STANDWATCH™ · EDUCATION · PCS & MOVING
Temporary lodging (TLE and TLA), overseas moves, the retirement and separation move, and moving after service: what the government pays for, what it does not, and where to check.
A free, plain-language 2026 guide for the parts of a military move the allowance charts skip: the hotel weeks between houses, the overseas move with a dog and a car, the one final move the government owes you when you hang it up, and the moves after that, when the orders stop coming. The core money of an active-duty PCS (DLA, MALT, per diem, PPM math, the timeline) lives in The PCS Guide; this guide picks up where that one ends. No sales pitch, no lead-selling.
Educational only, not advice. This is general information, not financial or legal advice for your situation. Rates and rules change every year and depend on your orders. The only authoritative numbers for your move come from your travel orders, your finance office, and your transportation (TMO) office. Not the government. StandWatch is a private, veteran-owned company, not affiliated with or endorsed by the DoD, the VA, or any agency. Nothing for sale here. We take no moving-company referral fees for this guide.
The rules change completely depending on why you are moving. Find your row first; it tells you which sections of this guide apply and what the government does and does not pay for.
| YOUR SITUATION | WHAT THE GOVERNMENT PAYS | READ |
|---|---|---|
| Active-duty PCS, stateside | Full move: household goods, DLA, MALT, per diem, TLE | The PCS Guide, plus Section 02 here |
| PCS overseas (OCONUS) | Full move plus TLA, POV shipment where authorized, pet allowance | Sections 02 and 03 |
| Retiring | One final move to your home of selection, with a deadline. No DLA. | Section 04 |
| Separating (ETS) | A move, but the destination rules depend on your orders. No DLA. | Section 05 |
| Veteran or family, no orders | Nothing. The move is on you, but real resources exist. | Section 06 |
The weeks between vacating one home and getting keys to the next are the most expensive stretch of most moves. Two programs partially reimburse the hotel and meal costs: TLE stateside and TLA overseas. Same idea, very different rules.
Temporary Lodging Expense partially reimburses lodging and meals while you and your dependents occupy temporary lodging at the old or new duty station during a CONUS PCS. The current rules, per the Joint Travel Regulations (JTR, section 0506):
| RULE | CURRENT (2026) |
|---|---|
| Days, CONUS to CONUS | Up to 21 days total per move (raised from 14, effective November 27, 2024), split however you need between the losing and gaining station |
| Days, headed overseas | Up to 7 TLE days on the CONUS side; the overseas side switches to TLA |
| Days, returning stateside | Up to 21 days at the CONUS station |
| Daily cap | $290 per day for the family, and lodging taxes and mandatory fees count toward that cap |
| How the daily amount works | Local per diem lodging rate (capped at what you actually paid) plus a meals percentage that scales with family size |
| Extensions | Up to 60 days at locations DoD has designated as housing-shortage areas; the housing office knows if yours qualifies |
| Receipts | Itemized, zero-balance lodging receipts are required. Screenshot confirmations do not count. |
Temporary Lodging Allowance covers the same gap at an OCONUS station. Per the Defense Travel Management Office: up to 60 days on arrival and up to 10 days on departure. Arrival TLA is approved in increments (commonly 15 days at a time), and you have to show your command you are actively hunting for permanent housing to keep drawing it. Rates ride on the overseas locality per diem, so they vary by country and city.
| TLE (CONUS) | TLA (OCONUS) | |
|---|---|---|
| Where | Stateside duty stations | Overseas duty stations |
| Max days | 21 per move (60 in shortage areas) | 60 arriving, 10 departing |
| Paid how | One voucher after the TLE period | In increments, with re-certification |
| Cap | $290 per day | Locality per diem based |
An overseas PCS runs on the same entitlements as a stateside one plus a second layer: shipping a vehicle, moving a pet across an ocean, passports, and long-term storage for whatever does not make the trip. Every piece has a clock, and most of the clocks start at 90 days out.
Overseas, your shipment typically divides into: unaccompanied baggage (a small, fast air shipment of essentials that arrives first), the main household goods shipment (surface freight, often 2 to 3 months), and non-temporary storage (NTS) at government expense for what stays behind for the tour. Some overseas locations administratively limit how much weight you can bring, especially where government housing or furnished quarters are the norm; your orders and TMO spell out the limit for your location.
When your orders authorize it, the government ships one privately owned vehicle to most overseas locations at its expense. Where shipment is not authorized (some countries restrict imports), storage of a POV at government expense may be authorized instead. The Vehicle Processing Center network (run through military surface transportation) handles turn-in and pickup; inspect the car and photograph it at both ends.
