dod travel days calculator

Travel Days For Pcs Calculator

Introduction.

Calculating travel days for Permanent Change of Station (PCS) can be a crucial task for military personnel and their families. To simplify this process, we have developed a user-friendly Travel Days for PCS Calculator. This article will guide you on how to use the calculator effectively, provide the accurate formula behind the calculations, present an example, answer frequently asked questions (FAQs), and conclude with the importance of this tool.

Using the Travel Days for PCS Calculator is straightforward. Follow these steps:

• Input the departure date in the “Departure Date” field.
• Enter the arrival date in the “Arrival Date” field.
• Click the “Calculate” button to obtain the travel days result.

The formula for calculating travel days for PCS is as follows:

Travel Days = ( Arrival Date − Departure Date ) + 1

This formula considers both the departure and arrival days in the calculation, providing an accurate count of travel days.

Suppose a military member departs on January 1, 2024, and arrives at the new station on January 5, 2024.

Travel Days = ( 2024 − 01 − 05 − 2024 − 01 − 01 ) + 1 = 5  days

Q: Can I use this calculator for international PCS moves? A: Yes, the Travel Days for PCS Calculator works for both domestic and international moves.

Q: Does the calculator consider time zones in the calculation? A: No, the calculator assumes the same time zone for both departure and arrival locations.

Q: What if my departure and arrival occur on the same day? A: In such cases, the calculator will still count it as one travel day.

The Travel Days for PCS Calculator provides a quick and reliable way to determine the duration of your move. By inputting the departure and arrival dates, military personnel can efficiently plan their transitions. Whether moving domestically or internationally, this tool ensures accuracy in calculating travel days.

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Figuring Your PCS/OCONUS Travel Expenses

For a PCS move, you may be reimbursed for travel and transportation expenses incurred during the allowable travel days en route from the old duty station to the new. However, if the travel lasts a total of 12 hours or less, you may not be eligible for reimbursement of travel expenses.

Reimbursement of en route travel expenses is calculated using the Standard CONUS per diem rate. Current per diem rates are defined in the  Joint Travel Regulation (JTR), Volume 2  or Department of State's Foreign Per Diem Rates Home Page .

The per diem rate consists of a lodging allowance, and a meals and incidentals (M&IE) allowance. Reimbursement for lodging may not exceed the actual lodging cost up to the maximum lodging allowance. When lodging is obtained from friends or relatives, reimbursement for the lodging portion is not authorized. M&IE is a fixed amount. The M&IE rate, or a fraction of it, is payable without itemization of expenses or receipts.

During the en route travel, you're in a duty status with no charge to your leave account. However, leave may be used in conjunction with the en route travel when approved by the supervisor and documented on the official travel orders.

Transportation expenses for you and your dependents will also be paid. When travel from the old duty station to the new one is via a privately owned vehicle (POV), a mileage allowance for the use of one POV to the port by the most direct route is authorized. You’re responsible for costs for any indirect route for personal reasons. If commercial transportation is used, the costs of the transportation plus reasonable taxi fares to and between terminals are allowed.

Dependent means the following:

• Children of the employee or the employee's spouse who are unmarried and under the age of 21.
• Children of the employee or the employee's spouse who are unmarried and who, regardless of age, are physically or mentally incapable of self support.

Also included is:

• Any illegitimate child, stepchild or adopted child or any grandchild of the employee or the employee's spouse who satisfies the criteria above.
• Any legal ward who satisfies the criteria above. A legal ward is generally defined as an unmarried person who (1) has been placed in the custody of the employee or the employee's spouse by a court of competent jurisdiction either permanently or for a period which lasts at least 12 months from the date of the order, (2) is dependent upon the employee or the employee's spouse for over one-half of the person's support, and (3) resides with the employee or the employee's spouse.
• Any dependent child who is under a legal guardianship of the employee or the employee's spouse and who also satisfies the criteria above. A guardian is an individual who is given the authority by a court of competent jurisdiction to take care of the person, property, and rights of another person. In this case, the person is a dependent child.
• Any child born after the employee's effective date of transfer when travel of the expectant spouse is prevented at the time of transfer because of the advanced stage of pregnancy or other reasons acceptable to the agency.

Procedures for filing En Route Travel

• To file an En Route travel voucher, submit the following:
• DD Form 1351-2 Travel Voucher or Subvoucher (PDF) .
• Provide a detailed itinerary in block 15 showing daily travel, and the cities and states where lodging was obtained.
• Be sure to sign and date. Don’t write below signature block.
• Three copies of Travel Orders including amendments.
• Original and three copies of lodging receipts (claim lodging separately from lodging taxes).
• Copy of advance  DD Form 1351, Travel Voucher (PDF) .

To get more PCS tips or information, visit Military.com's PCS/Home Buying Guide .

