This article provides instructions for Government Travel Charge Card (GTCC) cardholders in reducing travel card payment delinquencies.
Cardholders are responsible for using their Travel Card in accordance with policy, including use of split disbursement and ensuring payment in full of their current and past due balances no later than the Citibank statement due date for both temporary duty (TDY) and permanent change of station (PCS) travel.
Overview
To help ensure that GTCC delinquencies are kept to a minimum, cardholders are reminded of the following GTCC policies:
Travel card delinquencies have risen sharply over the past several years, more than doubling pre-pandemic amounts. This is especially true for long-term delinquencies which remain unpaid at 151 or more days after the date of the billing statement. Delinquent payments have a negative impact on the Department’s ability to accomplish its travel mission and on the individual traveler/cardholder.
Travel card accounts that are delinquent are suspended from use, necessitating travelers’ use of personal funds.
Delinquent accounts are reported to cardholders’ supervisors and leadership, and Citibank can implement salary offsets to collect on long-term delinquent accounts. Longer-term delinquencies, when reaching 210 days past due, are written off by Citibank. Citibank then issues the cardholder an IRS form 1099, with the amount reported as taxable income.
Cardholder Guidance
- Pay your bill on time and in full, using split disbursement to pay from your travel voucher and any additional direct payments as necessary. This is mandatory for TDY and PCS travel.
- On your travel vouchers, calculate the dollar amount that was charged to your GTCC to be paid directly to Citibank.
- The Federal Travel Regulation and DoD Financial Management Regulation require voucher submission within five working days of completion of TDY or arrival at the new permanent duty station for PCS travel.
- Use your travel card for authorized travel expenses only; the card is not authorized for personal use. Unauthorized/personal use of the GTCC is prohibited and is reported to cardholder supervisors and leadership.
- For long-term travel, both TDY and PCS, ensure you submit interim vouchers for each 30-day increment of travel. For DTS, the scheduled partial payments capability meets this requirement.
- Ensure you complete mandatory and, as necessary, refresher training regarding usage policies and payment responsibilities. Cardholder training is available on TraX.
- Coordinate with your Agency Program Coordinator (APC) to ensure the personal information for your account (address, phone number, email, etc.) is up to date; this will ensure billing statements are sent to the correct address and that Citibank can contact you as needed.
- Coordinate with your APC for access to CitiManager, which allows you to access and update your account information online. You can also access your billing statement, make payments, and sign up for alerts to remind you when a payment is due (or overdue) and verification that a payment has been received. You can likewise use the CitiManager mobile app to perform many of these same functions on the go.
- Review your monthly billing statement immediately upon receipt and ensure payment of all valid charges no later than the due date indicated on the statement. Dispute any invalid charges with Citibank within 60 days of receipt of your billing statement.
- Respond immediately to notifications from your APC and/or supervisor regarding delinquency notices or other program information.
Avoid the consequences of delinquency, which include but are not limited to: Counseling/reprimand or other administrative actions, Article 15 (for Military members), termination of the travel card account, additional late fees, and Salary Offset enrollment and fees.
For additional information, refer to the GTCC Program Cardholder information on the DTMO website, which includes an abbreviated Cardholder Edition of the of the GTCC Regulations.