U.S. Department of the Treasury

DATE: June 22, 2026

SUBJECT: Delegation of Authority to Approve Travel

1. PURPOSE. This Directive establishes policies, assigns responsibilities, and delegates authorities for approving and conducting official travel within the Department of the Treasury (“Department”), to ensure consistency, accountability, fiscal stewardship, and compliance with Federal Travel Regulation (FTR) and other applicable laws and directives.
2. SCOPE.  This Directive applies to all bureaus, offices, and organizations in the Department of the Treasury, excluding the Offices of Inspector General. The provisions of this Directive shall not be construed to interfere with or impede the authorities or independence of the Offices of Inspector General. This Directive applies to all official travel authorized and funded by Treasury, including domestic and international travel. This Directive does not apply to:
   1. Contractor travel funded under a contract governed by the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR);
   2. Permanent-change-of-station (PCS) or relocation travel;
   3. Any travel approved in accordance with the processes and approval thresholds outlined in Treasury Directive (TD) 12-70, “Policy and Guidance for Conference Approval, Planning, and Reporting,” does not require additional or duplicate Assistant Secretary for Management (ASM) approval under this Directive. This includes travel approved by the Bureau Head, ASM, Deputy Secretary, or Secretary, as applicable, based on the total conference cost threshold established in TD 12-70; and,
   4. Any travel approved in accordance with Non-Federal Source travel.
3. POLICY. It is the policy of the Department that:
   1. Travel must be conducted in a cost-effective, transparent, and compliant manner consistent with the FTR and other applicable guidance;
   2. Travel must be approved prior to incurring any related expenses;
   3. Travel shall be authorized only when it is essential to the Department’s mission and cannot be effectively accomplished through alternative means. All travel authorizations must include a clear justification that demonstrates alignment with mission objectives and proper use of public funds;
   4. Premium-economy, business-class, and first-class travel shall not be authorized, unless the conditions specified in Section 5(a) are met; and,
   5. Bureaus shall maintain internal controls to ensure compliance with applicable travel policies.
4. RESPONSIBILITIES.
   1. The Assistant Secretary for Management (ASM) establishes Treasury-wide travel policy and maintains oversight of all travel-related delegations.
   2. The Deputy Assistant Secretary Management and Budget maintains policy oversight and assists bureaus with implementation.
   3. Heads of bureaus must ensure compliance with this Directive within their organizations and maintain proper documentation of travel approvals. Additionally, the Bureaus shall:
      1. 1) Use Treasury Department Form (TD F) 70-02.6, First-Class and Business-Class Travel Request and Authorization, for internal review and approval of requests for First-Class and Business-Class travel. The approved first-class and business-class form must be attached to the traveler’s corresponding travel authorization and travel voucher. Requests for business-class or first-class travel must include written justification citing the applicable FTR exception and must be submitted for review and approval prior to ticket issuance; bona fide emergencies require retroactive justification within five business days.
      2. 2) Establish processes for reviewing and approving travel.
   4. Employees/travelers must comply with all travel authorization requirements and maintain accurate records in accordance with the FTR.
      1. 1) Employees may voluntarily upgrade to business-class, first-class, or other premium accommodations without prior approval when using personal funds, frequent-flyer miles, loyalty-program status, or upgrade certificates, provided that no additional cost is incurred by the Government and only the authorized Government fare is claimed on the travel voucher. Travelers are responsible for ensuring such upgrades are clearly documented as personal and that no reimbursement is claimed for the additional cost or associated fees.
   5. Treasury Common Services Center operates the Treasury travel program, which includes responsibility for:
      1. 1) System Administration – Managing access and updates to the electronic travel system;
      2. 2) Program Operations – Operating the Travel Management Center to support travelers;
      3. 3) Approval Process Management – Coordinating and issuing guidance around the process for obtaining ASM and above approval for individual travel requests; and,
      4. 4) Reporting and Oversight – Preparing quarterly reports for the Deputy Secretary covering travel across the Bureau and providing the reports to the Treasury Policy team for review. These reports are intended to support financial oversight and compliance monitoring and should provide a comprehensive overview of travel activity, including at a minimum:
         1. a) Total travel expenditures;
         2. b) Spend trends over time;
         3. c) Travel volume by office; and,
         4. d) Identification of notable variances, anomalies, or patterns
5. APPROVAL. 
