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[Claim for Reimbursement of Travel Expenses]

B-208791 Jan 24, 1983
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Highlights

An advance decision was requested concerning whether an Internal Revenue Service (IRS) employee on temporary duty spanning a weekend could be reimbursed on a comparative cost basis for weekend travel expenses from his temporary duty station to a location other than his headquarters or place of abode. While on temporary duty, the employee would travel to his parents' residence on the weekends. He claimed travel expenses for the weekends based on the average cost of the whole days spent at his temporary duty station. IRS disallowed his claim for transportation expenses in accordance with IRS procedures which prohibit payment of transportation for personal trips. He was allowed the cost of a meal enroute, but since he stayed with relatives, he claimed no other subsistence expenses during the weekends. Under Federal Travel Regulations, an employee on temporary duty may voluntarily return on nonworkdays to his duty station or place of abode and be reimbursed for transportation and per diem or actual expenses; however an employee may not be reimbursed transportation expenses on a comparative cost basis unless he returns to his duty station or place of abode. Since the regulations do not provide for reimbursement for such transportation costs, nor contemplate prorated reimbursement based on comparative cost-savings, there is no authority under which the employee's claim may be allowed. Accordingly, the payment of the claim was not authorized.

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