Key terms
About TLE
What is TLE?
Partially reimburses lodging and meal expenses while you occupy temporary lodging during a PCS. Covers the gap between leaving your old home and moving into your new one.
Duration (CONUS vs OCONUS)
CONUS: up to 21 days (increased from 14 days effective Nov 27, 2024). OCONUS: is capped at 7 days total and only covers CONUS endpoints — at an OCONUS station you use TLA (Temporary Lodging Allowance) instead. Split between old and new CONUS duty station at your discretion.
21 days TLE — how the 21-day rule works
The CONUS limit is 21 days of TLE per PCS (JTR par. 0506). DoD added 7 days to the previous 14-day limit effective 27 November 2024. You can use the days at the losing station, the gaining station, or both, but the total may not exceed 21, and no TLE is paid for a day you also receive PCS travel per diem. A move that touches an OCONUS station is limited to 7 days of TLE for the CONUS side only.
After TLE ends
Once you move in, your housing allowance takes over: BAH stateside (compare bases with the BAH comparison tool) or OHA overseas (the OHA calculator shows your rent ceiling by locality). High-cost CONUS areas also pay CONUS COLA from the day you report.
Percentage by family size (JTR par. 0506)
Member or 1 dependent: 65% · Member + 1 dependent (or 2 dependents): 100% · Each additional dependent 12+: +35% · Each additional dependent under 12: +25%
Key rules
Daily cap: $290 regardless of calc · Check gov't quarters first (get a non-availability confirmation number) · Can't receive TLE + PCS on the same day · Staying with friends/family: M&IE only · An advance of TLE may be paid before the move (JTR par. 050602)
Tax treatment
TLE is tax-exempt. Not subject to federal, state, or FICA. Won't appear on your W-2. Applies to all PCS travel allowances (, MALT, per diem, TLE).
Locality rates
Most locations use Standard CONUS ($113 / $68 in FY2027), but many military areas are higher — the Washington DC area and San Diego among them. Use the search above, or see every locality with this year's and last year's rate on the per diem rates by locality page. Verify on the GSA per diem lookup.
What changed
- FY2027 standard CONUS per diem is $113 lodging and $68 M&IE, in effect from October 1, 2026. Lodging was $110 in FY2026; M&IE is unchanged. Pick the rate year to price a stay on either side of the change.GSA/DTMO Standard CONUS Per Diem Rates
- FY2026 standard CONUS per diem set at $110 lodging and $68 M&IE.GSA/DTMO Standard CONUS Per Diem Rates
- CONUS TLE authority increased from 14 to 21 days per PCS (PDTATAC MAP 66-24(R)).PDTATAC MAP 66-24(R)
What this calculator assumes
- A CONUS permanent change of station. At an OCONUS station the allowance is Temporary Lodging Allowance, computed on the TLA calculator instead.
- The daily amount is actual lodging up to the locality ceiling times the family percentage, plus M&IE times the same percentage, capped at the daily limit set by regulation.
- The CONUS day limit applies per PCS and can be split between the losing and gaining stations; a day that is also an authorized travel day is paid as MALT and per diem, not TLE.
- Locality rates come from the GSA and DTMO table for the fiscal year chosen above (FY2027); where no locality rate exists the standard CONUS rate applies. A stay that crosses October 1 is paid each night at that night's rate, so price the two parts separately.
- Staying with friends or family pays M&IE only, with no lodging component.
- TLE is a non-taxable allowance, so no withholding is modeled.
What to do next
- MALT and per diem pays the drive between duty stations by the official distance.
- Dislocation Allowance is the lump sum paid on the same orders, with no receipts required.
- BAH comparison shows the housing allowance that takes over once you move in, and OHA does the same overseas.
- CONUS COLA starts on the reporting date in high-cost areas.
About this entitlement
What you need to know — straight from the regulation
What TLE covers
Temporary Lodging Expense (TLE) is a CONUS PCS allowance that partially reimburses the service member and authorized dependents for lodging and meal costs incurred when suitable permanent housing is not available at the losing or gaining duty station. It is separate from MALT mileage, per diem for travel days, and DLA.
TLE is administered under JTR Chapter 5, par. 0506; reimbursement uses the locality per diem rates published by GSA/DTMO for the fiscal year of the stay (FY2027 from October 1, 2026; the calculator also holds the previous fiscal year).
JTR Chapter 5, par. 0506
Duration and daily cap
CONUS TLE is authorized for up to 21 days per PCS, with a daily combined cap of $290 applied by this calculator per the current DoD authority (additional 7 days granted to the prior 14-day CONUS TLE effective 27 November 2024 — see DTMO announcement below).
Days may be split between the losing station (before departure) and the gaining station (after arrival). Members cannot claim TLE for days that overlap authorized travel days, which are compensated through MALT and per diem.
JTR Chapter 5, par. 0506 · DTMO "DoD authorizes additional 7 days to CONUS Temporary Lodging Expense" (27 NOV 2024)
How the daily amount is calculated
Daily TLE combines lodging reimbursement (actual cost up to locality × family percentage) and M&IE (locality × family percentage). The family-size percentage (JTR par. 050601, Table 5-17) is: member alone 65%; member + one dependent 100%; each additional dependent age 12 or older +35%; each additional dependent under 12 +25%.
The combined daily total (lodging + M&IE) is capped at $290. Members must retain itemized lodging receipts; meals are paid via the per-diem percentage and do not require receipts.
JTR par. 050601 · GSA/DTMO FY2027 Standard CONUS Per Diem
Tax treatment
TLE is a non-taxable allowance. It is not reported as wages on the W-2 and no federal, FICA, or state income tax is withheld from the TLE payment.
DoD Financial Management Regulation Vol. 7A · IRS Publication 3
Source & references
- Primary source
- GSA/DTMO Standard CONUS Per Diem Rates (FY2027); PDTATAC MAP 66-24(R) — view official publication
- Regulatory reference
- JTR Chapter 5, par. 0506
- Effective date
- October 1, 2026 (FY2027 cycle) · 21-day authority effective 27 NOV 2024
- DTMO Temporary Lodging Expense page
- https://www.travel.dod.mil/Allowances/Temporary-Lodging-Expense/
Military Toolkit is not affiliated with the Department of Defense, DFAS, DTMO, the Department of Veterans Affairs, or any government agency. Rates and rules on this page are pulled directly from the publications cited above. Always verify with your finance office, TMO, or the official rate page before making financial or planning decisions.
Stack the rest of the move
TLE is one piece of the PCS money stack. If you are weighing a do-it-yourself move, run the PPM / DITY move profit calculator before TMO books a carrier, and look up your 2026 DLA rate — Dislocation Allowance pays on top of TLE, not instead of it. Moving overseas and not sure which lodging allowance you get? Read TLE vs TLA: which one applies to your move.