IN/Casualty Travel (JFA) 8899 E. 56th St. Indianapolis, IN 46249. If you need assistance, contact Casualty Travel Customer Service by phone at 317-212-3562 (DSN 699-3562) or email dfas.indianapolis-in.jfa.mbx.casualty ...
During in-processing your Soldier will complete finance inprocessing packet and will be sent to the Smart Voucher Lab to complete a Smart Voucher for travel reimbursements. Funds are direct deposited in 10 days to GTCC or bank account. Finance documents for In-processing: 1 copy PCS Orders, with Amendments. 1 copy DA 31/ Absence Request (Leave ...
Home MilitaryMembers travelpay travelvoucherdirect. Upload your travel voucher and supporting documents online! Travel Voucher Direct is available for all travel claims computed and paid by DFAS. Not for those using DTS (Defense Travel System) for their travel vouchers. The official website of the Defense Finance Accounting Service (DFAS)