Travel and Expense Management (TEMS)

Each agency has their own process for granting or modifying access and roles in TEMS. Only users with the “Administrator” role can grant or modify user profiles in TEMS. OFM can assist an agency administrators with questions. To find your agency administrator or Help Desk click on the link titled “Find your Agency Administrator or Travel Help Desk” under Reference Materials on this page.

Once a user ID is created, TEMS will not allow the same user ID to be added to another agency. Email HereToHelp@ofm.wa.gov and ask for all previous user ID’s for the employee, then compare and add a different user ID with at least one character changed.

Possible suggestions: Lastname.Firstname.MiddleName or Lastname.Firstname

Use the “Forgot password” link at the Logon screen for TEMS. If you do not receive an email with a temporary password, contact your agency administrator and ask them to check your email address in your TEMS profile.

Password must:

Be at least eight characters long
Contain a special character such as ! # $ % ( ) * + , – . / : ; = ? @ [ ] { } ^ _ | ~
Contain two of the following three items:
An upper case letter
A lower case letter
A number
Cannot contain your first name or your last name

This error message is misleading as TEMS does not actually lock users out. Please access TEMS using the “Login” link under System access on this page and not a bookmarked favorite. From there, use the “Forgot Password” link to reset your password.

To request reimbursement for your business travel, create one or more “trips” for travel expenses, next attach those trips to a “reimbursement request” and route that request for approval and payment. Step-by-Step instructions are available in the “TEMS Reference Guide” under the Reference Materials portion on this page.

Mileages are provided for most of the Washington cities in the Location drop-down list. When TEMS is unable to provide the point-to-point mileage calculation, either the “From” or “To” location or both are not in the systems database.

Once trips and reimbursement requests are saved, they cannot be deleted from TEMS. However, saved trips and reimbursement requests may be inactivated by you, as the Requestor, or by your Preparer (if one has been assigned to your profile).

Travel requests are processed by your agency. Please contact your agency help desk or administrator. To find your agency administrator or Help Desk click on the link titled “Find your Agency Administrator or Travel Help Desk” under Reference Materials on this page.

Modifications to reimbursement request and attached trips can only be done in the Review tab. Once the reimbursement request is sent to batch, it is in read only format. If modifications need to be made to the reimbursement request when it is in the Batch tab, it must be sent back to the Review tab.

This usually indicates that someone was in the batch and closed by using the “X” instead of exiting out properly and it is now locked. Wait 30 to 60 minutes and try again. It should unlock after that time. If not, please contact the OFM Help Desk at: HereToHelp@ofm.wa.gov.

Follow the below suggestions and if the issue continues, contact the OFM Help Desk at: HereToHelp@ofm.wa.gov.

1) Ensure you are using Microsoft Edge or Google Chrome. TEMS only works properly with these two browsers and no longer works in Internet Explorer.
Note: Agencies that have put Edge into compatibility mode for TEMS will need to remove this rule. TEMS no longer works in compatibility mode in Edge (as of January 10, 2022).

2) Work with your agencies IT to delete your browsing history or clear your cache.