Temporary Lodging Expense is an allowance that partially reimburses a Service member for lodging and meal expenses while staying in temporary lodging, in the CONUS, during a PCS. Temporary Lodging Expense may not cover all lodging and meal expenses incurred. See JTR, par. 050601.
Step 1: Determine the daily lodging ceiling and meals and incidental expenses rate. Multiply the percentage in the table in question 4 below by the applicable locality lodging and meals and incidental expenses rates prescribed in http://www.defensetravel.dod.mil/site/perdiemCalc.cfm.
Step 2: Determine the lodging cost. Compare the actual daily lodging cost, including lodging tax, to the lodging cost ceiling found in Step 1, and use the lesser amount.
Step 3: Determine the gross daily equivalency. Add the Step 2 result to the Step 1 daily meals and incidental expenses rate.
Step 4: Determine the applicable daily rate. Compare the maximum amount of $290 with the Step 3 amount. The Temporary Lodging Expense amount is the lesser of these two amounts.
Temporary Lodging Expense may be authorized for 5 or 10 days, depending on the location of the new PDS. See JTR, Table 5-13 for detailed information on authorized Temporary Lodging Expense locations and time limits. See JTR, Table 5-14 for locations where Temporary Lodging Expense may be authorized up to 60 days.
A Service member is reimbursed at a percentage of the locality per diem rate for the temporary lodging location. The number and age of the dependents staying in temporary lodging determines the applicable percentage. Temporary Lodging Expense reimbursement must not exceed $290 per day. See JTR, par. 050601-B4b for more detailed information on Temporary Lodging Expense reimbursement.
Number of Eligible Individuals Occupying Temporary Quarters
Applicable Percentage
One individual (Service member or one dependent)
65%
Two individuals (Service member and one dependent, or two dependents)
100%
Each additional dependent 12 years of age or older
35%
Each additional dependent younger than 12 years of age
Yes, a Service member or dependent must provide itemized lodging receipts to receive Temporary Lodging Expense. See JTR, par. 010301 for receipt requirements.
No, a Service member may not receive both Temporary Lodging Expense and per diem for PCS travel time on the same day. Temporary Lodging Expense may be paid for any day that per diem for PCS travel time is not paid, up to 5 or 10 days. See JTR, par 050601-B.
Temporary lodging is lodging that is used as a temporary place of residence, such as a hotel. Temporary lodging includes temporary lodging facilities operated by a Service. Temporary lodging does not include permanent-type residence quarters occupied indefinitely at a new PDS or designated location. See JTR, Appendix A for the definition of a “temporary lodging facility”.
Temporary lodging must be in the vicinity of the old or new PDS, the home of record, an initial technical school, or a designated place. See JTR, par. 050601-A.
Yes, a Service member must use available Government quarters in the vicinity of the old or new PDS, including temporary lodging. If Government quarters are unavailable or nonexistent in that location, the Service member must provide a non-availability confirmation number generated in the lodging reservation process. The non-availability confirmation number is required to receive payment for commercial lodging, or reimbursement is limited to the Government cost or the locality lodging rate, whichever is lower. See Table 5-16.
An acquired dependent who becomes a Service member’s dependent before a PCS order’s effective date is eligible for Temporary Lodging Expense. An acquired dependent who becomes a Service member’s dependent after a PCS order’s effective date is not eligible for Temporary Lodging Expense. An acquired dependent is an individual who becomes a dependent through marriage, adoption, or other action during the current tour of duty. A dependent or child born of a marriage that existed before the beginning of a current tour is not considered an acquired dependent. See JTR, Appendix A for the definition of acquired dependent, and JTR, Table 5-12 for eligibility criteria.
Yes, a Service member may receive Temporary Lodging Expense only if the Service member must occupy temporary lodging because HHG have not been shipped from the old PDS; HHG have not been received at the new PDS; or the family-type Government quarters are undergoing repair or renovation. See JTR, Table 5-16.
If a Service member or dependent stays with friends or relatives, then the individual receives only the meal portion of Temporary Lodging Expense, with no lodging reimbursement. See JTR, par. 050601-B4c(3).
A Service member receives a Temporary Lodging Expense when entering active duty at the first PDS. Temporary Lodging Expense is not authorized when leaving active duty and moving from the last PDS. See 37 U.S.C. §474a.
Yes, Temporary Lodging Expense and Temporary Quarters Subsistence Expense Allowance may both be paid as long as the Temporary Lodging Expense and Temporary Quarters Subsistence Expense payments cover different expenses. A Service member and the Service member’s spouse may not receive duplicate payment for the same expense. See JTR, par. 010302-A, par. 053708, and Section 0542.
Each Service member receives Temporary Lodging Expense independently, whether the Service members occupy temporary lodging jointly or separately. Each Service member may receive up to $290 per day. The Service members may not claim each other or the same dependent when determining the percentage of the locality per diem rate. Each Service member must certify that temporary lodging was occupied for the number of days that Temporary Lodging Expense is claimed. See JTR, par. 050601-B4c(1).
