---
title: 'Temporary Lodging Allowance (TLA): Your OCONUS PCS Guide'
slug: temporary-lodging-allowance-tla-oconus-guide
description: >-
  TLA covers hotel costs during an overseas PCS. Learn the 60-day rule, how the
  rate is figured, and what to do before it runs out. Talk to a VeteranPCS
  agent.
publishedAt: '2026-08-30T09:00:00.000Z'
updatedAt: '2026-09-06T00:00:00.000Z'
author: VeteranPCS
categories:
  - PCS Help
  - Financial Guidance
canonical: 'https://www.veteranpcs.com/blog/temporary-lodging-allowance-tla-oconus-guide'
componentSlug: pcs-help
---
# Temporary Lodging Allowance (TLA): Your OCONUS PCS Guide

You land in Okinawa, or Ramstein, or Yokosuka. Your household goods are on a ship. You have no house yet, and the on-base lodge is full, so you are in a hotel that costs more per night than your old mortgage payment. Temporary Lodging Allowance, almost always called TLA, is the benefit that keeps that stretch from wrecking your savings.

TLA is the overseas version of a lodging benefit many families only know in its stateside form. It works differently, it lasts longer, and it comes with strings that catch people off guard. This guide covers who gets it, how long it lasts, how the rate is figured, and the housing-search rules that keep it switched on.

## What Temporary Lodging Allowance Covers

TLA is meant to partially pay a service member for higher-than-normal expenses while occupying temporary lodging outside the continental United States. That is the exact framing the [Defense Travel Management Office](https://www.travel.dod.mil/Allowances/Temporary-Lodging-Allowance/) uses, and the word doing the work is *partially*. TLA is not a blank check. It offsets lodging and meal costs against a formula, and if you book a resort, the gap is yours.

The authority comes from [Title 37 U.S. Code section 405](http://uscode.house.gov/view.xhtml?req=granuleid:USC-prelim-title37-section405&num=0&edition=prelim), and the rules live in the [DoD Financial Management Regulation, Volume 7A, Chapter 68](https://comptroller.defense.gov/Portals/45/documents/fmr/current/07a/07a_68.pdf). Your garrison or installation commander publishes local guidance on top of that, which is why TLA feels a little different at every overseas base.

One rule matters more than the rest. Personal inconvenience is never a reason to authorize TLA. It is not there to buy you a nicer room while you wait, and it is not meant to leave you better off than you started.

## When TLA Is Authorized

TLA can be authorized during several distinct windows, not just the obvious one. Per the Defense Travel Management Office, these include:

- Upon arrival at an overseas permanent duty station, while you wait for government quarters or arrange private housing
- Immediately before departing an overseas duty station on PCS orders, after you vacate your quarters or housing
- When you must vacate or wait to reoccupy housing for reasons outside your control
- While a service member without dependents seeks housing after a temporary duty assignment of 90 or more days
- While a dependent uses temporary lodging because the service member was hospitalized en route between duty stations
- While house hunting after you arrive at the new duty station and report for duty

That last one is worth reading twice. House hunting at an overseas duty station is an authorized reason for TLA, which is a meaningful difference from how many families assume it works.

Your TLA period on arrival begins the same day your overseas cost-of-living allowance eligibility begins. An advance may be paid for the authorized number of TLA days once the authority is issued.

## The 60-Day Rule

This is the number to plan around. The overseas TLA authority may authorize TLA up to **60 days upon arrival** at the new duty station, and up to **10 days before departure** from an overseas duty station on a PCS.

Sixty days sounds generous. It is, compared with the stateside equivalent. It is also not as long as it feels once you account for in-processing, a housing office briefing, base orientation, and a rental market where the good listings move in a day.

Extensions past the initial period exist, but they are not routine. Additional TLA may be authorized when it is in the government's interest, and never for personal convenience. At the end of the first TLA period, the designated overseas commander has your case reviewed to see what progress you have made toward permanent housing. If your effort looks thin, you get reminded of your responsibilities. Unexcused failure to keep up a diligent search is grounds to terminate TLA outright.

![Timeline of an overseas TLA window showing arrival, the 60-day authorization period, the commander's progress review, and the 10-day pre-departure period](/images/blog/temporary-lodging-allowance-tla-oconus-guide/tla-timeline.png)

*The TLA clock at an overseas duty station, from arrival through the pre-departure window. Source: Defense Travel Management Office and DoD FMR Volume 7A, Chapter 68.*

The practical read: treat day one as the start of a housing search, not a settling-in week. Get to the housing office immediately, keep a written log of every property you view, and save the paperwork. If you ever need an extension, that log is your case.