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Dity Move/PPM Calculator

Allowances and Expenses Calculator for PCS Moves

DITY Move and PPM (Personally Procured Move) Calculator – Calculate Allowances and Expenses for your PCS – UPDATED FOR 2022

Frequently Asked Questions

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

If you don’t find the answer to your question below, here are two great resources to use. Everything should be able to be found in the Joint Travel Regulations, it’s just a matter of finding the right section and making sense of the language. If you can’t find your answer here, it’s a always a good idea to ask your finance or travel management office. If you still can’t find an answer, send me an email at [email protected] and I’ll see if I can help!

–   JTR (Joint Travel Regulation) – The official source for all military travel regulations.

–   Defense Travel Site PCS FAQ

What is a DITY move?

A DITY (Do IT Yourself) move, now called a Personally Procured Move (PPM), is a type of PCS move in which you are reimbursed for moving part (partial DITY) or all (full DITY) of your own stuff, whether you’re using your own vehicle, a rental truck/vehicle, or borrowing someone else’s vehicle.

Will this calculator work for any PCS move?

This calculator only works for CONUS-CONUS PCS moves (Alaska included). If you are driving to your new base but the government is moving all of your stuff for you, the HHG Weight box, Reimbursement for Movement of HHG box, and some of the expenses boxes will not be applicable. But, you will still receive DLA and Per Diem and can use this calculator to find what you will get. This calculator is not meant for those who are traveling by commercial means (i.e. flying).

What allowances will I receive if I do a DITY move?

Most members will receive MALT (Monetary Allowance in Lieu of Transportation), Per Diem, and DLA (Dislocation Allowance). You will also be compensated for moving your own household goods, paid by the pound. Please see the explanations under each allowance in the “Allowances” section of the calculator for more information.

Does this calculator estimate reimbursement for moving household goods?

Yes. Enter your estimated weight (in pounds) of household goods that you will be moving in the HHG Weight box and see a rough estimate of the compensation you will receive in Reimbursement for Movement of HHG box. See the Calculating DITY Move Weight Rates  blog post for information on how weight rates are calculated.

How accurate is this calculator?

The DLA, Per Diem, and MALT allowances are accurate down to the penny and are always kept up to date. The HHG Reimbursement estimate is a rough estimate and should only be taken as so.

Is it worth doing a DITY move?

In addition to the potential expenses listed in the expenses section, remember to account for your time spent organizing everything, properly packing everything, and moving all the boxes and furniture into the truck. If you still think the potential profit from a full DITY is worth it, then go for it! If not, you can always do a partial DITY and get reimbursed for just the stuff you move in your own car.

Will I get reimbursed for…

• Yes, per diem should cover hotel expenses; and you get to keep it even if you don’t actually stay at hotels.
• Yes, you will still most likely get DLA, per diem, and MALT even if the government moves your stuff and you just drive to your new duty station.
• A rental car is considered a POV so you will get MALT to partially cover it but you will not get directly reimbursed for it.
• Yes, if the trailer “single axle, no more than 12 feet long or 8 feet wide, with side rails or body less than 28 inches high and ramp or gate less than 4 feet high unless detachable. For civilian employees, vehicles other than a POV must be of reasonable size and fit into a moving van. ”
• Yes, up to 2,000 lbs in general. Pro-gear is not counted against your regular weight allowance. Pro-gear must be declared at the origin of shipment and must be documented.
• Generally no. In certain situations you can elect to receive reimbursement for moving a mobile home instead of HHG. See Chapter 5 Part D in the JTR for more info.
• Possible, if you have dependents. See Chapter 5 Part E in the JTR for more info.
• Yes, a motorcycle is considered HHG.
• Yes, per diem is meant to cover meals and hotels and is set at a flat rate.

When and where should I get the weight tickets?

For the Air Force, it should not matter when you get the weight tickets, so long as you get one for each empty vehicle and one for each fully loaded vehicle. You can get the empty one before packing the car or after unloading it, it is up to you which one you prefer. For other branches, there may be different requirements for how many weight tickets you need and when you need to submit them, so please check with your travel office. You can get the weight tickets at any certified vehicle weight scale. The most common are probably the CAT scales, which are located all over the U.S. To locate certified scales and to find more information on weight tickets, check out the weight tickets and weigh stations post .

I’m hiring a moving company to move my stuff, do I still need weight tickets?

First off, ask the moving company if they will be weighing your HHG. They may, and they may also provide you weight tickets at the end of the move. If not, they may go by cubic feet instead of weight. If this is the case, the government MAY use a constructed weight of 7 lbs per cubic foot to estimate the weight of HHG moved. You should always find out how weight estimation will work with a moving company before hiring them, and then check with your travel office to make sure you will get reimbursed for the HHG the company you hired is moving.

Can I get an advance of funds for a DITY/PPM?

The JTR states in paragraph 051307 that an amount of 60% of the PPM monetary allowance for HHG reimbursement is allowed when the service member moves his or herself. Since the rate for HHG reimbursement is always changing, you will need to talk to your travel office to find out exactly how much you can get.