Military Per Diem & TDY Pay: How Travel Reimbursement Works
When you travel on temporary duty (TDY), the government covers your costs through per diem — a daily allowance for lodging plus meals and incidental expenses (M&IE). Manage it well and per diem can even leave a little in your pocket.
The two parts of per diem
- Lodging: reimbursed for your actual cost up to the location's nightly cap. Spend less than the cap and you only get what you spent (lodging isn't profit).
- M&IE: a flat daily amount for the location — you keep it whether or not you spend it all. This is where careful travelers come out ahead.
How the rates work
- Rates are set by location (DTMO for OCONUS, GSA for CONUS) — high-cost cities pay more. The standard CONUS rate covers most U.S. locations, with hundreds of higher-cost exceptions.
- Travel days (first and last) pay 75% of the M&IE rate.
- Government-provided meals reduce your M&IE (the "proportional meal rate") — e.g., staying where meals are furnished.
- A government travel card (GTCC) is normally used for official travel expenses; file a voucher in DTS to get reimbursed.
How it relates to your regular pay
Per diem is reimbursement, not income — it's separate from basic pay, BAH, and BAS, and it's not taxed when within the rates. You keep drawing your normal pay and allowances while TDY. Long TDYs (30+ days) can reduce the flat per diem to a "long-term" rate.
For Reserve & Guard
Annual Training and orders away from home often include per diem too — on top of your drill/AT pay.
Per diem is on top of your regular pay — estimate your base pay in the calculator.
Calculate my pay →Frequently asked questions
How does military per diem work?
Per diem reimburses lodging (your actual cost up to the location's nightly cap) plus a flat daily meals & incidental (M&IE) allowance you keep regardless of what you spend. Travel days pay 75% of M&IE.
Is per diem taxable?
No — per diem is reimbursement within the set rates, not income, so it isn't taxed and is separate from basic pay, BAH, and BAS.
Do you keep leftover per diem?
You keep leftover M&IE (the flat meals allowance), but lodging only reimburses what you actually spent up to the cap.