   1. Heads of bureaus (or designees) may approve domestic and international travel for their respective organizations within the limits established below. Bureaus may re-delegate this authority at lower internal thresholds, but not higher than those authorized in this Directive. Heads of bureaus may approve:
      1. 1) Travel below $5,000 per person to facilitate:
         1. a) Audits and examinations of financial institutions;
         2. b) Bureau executive leadership site visits, town halls, and operational reviews;
         3. c) Case work for examiners, analysts, field agents or investigators, Revenue Officers, and Appeals Officers, and Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) case monitoring (compliance and enforcement activities);
         4. d) Coin shows;
         5. e) Criminal law enforcement tasks, including support to law enforcement agencies and law enforcement task forces;
         6. f) Delivering training to industry, including Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) Exchange events;
         7. g) Matters related to facilities and property, including those related to building decommissioning or transfer of services, security reviews, and inspections;
         8. h) IT and equipment inspection, testing, repair, and maintenance;
         9. i) Mandatory in-person meetings with staff (labor relations, offboarding, no permanent staffing, etc.);
         10. j) Manufacturing and supplier related (inspection of materials, acceptance testing, etc.);
         11. k) Participation in meetings and activities at the request of members of the Intelligence Community;
         12. l) Reimbursable travel;
         13. m) Stakeholder engagement meetings between bureaus and other entities, including working groups, public engagement sessions with groups representing taxpayers, and meetings with banking groups;
         14. n) Addressing staffing shortages at Taxpayer Assistance Centers and other face-to-face engagements with taxpayer groups; or,
         15. o) Training.
      2. 2) IRS Criminal Investigations when conducting criminal law enforcement tasks, including support to law enforcement agencies and law enforcement task forces, regardless of amount, including when the total cost of travel for any individual is $5,000 or more.
      3. 3) Litigation, criminal and civil cases, EEO hearings, and related proceedings, regardless of amount, including when the total cost of travel for any individual is $5,000 or more or when groups of more than six travelers are required to travel.
      4. 4) Travel of the Department of the Treasury attachés and other similarly situated employees.
      5. 5) First-Class or Business-Class Air Travel when the fare differential between the comparable coach-class fare and requested fare is less than $2,000.
      6. 6) Premium-economy (Enhanced Coach) Travel when the fare is within the coach-class category as defined by FTR §§301-10.100 through 301-10.103 and when such accommodations are justified by mission needs, scheduling, or traveler comfort on long-duration flights. Premium-economy seats that remain categorized by the carrier as “coach” or “economy” do not constitute other-than-coach-class travel and therefore may be approved by bureau officials with normal travel-authorization authority.
   2. Travel not matching a category described in 5(a) must be approved by the ASM. This includes:
      1. 1) All travel for political appointees (following ASM approval, travel by Under Secretaries and Assistant Secretaries (or equivalent) will be routed for Deputy Secretary approval);
      2. 2) Speaking engagements that involve travel;
      3. 3) All travel involving engagements with senior level foreign counterparts;
      4. 4) First-Class or Business-Class Air Travel when the fare differential between the comparable coach-class fare and requested fare is $2,000 or more;
      5. 5) When the total cost of travel for any individual traveler is $5,000 or more;
      6. 6) Authorization or approval for group travel for more than six employees, regardless of cost;
      7. 7) Authorization or approval for intergovernmental (outside Treasury) coordination or working group meetings, regardless of cost;
      8. 8) When travel for more than six employees is required to support internal meetings or internal working groups; and,
      9. 9) Authorization or approval for travel to luxury or exotic locations, or to any location designated as Level 3 (Reconsider Travel) or Level 4 (Do Not Travel) on the U.S. Department of State’s travel Advisories.
6. REDELEGATION.  Authority delegated under this Directive may be redelegated consistent with Treasury Order 101-05. Redelegations must be documented in writing, retained for audit purposes, and reviewed annually by the Bureau CFO or travel program manager.
7. AUTHORITIES.  
   1. Federal Travel Regulation (41 CFR Chapters 300–304)
   2. Treasury Order 101-05, “Reporting Relationships and Supervision of Officials, Offices and Bureaus, and Delegation of Certain Authority in the Department of the Treasury”
8. REFERENCES.
   1. Treasury Directive 12-24, “Delegation of Authority to Accept Payment from Non-Federal Sources for Travel Expenses”
   2. Treasury Directive 12-70, “Policy and Guidance for Conference Approval, Planning, and Reporting”
9. CANCELLATION.  Treasury Directive 74-13, "Premium-Class Travel," dated, March 21, 2008, is superseded. This Directive supersedes any previous Treasury or Bureau-level memoranda or delegations governing travel-approval authority that are inconsistent with these provisions.
10. OFFICE OF PRIMARY INTEREST.  Office of the Assistant Secretary for Management.