Palin must reimburse the state within 120 days, according to a settlement agreement filed by a special investigator hired by the Alaska Personnel Board to investigate an ethics complaint filed against her.

The exact amount will be determined by the Alaska Department of Administration, said Palin's attorney, Thomas Van Flein. He estimated the amount would be USD 6,800.

There is no state law prohibiting the governor's family from travelling with her and the personnel board found no wrongdoing on the part of the governor. But the investigator, Timothy Petumenos, interpreted the Alaska Executive Branch Ethics Act to require that state only pay if the first family serves an important state interest.

Petumenos said "some of the travel raised by the Complaint does not meet this standard," according to the agreement.

Van Flein said 72 travel authorizations were studied, with nine found to be of questionable state interest.