DTS voucher errors have gotten complicated with all the lodging rate mismatches, provided meal deduction requirements, and mileage calculation discrepancies flying around. As someone who submitted a voucher from a 3-day conference with breakfast provided each morning without deducting the breakfast portion — and had the approver catch it, the voucher returned, and the correction take another week to process — I learned exactly where the errors cluster and how to prevent them. Today I will share it all with you.
Why Voucher Errors Are So Common
DTS is a system designed to enforce regulatory compliance at every step, which means the rules that cause voucher rejections are built into the system itself. Most errors fall into a small number of categories that repeat across travelers: expense amounts that don’t match authorizations, missing receipts for required items, improper mileage calculations, and provided meal deductions that weren’t applied.
The Most Common Rejection: Lodging Rate Mismatch
If the lodging amount on your authorization doesn’t match what you actually paid, DTS flags it. If you paid less than the ceiling, enter the actual amount. If you paid more than the ceiling, you need either an Actual Expense Allowance authorization or you’ll absorb the difference. The mismatch error typically occurs when a traveler enters the ceiling amount rather than the actual amount. That’s what makes the actual-amount requirement endearing to approvers — DTS wants what you paid, not what you were allowed to pay.
Provided Meal Deductions
If a meal was provided at no cost to you — a conference breakfast, a government-catered lunch, a working dinner — you must deduct that meal’s M&IE portion from your daily total. DTS has a “provided meals” field specifically for this. I’m apparently someone who submitted a voucher from a 3-day conference with breakfast provided each morning without deducting the breakfast portion — the approver caught it, the voucher was returned, and the correction took another week to process.
Mileage Errors
Mileage between points in DTS is calculated using a government mapping tool, not Google Maps or your odometer. The DTS mileage figure is what gets reimbursed regardless of what your GPS showed. Before departure, verify the DTS mileage for your specific route so you know what to expect. For POV travel where the government mapping tool’s route is significantly shorter than the route you’ll actually drive, document the reason for the discrepancy.
Fixing a Rejected Voucher
Probably should have led with this, honestly: when a voucher is returned for correction, read the DTS comment carefully and fix only the flagged item. Over-correcting — changing amounts or dates that weren’t flagged — introduces new errors and restarts the review clock. Make the specific correction, reattach any supporting documentation, and resubmit. The faster you resubmit, the faster you get paid — DTS vouchers can wait in returned status for weeks if the traveler doesn’t notice the rejection message.
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