Policy Reminder – Reporting an Airline Refund in eTravel for a Cancelled Fare

Travelers should only claim the used portion of their airfare when a credit or refund has been issued. Under Section 8-3.5.1.3 of Handbook F-15, Travel and Relocation Handbook, travelers should process this claim by itemizing the refunded part as a personal expense within eTravel. This is also true for any hotel credits. The example below details the steps required to complete the claim in eTravel.

Your original airfare totals $400 roundtrip and you receive a $250 credit for the cancelled return flight. The used portion of your trip is $150. To claim the used portion in eTravel, follow these steps:

1. Pull the original transaction for $400 from the Company Card page into your eTravel report and open the expense.

2. Select “Itemize” to claim the $150 that was actually used. “Airfare” would still be used as the Expense Type for the itemization entry.

3. When you have completed entering the $150 used portion of the airfare, select “Save” and Go to “Itemization List”. This list will show the total expense, itemized amount, and remaining balance.

4. Select “Add” to create another itemization for the $250 credit. “Airfare” is the Expense type.

5. After you have completed all the entries, you must check the box next to Personal Expense (do not reimburse me). Under the Comments, enter a remark stating that this portion of the airfare was refunded. Your itemized balance should be zero.

For more information on refund/expense entries, refer to the links below to the eTravel Travelhelp webpage at: http://blue.usps.gov/travelhelp/faq_expense.htm.

Handbook F-15 is available on the Postal Service PolicyNet website:

n Go to http://blue.usps.gov.

n Under “Essential Links” in the left-hand column, click PolicyNet.

n On the PolicyNet page, click HBKs.

(The direct URL for the Postal Service PolicyNet website is http://blue.usps.gov/cpim.)

— Corporate Accounting,
Controller, 12-27-12