Since January 1, 2024, the JTR (paragraph 050107) authorizes reimbursement for moving one household pet (a dog or a cat) per PCS order:
| MOVE | MAX REIMBURSEMENT | WHAT COUNTS |
|---|---|---|
| CONUS PCS | $550 | Shipping fees, boarding tied to the move, hotel pet fees |
| OCONUS PCS | $2,000 | All of the above plus mandatory microchipping, rabies titer testing, quarantine fees, and destination licensing |
| High rabies-risk destination | Up to $4,000 | Only where government or commercial transport is unavailable, for orders effective after November 25, 2024, with Secretarial-level approval |
One pet per order (dual-military couples on separate orders can each claim one). Keep itemized receipts with the pet's name on them, and for transoceanic legs, use government or government-procured transportation if it is available; if it is not, get the non-availability letter before booking commercial. Coming back to the States with a dog has its own CDC rules (age, microchip, and an import form); check cdc.gov well before the flight home.
| ITEM | THE SHORT VERSION |
|---|---|
| No-fee passports | Command-sponsored family members travel on no-fee government passports, processed through the installation, not the post office. Weeks to months of lead time. |
| EFMP screening | Overseas family travel requires Exceptional Family Member Program medical screening for every dependent, even with no known conditions. It gates the orders. |
| Visas and SOFA status | Country-specific. Your gaining unit's sponsor and the installation relocation office know the current requirements. |
At an OCONUS station, BAH is replaced by the Overseas Housing Allowance (OHA, which reimburses actual rent up to a locality cap plus utilities) and many locations add an overseas cost-of-living allowance (COLA). Both are set by DTMO and move with exchange rates. TLA (Section 02) covers the hotel stretch on arrival.
Retiring members get one last government-paid move to a home of selection: anywhere in the United States you choose, no connection to your home of record required. It is a real, valuable entitlement with two traps: a deadline, and an allowance most people assume they get but do not.
| RULE | HOW IT WORKS |
|---|---|
| Destination | Any home of selection in the U.S., including Alaska and Hawaii. Moving outside the U.S. is possible, but you pay any cost above what a stateside move would have cost. |
| Deadline | For retirements effective after June 24, 2022: 3 years from the retirement date (JTR 051003). Retirements before that date carried a 1-year window. Extensions are possible through the transportation office and the Secretarial process (medical treatment, education, and substantial-benefit cases are the recognized categories). |
| Storage | Household goods can go into non-temporary storage at government expense for up to 1 year, with extension requests possible before the storage expires. When storage ends and you have already filed your final travel claim, that claim locks your home of selection. |
| What you still get | The full household goods shipment at your weight allowance, plus MALT mileage and per diem for the travel. |
| What you do NOT get | No Dislocation Allowance. The DLA statute (37 U.S.C. 477) covers moves between duty assignments, not the final move. Deposits, utility hookups, and setup costs come out of pocket. Budget for it. |
The courtesy move. If you live in government quarters and get a notice to vacate before you have picked your home of selection, the JTR authorizes a short local move out of quarters that does not burn your final move. You need the housing office memo to fund it.
A PPM still works. A personally procured move is authorized on a retirement move, paid the same way as on a PCS (reimbursement based on what the government would have paid, and any profit is taxable income). The PPM math lives in The PCS Guide.
Separating members get a government move too, but the destination rules are narrower than retirement, the windows are shorter, and the details depend entirely on the separation type printed on your orders.
| RULE | THE GENERAL SHAPE |
|---|---|
| Destination | A standard separation is generally paid to your home of record or the place you entered active duty. A home of selection (anywhere in the U.S.) applies to specific categories: retirement, disability retirement or TDRL placement, and certain involuntary separations. The authorization block on your orders controls; the transportation office reads it with you. |
| Deadline | Shorter than retirement, typically measured in months (180 days is the common figure), with case-by-case extensions. Confirm your exact window at final out. |
| Storage | Shorter than the retiree's year, commonly up to 180 days at origin. |
| DLA | Not authorized on a separation move, same as retirement. |
The move is one line item in a much bigger event. The ETS & Separation Guide covers the money side of getting out end to end, and the Veteran Transition Support page lists the free help that exists after the DD-214.
Once the final-move entitlement is used or expired, the government stops paying for moves. Here is the honest version of what still exists, and how to hire a mover without getting burned.
| RESOURCE | WHAT IT DOES |
|---|---|
| Military OneSource | Free moving and relocation consultations, plus financial counseling, remain available to members and their families through 365 days after separation or retirement. 800-342-9647, 24/7. |
| Military and veteran discounts | Many national truck-rental, moving, and storage brands run military and veteran discounts. The Veteran Discounts directory tracks the ones we have confirmed at the source. |
| Emergency help | The service relief societies (Army Emergency Relief, Navy-Marine Corps Relief Society, Air Force Aid Society, Coast Guard Mutual Assistance) assist eligible members, retirees, and some family members with emergency housing costs. Your state's department of veterans affairs lists state-level programs. |
Interstate movers must be registered with the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA). Before signing anything: look up the company's USDOT number and complaint history at protectyourmove.gov, get written in-home or video-survey estimates from at least three companies, and understand the difference between a binding estimate (the price is the price) and a non-binding estimate (the final bill can climb). FMCSA warns specifically about the hostage-load scheme: a lowball quote, then a demand for more money once your belongings are on the truck. A registered mover, a binding estimate, and a paper trail are the defense.
The PCS Home Sale & Purchase Guide covers selling on orders in a down market, the military capital-gains rules, VA loan assumptions, renting it out instead, and the VA grants that help disabled veterans buy and adapt a home.
READ THE HOME SALE & PURCHASE GUIDE →