Between leaving your old home and moving into a new lease, you may spend days or weeks in a hotel or a furnished short stay. Two allowances can help cover part of that cost. Which one applies depends on where you're moving.
TLE: Temporary Lodging Expense (moves within the continental U.S.)
TLE partially reimburses lodging and meal costs while you or your family stay in temporary lodging during a PCS within the continental U.S. (CONUS). You can't get TLE and PCS travel per diem for the same day.
TLA: Temporary Lodging Allowance (overseas)
TLA partially pays for higher-than-normal costs while you and your family are in temporary lodging outside the continental U.S. (OCONUS), when temporary lodging is required.
What to do
- Ask your finance or pay office early how many days you're likely to be authorized, and what the lodging limit is for your new area. Both depend on your orders and location, so we don't list figures here.
- Keep every lodging receipt, including for a furnished short stay.
- Before you sign a 30–90 day furnished rental, check with finance that it fits the rules for your situation.
- Still house hunting? Post on the PCS board so landlords near your base can reach you, or browse furnished short stays near your base.
Official sources
- Military OneSource: Temporary Lodging Expense
- Military OneSource: Temporary Lodging Allowance
- Defense Travel Management Office (DTMO): Temporary Lodging Allowance
- DTMO: Joint Travel Regulations (JTR), the official rules for TLE and TLA
- MilitaryINSTALLATIONS: find your installation's pay and housing offices
Plain-language summary for orientation only. Your orders, your finance office and the JTR decide what you're paid. Near Base Rentals is not affiliated with the Department of Defense.