A Guide To Temporary Lodging Allowances (TLA vs. TLE)

A military move can come with a whole host of hidden expenses. From booking a hotel while you wait for housing to buying condiments for your mini-fridge, expenses add up and are hard to fit into your budget.

The military offers two programs to help cover temporary lodging and meal costs during a move. Temporary Lodging Expense (TLE) applies to moves within the continental United States (CONUS), while Temporary Lodging Allowance (TLA) applies to overseas moves outside the continental United States (OCONUS), including Alaska and Hawaii.

TLE helps cover expenses when you move from one CONUS duty station to another on military orders. TLA provides similar support for service members and families relocating overseas. These programs are just two of several PCS entitlements designed to help offset the costs of a military move.

Most families prefer to set up housing before they move, but this isn’t always an option when the needs of the military dictate when and where you go. You may find your family staying in temporary accommodations, such as a hotel, while your home is being prepared.

If this happens while traveling within the continental United States, TLE helps cover the costs of temporary lodging. Still, coverage is limited to specific items and the duration you can receive it.

Generally, TLE is authorized for up to 21 days when moving from one CONUS duty station to another. It is not provided as a lump sum; it is paid for specific days when temporary lodging is needed, based on submitted receipts. If you are in temporary accommodations for only 2 days, you will receive 2 days of TLE.

To receive a reimbursement for your expenses through TLE, you must submit:

• A completed travel voucher on form DD1351-2 showing everyone traveling, your itinerary, and reimbursable expenses
• A copy of your official military PCS orders
• A claim for TLE on DFAS form 9098
• An itemized lodging receipt with a zero balance

To obtain TLE, you must submit the required paperwork and fall within the authorized TLE window for your move type.

• For all moves from a CONUS location to a CONUS location, up to 21 days is authorized.
• For moves to an OCONUS location while still in the continental US, up to 7 days is authorized.
• For moves from an OCONUS location to a CONUS location, up to 21 days is authorized.

The amount of TLE you receive is based on the per diem rate at your location and the number and ages of your dependents. TLE is calculated as a percentage of daily per diem, but caps at $290 per day.

TLE is only authorized in the location of your current duty station or your new duty station. It provides for required temporary housing, not for house hunting.

If available, you must use government quarters as your temporary lodging. If there are no vacant rooms, you’ll need to get a certificate of non-availability from the government hotel before getting authorization to go to a privately-run hotel. You can’t use TLE for rental properties, even short-term rentals. Instead, you have to stay at a managed facility, like a hotel.

A TLE extension can be authorized at a few locations, increasing the maximum number of TLE-covered days to 60. However, this authorization is not guaranteed and is available only in a few locations.

Additional benefits are available to those working to secure housing overseas through a temporary lodging allowance (TLA). This allowance is only provided to those making an OCONUS move and helps cover the costs of hotels, meals, and other incidental expenses unique to these situations.

You can receive TLA for up to 60 days, and longer in some cases if permanent housing is in short supply.

Learn everything required to use TLA through the DoD 7000.14-R Financial Management Regulation, Volume 7A, Chapter 68 .

There are a few conditions that must be met for TLA to be authorized. You can get TLA when:

• You arrive at your OCONUS duty station and are actively looking for permanent housing
• After you vacate permanent OCONUS housing but before you move back to the U.S. at the end of an overseas tour
• During OCONUS house-hunting as part of a PCS
• When you are temporarily assigned to an OCONUS duty station for more than 90 days without dependents and have vacated your previous permanent residence
• For dependents, when a service member is hospitalized during an OCONUS move
• Special situations, as approved by an appropriate official, when permanent OCONUS housing is not available due to circumstances beyond the service member’s control

As you prepare for a military move, make sure you understand how TLE and TLA work to ease the financial burden of military life. Save receipts, submit required paperwork on time, and confirm eligibility with your finance or housing office to reduce out-of-pocket costs during a PCS.

Use AHRN’s PCS Toolkit for step-by-step guidance on housing, budgeting, and temporary lodging during your move.