DLA Calculator

Dislocation Allowance is authorized under 37 U.S.C. § 477 to partially reimburse the household-relocation expenses of a Permanent Change of Station that are not otherwise reimbursed. The rate table is published by the Department of Defense Per Diem, Travel, and Transportation Allowance Committee (PDTATAC). For Calendar Year 2026, PDTATAC published a 3.8% increase over the CY2025 Primary table — the same percentage as the 2026 basic-pay raise. JTR Chapter 5, section 0505 governs the entitlement; the CY2026 rate table was published on December 31, 2025 (UTD for MAP 72-25(I), effective January 1, 2026).

How it pays out. Full DLA is paid as a one-time lump sum, not spread across the move period. If no advance is requested, it settles with the travel-voucher disbursement after the member files the DD 1351-2 at the gaining installation. Members who have already paid moving expenses out of pocket can request an advance of DLA through their servicing finance office — advances may be issued up to 30 days before travel (DoD FMR Vol. 9, Ch. 6, para. 6.3).

DLA is non-taxable. Under 26 U.S.C. § 134, qualified military benefits including DLA are excluded from federal gross income and do not appear on the W-2. That makes each DLA dollar worth more than a dollar of taxable pay — for a member in the 22% federal bracket, the $3,548.02 E-1–E-6 with-dependent rate delivers what roughly $4,549 of taxable wages would ($3,548.02 ÷ 0.78).

Dual-military couples. The one-DLA rule turns on dwellings, not duty stations. Under JTR paragraph 050506 and Table 5-11, only one DLA is paid when the couple occupied the same dwelling at the old PDS and occupies the same dwelling at the new PDS — and the couple may select the greater of the two allowances. If they occupied separate dwellings at either end, each member is generally paid a DLA at his or her own rate; where both members have a dependent, the second with-dependent DLA is payable only if it can be conclusively shown that separate households are necessary (JTR Table 5-11, rows 12-14). The dwelling test can produce a surprise for dual-military couples: both spouses hold PCS orders that look entitled to DLA, but only one payment lands.

Partial DLA — the local-move case. JTR paragraph 050508 requires Partial DLA at a fixed flat amount ($1,002.71 for CY2026 per the DTMO DLA rate table) when a member is ordered to occupy or vacate government quarters due to privatization, renovation, or any other reason for the Government's convenience — the payment is mandatory, not discretionary. It is not payable for a PCS, for a voluntary move, for a move from privatized housing to privatized housing, for a local move upon separation or retirement, for a bedroom-requirement or family-size change made for the member's convenience (including promotion), for a pending divorce or family separation, for member misconduct, or for a move between unaccompanied housing units. Because these moves happen without PCS orders, the entitlement is easy to miss. Members ordered to occupy or vacate quarters without a PCS should ask their finance office whether JTR par. 050508 applies.

Retirement-orders DLA. The final move on separation or retirement does not pay DLA — JTR par. 050509-B excludes the move from the last PDS to home or the place from which called to active duty. Retiring members executing the final move should not budget for DLA. They are still entitled to travel and transportation allowances — including MALT and per diem — on the final move under JTR section 0510 (Retirement and Separation).

Authorities: 37 U.S.C. § 477 (Travel and transportation allowances: dislocation allowance); 26 U.S.C. § 134 (Certain military benefits); Joint Travel Regulations Chapter 5, section 0505 (paragraphs 050501-050509); DoD FMR Volume 9, Chapter 6; PDTATAC UTD for MAP 72-25(I), effective 01 January 2026.