How to Calculate Travel Pay in the Military

Military service members traveling under official military orders--including permanent change of station moves and temporary duty assignments--are entitled to travel pay. Travel pay is handled by the Defense Finance and Accounting Service and can be tracked in a service member's MyPay account. A Department of Defense Form 1351-2 must be filed with the service member's personnel office; the personnel office will forward the DD 1351-2 to DFAS. When DFAS has reviewed and approved the DD 1351-2, the service member will be compensated for the exact amount of his entitlement.

Instructions

1

Visit the Defense Travel Management Office's website, DefenseTravel.DoD.mil. Find the box on the right side of the page labeled "Travel Tools." Click the text that reads "Per Diem Rates Tool."

2

Determine whether your travel was inside the contiguous U.S., which is referred to as CONUS in the military. The military refers to travel outside the continental U.S. as OCONUS travel. Hawaii and Alaska are considered OCONUS.

3

Select the location of your travel from the drop-down menu in the appropriate box (CONUS or OCONUS). If your location is not listed, select "Standard CONUS rate." Choose the appropriate dates and click "Calculate."

4

Read the results in the pop-up window that appears after you click "Calculate." The results are tailored to the locations and dates you specified.

5

Multiply the per diem rate from the calculator by the number of days you traveled under government orders. For example, if your per diem rate was $100 and you traveled for 10 days, multiply 100 by 10. The result, $1,000, is the total amount of your per diem entitlement.

6

Tally the receipts for any out-of-pocket travel-related expenses you incurred, such as a rental car or laundry service. Add the total of all your receipts to your total per diem entitlement. For example, if your receipts add up to $75, and your per diem entitlement is $1,000, your total entitlement is $1,075.