Orders in hand, report date on the calendar — and a housing decision to make in a city you may have never seen. The good news: house hunting leave exists for exactly this problem. Most service members can request up to 10 days of permissive temporary duty (PTDY) to find housing before a Permanent Change of Station (PCS) move, and those days are not charged against your leave balance.
Here is how the benefit works in 2026, how to request it, and how to run a house-hunting trip that actually produces a home.
The single thing that decides whether ten days is enough: whether someone local has already narrowed the list before you land. You can ask a VeteranPCS agent in your new state to start a shortlist at no cost, even if your orders are still weeks out.
What House Hunting Leave Is (and Is Not)
Permissive TDY for house hunting is a period — commonly up to 10 days — that your commander can approve in conjunction with PCS orders so you can secure housing at your new duty station. MyArmyBenefits' PCS CONUS page lists house hunting PTDY among standard PCS-related absences for soldiers, and the other services run similar programs under their leave policies.
Know the fine print:
- It is permissive. No travel pay, no per diem, no government transportation. You cover the trip; the government simply does not charge you leave.
- It is command-approved, not automatic. Mission comes first. Submit early and have a plan to show.
- Rules vary by service and situation. Army policy lives in Army Regulation 600-8-10 (Leaves and Passes); each branch words the entitlement slightly differently, so check yours and ask your S1 or admin shop.
- Separating or retiring is different. Transition PTDY is a separate benefit — up to 10 days for involuntary separation and up to 20 days for retirement for CONUS-based members (CONUS means within the continental United States).
House Hunting Leave vs. the Allowances That Pay You
PTDY costs the government nothing, but two PCS allowances put real money behind your move. Do not confuse the three:
- Temporary Lodging Expense (TLE) reimburses lodging and meals near your old or new CONUS duty station — now for up to 21 days, after the Defense Travel Management Office (DTMO) expanded TLE from 14 days, with a combined daily cap of $290. Our TLE guide covers the math.
- Dislocation Allowance (DLA) is a flat payment that helps offset moving costs. For 2026, an E-5 with dependents receives $3,548.02 and an O-3 with dependents receives $4,041.88, per the DTMO dislocation allowance rates effective January 1, 2026.
- House hunting PTDY protects your leave balance while you travel on your own dime.
2026 DLA with-dependent rates for common paygrades. Source: DTMO, effective January 1, 2026.
Stack them smartly: use PTDY to pick the home, then TLE days at the new station while you wait for keys or your household goods.
How to Request It
- Step 1: Get orders first. PTDY for house hunting rides on your PCS orders. Amendments after the fact are painful.
- Step 2: Submit the request through your service's leave system, with house hunting as the purpose and the correct non-chargeable absence category. Soldiers use an Absence Request in the Integrated Personnel and Pay System–Army (IPPS-A), which replaced the legacy DA Form 31. Other services use their own systems and rules. Confirm the request type and supporting documents with your personnel office.
- Step 3: Time it 30 to 60 days before your report date. Close enough that listings you tour are still available, far enough out that financing can close before you arrive.
- Step 4: Line up your team before you fly. Get pre-approved for your VA loan and have an agent build a shortlist in advance, so day one starts with showings, not searching.
Making 10 Days Count
A focused week beats a wandering ten days. A realistic split:
- Days 1–2: Drive the area. Test the commute at gate-traffic hours. Shortlist neighborhoods against your Basic Allowance for Housing (BAH), the monthly housing allowance tied to your new ZIP code and paygrade.
- Days 3–6: Tour homes with your agent, two neighborhoods per day maximum. Revisit the top two at a different time of day.
- Days 7–8: Write the offer, complete the inspection scheduling, and sign what can be signed locally.
- Days 9–10: Buffer. Weather, counteroffers, and second thoughts all live here.
