PCS Travel Days Calculator
Calculate your authorized PCS travel days, proceed time, per diem estimates, and plan your military move timeline. Enter your distance and travel mode to get started. Everything runs in your browser — no data is stored or sent to any server.
How PCS Travel Days Calculator Works
When you receive Permanent Change of Station (PCS) orders, the military authorizes a specific number of travel days based on the distance between your old and new duty station and your mode of travel. For privately owned vehicle (POV) travel, you are authorized one travel day for every 350 miles of the official distance. Air travel typically receives one travel day regardless of distance. In both cases, you receive one additional proceed day for personal business.
OCONUS (Outside Continental United States) moves receive additional travel days to account for the complexity of international relocation. This typically adds one to two extra days depending on your destination and whether you need to clear customs, process vehicles, or handle passport and visa requirements.
Travel Day Formulas
POV/Driving: Travel Days = ceil(Distance / 350 miles) + 1 proceed day
Air Travel: 1 travel day + 1 proceed day = 2 total days
OCONUS Addition: +1 to +2 extra travel days
Per Diem: standard CONUS rate for your travel dates (editable above) × total authorised days; dependants 75% from age 12, 50% below
Understanding Per Diem During PCS
Service members receive per diem for each authorized travel day during a PCS move, covering lodging, meals and incidentals. The standard CONUS rate is republished every 1 October for the new fiscal year, and locality and OCONUS rates differ again on top of it, so the rate is an editable field here rather than a number hardcoded into the page that quietly ages. Look yours up for your travel dates on the GSA per diem rates lookup (CONUS) or your transportation office for the OCONUS and foreign locality rates, then enter it above. Dependents are paid at 75% of the member rate from age 12 and 50% below it, which is why the two counts are entered separately.
Per diem is designed to offset the cost of travel, including hotels, meals, and incidental expenses. Keep all receipts during your PCS move, as some expenses may be reimbursable beyond the standard per diem allowance. Your transportation office can provide specific guidance on what additional expenses qualify for reimbursement.
PCS Move Planning Checklist
A successful PCS move requires careful planning that starts well before your report date. Begin by scheduling your household goods pickup at least six weeks before your planned move date. Contact your new installation housing office to arrange temporary or permanent housing. Update your Defense Enrollment Eligibility Reporting System (DEERS) information and transfer medical records. Notify your current and receiving units of your travel timeline. Use this calculator to determine your authorized travel window so you can plan stops, lodging, and arrival at your new duty station with plenty of time to spare.
How Many Travel Days for a PCS From CONUS to OCONUS
A CONUS-to-OCONUS move is scored in two parts, not one. The driving leg to the port or aerial port earns travel time on the ordinary rule — one day per 350 miles of official distance, minimum one day — and the overseas leg adds one to two further days depending on distance, which is what this calculator adds once you switch the OCONUS selector to Yes. On top of that sits the single proceed day every PCS carries. So a member driving 900 miles to the port before flying to Germany is looking at three driving days plus one OCONUS day plus one proceed day, five in total. What the count does not include is time spent waiting on a port call for a shipped vehicle, or days your orders separately authorise for overseas screening — those are added by your orders, not by the distance formula. Travel and transportation allowances for a PCS are authorised under 37 U.S.C. § 452 and applied through the Joint Travel Regulations; your transportation office applies them to your specific itinerary; treat the figure here as the planning number you take into that conversation. Updated 2026-09-09.
OCONUS vs. CONUS Moves
OCONUS moves are significantly more complex than CONUS relocations. They involve shipping vehicles overseas, potential storage of household goods, passport and visa processing, and overseas screening requirements. The additional travel days authorized for OCONUS moves reflect this added complexity. Service members should work closely with their transportation management office (TMO) to ensure all requirements are met well in advance of their report date. Common OCONUS destinations include Germany, Japan, South Korea, Italy, and the United Kingdom, each with unique entry requirements and processing timelines.
Do You Get Paid for PCS Travel Days You Do Not Use?
Travel days are an authorisation, not a guaranteed payment. Per diem is reimbursed against the days actually spent in travel status, so arriving two days early normally means two fewer days of per diem and lodging reimbursement — the unused days are not paid out as cash. What does not shrink is the mileage allowance for driving, which is paid on the official distance rather than on how many days you took to cover it.
The practical consequence is that driving hard to arrive early trades per diem for time, while taking longer than the authorised days means the extra ones come out of your own pocket unless approved in advance. Locality lodging and meal rates that feed the per diem figures are published by GSA per diem rates. Use the day count above as the reimbursable ceiling, then plan the actual drive inside it. Updated 2026-09-16.