## How the TLA Rate Is Figured

TLA is not a flat per-night amount. It is a percentage of the locality lodging and meal rates, and the percentage depends on how many eligible people are staying in the room. The percentages come from Table 68-11 of the DoD Financial Management Regulation.

| Who is occupying temporary lodging | Lodging percentage | Meals and incidentals percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Service member alone, or one dependent alone | 100 | 65 |
| Service member couples, each when lodging together | 65 | 65 |
| Service member and one dependent, or two dependents | 100 | 100 |
| Each additional dependent age 12 and older | 35 | 35 |
| Each additional dependent under age 12 | 25 | 25 |

Those percentages took effect 1 October 2020 and are the current figures published by the Defense Travel Management Office. The Defense Travel Management Office also publishes [TLA computation examples](https://www.travel.dod.mil/Policy-Regulations/Joint-Travel-Regulations/Computation-Examples/) that walk through common family sizes, which is the fastest way to sanity-check what your finance office tells you.

There is also TLA Special, or TLA-S, for unusual situations where lodging costs spike because of a special event. It uses a higher lodging factor. It must be approved before travel, it goes up the chain of command, and it can never be granted after the fact.

## TLA Versus TLE

Families PCSing overseas for the first time often mix these up, and the confusion costs money.

| | Temporary Lodging Allowance (TLA) | Temporary Lodging Expense (TLE) |
|---|---|---|
| Where it applies | Overseas duty stations | Stateside duty stations |
| Typical length | Up to 60 days on arrival | Far shorter |
| How it is figured | Percentage of locality lodging and meal rates | Flat daily ceiling formula |
| Governing rule | DoD FMR Volume 7A, Chapter 68 | Joint Travel Regulations |

If your move is stateside, the benefit you want is TLE, and our [temporary lodging expense guide](/blog/temporary-lodging-expense-tle-pcs-guide) covers those rules in detail. If you are moving overseas, TLA is your benefit. On a move that crosses both, such as an overseas tour ending with a stateside assignment, you may touch both benefits in sequence: TLA before you depart, TLE after you arrive.

Planning the wider overseas move? Our [guide to preparing for an overseas PCS](/blog/preparing-for-an-overseas-pcs-a-guide-for-military-families) covers passports, pets, and the shipping timeline, and [what to do with your home when you PCS overseas](/blog/pcsing-oconus-what-do-i-do-with-my-home) walks through the rent-or-sell decision you may be facing back stateside.

## Where TLA Fits in Your PCS Budget

TLA is one line in a larger set of PCS entitlements, and it is easy to over-rely on. It is a partial reimbursement, it arrives on the finance office's schedule rather than yours, and it stops the day you have housing available.

Two habits protect you. First, book lodging you would be comfortable paying for out of pocket for a week, because reimbursement timing is rarely instant. Second, know the rest of your entitlement stack so TLA is not carrying the whole move. [Dislocation allowance](/blog/dislocation-allowance-dla-pcs-guide) is a separate lump-sum payment meant to offset relocation costs, and your [PCS travel pay and per diem](/blog/pcs-travel-pay-mileage-per-diem-2026) covers the journey itself.

If your household goods are being stored while you search, the [storage in transit clock](/blog/storage-in-transit-sit-pcs-guide) is running alongside your TLA clock. Those two deadlines are worth writing on the same page.

Coming back stateside at the end of this tour? A VeteranPCS agent who has worked with military families at your next duty station can start the search from overseas, across time zones, before you board the plane. [Connect with an agent at no cost](https://www.veteranpcs.com/contact-agent).

## Frequently Asked Questions

### How many days of TLA can I get?

The overseas TLA authority may authorize up to 60 days upon arrival at the new duty station, and up to 10 days immediately before departing an overseas duty station on PCS orders. Additional days may be authorized when it is in the government's interest, decided case by case.

### Is TLA taxable?

TLA is a travel and transportation allowance rather than wages. Talk to your installation's finance office or a tax professional about your specific situation, especially if you receive an advance.

### Can TLA be terminated early?

Yes. Members are required to seek permanent housing as soon as possible after arrival. At the end of the first TLA period, your case is reviewed for progress. Unexcused failure to keep up a diligent housing search is grounds to terminate TLA.

### Can I get TLA while house hunting?

Yes. House hunting after you arrive at the new duty station and report for duty is one of the authorized TLA periods listed by the Defense Travel Management Office.

### What is the difference between TLA and TLE?

TLA applies to overseas duty stations and is calculated as a percentage of locality lodging and meal rates. TLE applies to stateside moves and runs on a different, shorter formula.

*This content is for informational purposes. Consult a professional for personal financial decisions.*

*Share this with a friend who just got overseas orders.*