Inside NASA's NSSC: How Agency Travel and Relocation Reimbursement Works

NASA's Travel Reimbursement Hub at a Glance

Every trip taken on official NASA business — whether a short hop to a neighboring facility, an extended assignment, or a full household relocation — eventually passes through the same administrative gate: the NASA Shared Services Center. The NSSC provides travel reimbursement services for all authorized agency travel, and its portfolio covers far more ground than a typical business trip.

According to the center's travel reference page, the categories it administers include domestic travel, foreign travel, local travel, Extended Temporary Duty (ETDY), and Change of Station (COS). Each carries its own rules, forms, and documentation trail, and the NSSC publishes a reference library so travelers and approving officials can locate the right procedure before, during, and after a trip.

The Five Travel Categories the NSSC Handles

Knowing which bucket an official trip falls into is the first step toward a clean voucher, because the supporting rules and rates differ by category.

• Domestic travel: official travel within the United States, supported by published domestic per diem rates.
• Foreign travel: official travel outside the United States, backed by a separate schedule of foreign per diem rates.
• Local travel: authorized travel conducted in the local area as part of agency business.
• Extended Temporary Duty (ETDY): temporary assignments that run longer than standard trips; ETDY also appears in the NSSC's mileage reimbursement guidance.
• Change of Station (COS): the relocation of a transferee, which brings its own processes, authorizations, and reimbursement forms.

Travelers moving through any of these channels are pointed first to the same foundation: the Federal Travel Regulations.

Federal Travel Regulations Anchor the Process

The NSSC's reference list opens with the Federal Travel Regulations (FTR), the baseline rulebook for federal travel and reimbursement. Alongside the FTR, the center highlights guidance on Extended TDY and taxes, domestic per diem rates, and foreign per diem rates.

Together those references answer the most common questions a traveler faces: which rate applies to a given destination, how taxes interact with a longer temporary assignment, and where the authoritative per diem figures are published. Because the FTR sits at the top of the list, it functions as the standard against which individual claims are measured.

Change of Station: Relocating an Employee and a Household

A Change of Station is not simply a longer trip. It moves an employee, and often a household, from one duty location to another, and the NSSC treats it as a distinct reimbursement program with its own submission pathway.

How COS Vouchers Are Submitted

NSSC Travel now offers an additional route through which a transferee may submit his or her vouchers. The center lays out the Change of Station process steps, and it directs travelers to review NASA's Guide to a Successful Move — one version for CONUS, meaning within the continental United States, and another for OCONUS, meaning outside it. Choosing the correct guide depends entirely on the destination of the move.

The Forms Behind a Relocation

A single relocation generates a substantial paper trail. The NSSC lists the following among the forms associated with Change of Station travel:

• OF 1012, the Change of Station form
• SF 1038, Advance of Funds Application and Account
• NF420, Service Agreement – First Duty Station Appointment
• NF513, Service Agreement and Duplicate Reimbursement Disclosure Statement, OCONUS Employment
• NF1204, Employee's Claim for Damage to, or Loss of, Personal Property Incident to Service
• NF1337, Service Agreement – Transferred Employee
• NF1338, Employee Application for Reimbursement of Expenses Incurred upon Sale or Purchase (or both) of Residence upon Change of Station
• NF1449C and NF1449O, covering persons transferred or appointed to a first duty station for CONUS and OCONUS respectively
• NF1450C and NF1450O, the CONUS and OCONUS Change of Station authorizations
• NF1500, Claim for Temporary Quarters Subsistence Expense or Temporary Quarters Subsistence Allowance Reimbursement
• NF1807, Househunting Trip Binding Decision, and NF1808, Property Management Binding Decision
• NF1810, Employee Agreement to Repay Withholding Tax Allowance (WTA)
• NF1811 and NF1812, both addressing Temporary Quarters Subsistence Allowance (TQSA), with the latter covering TQSA preceding final departure
• NF1813, Temporary Change of Station (TCS) Duplicate Reimbursement Disclosure Statement
• NF1814, TQSA Predeparture Binding Decision

The center also points travelers to Change of Station Voucher Information and Samples, GSA Smart Pay, State Tax Information, Change of Station and RITA, and step-by-step ServiceNow instructions — a reminder that a relocation touches payroll, tax withholding, and payment systems at the same time.

Taxes, Allowances, and RITA

Relocation reimbursement does not end with moving expenses. The NSSC maintains a dedicated tax thread for transferees, including the latest Taxability Change Notice, and directs travelers to information on the Relocation Income Tax Allowance, known as RITA. Forms such as the WTA repayment agreement and the duplicate reimbursement disclosure statement show how closely tax treatment and reimbursement eligibility are tied together in the COS process.

For employees reviewing an upcoming move, the practical takeaway is that tax documents should be gathered alongside travel receipts rather than after the fact.

Domestic Travel: Mileage, Per Diem, and the Final Day

Standard domestic travel is more familiar territory, but it still comes with specific reference points.

Privately Owned Vehicle Mileage

For Privately Owned Vehicle (POV) mileage reimbursement rates on Temporary Duty (TDY) and Extended Temporary Duty (ETDY) travel, NASA travelers are referred to the GSA's mileage website at gsa.gov/mileage. Because those rates are set outside the agency, travelers should confirm the current figure rather than relying on a previously used number.

When Travel Ends

NASA's domestic travel guidance also addresses the day travel ends — defined as the day a traveler returns to the PDS, home, or another authorized point. Establishing that endpoint matters because it helps determine which expenses fall inside the official travel window and which do not.

Why a Centralized Travel Office Matters

Space missions draw the headlines, but the machinery that moves people is what keeps programs staffed. By consolidating domestic, foreign, local, extended-duty, and relocation reimbursement under one roof, the NSSC gives NASA employees a single place to find regulations, per diem schedules, forms, tax notices, and submission instructions.

For anyone planning travel or preparing for a transfer, the sequence is consistent: identify the travel category, read the governing reference, collect the required forms, and file through the designated channel — whether that means a standard voucher or the dedicated Change of Station process.

This article is based on reporting by NASA. Read the original article.