Dependent Per Diem on a PCS Is Not the Same Rate as Yours
A common budgeting error on a family PCS is multiplying the member's per diem by the number of people in the car. Under the Joint Travel Regulations dependents are paid a percentage of the member's rate, not the full rate: a spouse and dependents aged 12 and over are paid at 75%, and dependents under 12 at 50%. A member travelling with a spouse and two young children therefore draws the member rate plus 75% plus 50% plus 50% for each authorised travel day — considerably less than four full rates, and the gap grows with the number of days. Lodging on the road is reimbursed against the locality ceiling for where you actually stop, so a night in a high-cost metro is capped at that location's rate rather than your destination's. Locality rates are published on the GSA per diem rates page. Updated 2026-09-25.
Per Diem, MALT, DLA and TLE Are Four Separate Payments — This Tool Estimates One
The result above covers travel days and per diem only. Three other PCS entitlements are paid separately and none of them appears in that figure. MALT (monetary allowance in lieu of transportation) is a per-mile payment for driving a POV on official distance — mileage money, not food and lodging money. DLA (dislocation allowance) is a lump sum toward the cost of setting up a new household, paid by rank and dependency status. TLE (temporary lodging expense) covers lodging and meals near the old or new duty station around the move itself, which is a different pot from the per diem you draw while actually on the road. Claim each one on your travel voucher — they are not automatic, and members routinely leave DLA or TLE unclaimed because the per diem landed and the move felt finished. Updated 2026-09-25.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many travel days do I get for a PCS move?
For POV (driving) travel, you receive one travel day per 350 miles of official distance, with a minimum of one day. Air travel receives one travel day. In both cases, you also receive one proceed day for personal business. OCONUS moves receive one to two additional days depending on distance.
What is a proceed day?
A proceed day is an additional authorized day given during PCS moves for personal business such as arranging housing, enrolling children in school, or handling administrative tasks at your new duty station. All PCS moves receive at least one proceed day in addition to travel days.
How much per diem do I receive during PCS?
Per diem is the standard CONUS rate for each authorized travel day, and that rate is reset every 1 October for the new fiscal year — locality and OCONUS rates differ again on top of it. Rather than bake in a figure that goes stale, the calculator takes the rate as an input so you can enter the one published for your travel dates on the GSA per diem site. Dependents 12 and over are paid at 75% of the member rate and those under 12 at 50%, which the calculator now splits out separately.
What happens if I arrive early or late?
If you arrive at your new duty station before your authorized travel days expire, the unused days are simply not used — you do not receive extra per diem. If you take longer than your authorized travel days, any excess days are charged as leave. Always plan your travel to stay within authorized days.
Do dependents get their own travel days?
Dependents do not receive separate travel days — they share the same authorized travel period as the service member. They do receive their own per diem for each authorized travel day: 75% of the member rate for dependents aged 12 and over, and 50% for those under 12. Enter the two counts separately above and each is priced at its own rate.
How many travel days for a PCS from CONUS to OCONUS?
The move is scored in two parts. The drive to the port earns the ordinary rule of one day per 350 miles of official distance, minimum one day, and the overseas leg adds one to two further days depending on distance. One proceed day sits on top of both. A member driving 900 miles to the port before flying overseas is therefore looking at about five days: three driving, one OCONUS, one proceed. Port-call waiting time and days your orders separately authorise for overseas screening are not part of the distance formula.
Which per diem rate should I enter?
The one published for your actual travel dates. The standard CONUS rate is reset every 1 October for the new fiscal year, and locality and OCONUS rates differ again on top of it, so the calculator takes the rate as an input rather than baking in a figure that goes stale. Look it up on the GSA per diem lookup for CONUS, or ask your transportation office for the OCONUS and foreign locality rates.
What is the difference between CONUS and OCONUS PCS moves?
CONUS moves are within the Continental United States. OCONUS moves are to locations outside CONUS, including Alaska, Hawaii, and overseas assignments. OCONUS moves receive additional travel days, may include port calls for vehicle shipping, and often have higher per diem rates based on the destination country.
Do you get paid for PCS travel days you do not use?
No. Per diem reimburses the days actually spent in travel status, so arriving early means fewer paid days rather than a cash payout for the unused ones. Mileage is different: it is paid on the official distance regardless of how many days the drive takes.
What happens if my PCS takes longer than the authorised travel days?
The extra days are normally at your own expense unless they were approved in advance or caused by something like a documented weather delay or vehicle breakdown. Ask for approval before the extra day rather than claiming it afterwards.
How much per diem do my dependents get on a PCS move?
A percentage of your rate, not the full rate. Under the Joint Travel Regulations a spouse and dependents aged 12 and over are paid at 75% of the member's rate and dependents under 12 at 50%. Budget the member rate plus those percentages per authorised travel day.
Does PCS per diem include mileage and the dislocation allowance?
No. Per diem, MALT mileage, dislocation allowance (DLA) and temporary lodging expense (TLE) are four separate entitlements claimed on your travel voucher. This calculator estimates travel days and per diem only.