Joint Travel Regulations (JTR): How to Find Your PCS Rules

Almost every PCS allowance traces back to one document: the Joint Travel Regulations, or JTR. The rules for your mileage, per diem, travel days, dislocation allowance, temporary lodging and household goods weight are all there. So are the limits on what a move you do yourself can pay. The PCS move cost calculator on this site works out those allowances from the JTR's rules. This guide is about the regulation itself: who writes it, who it covers, how it is organized, how to read a citation, and what it leaves to other regulations. Use it to check a number yourself or to find the paragraph a finance office is pointing to.

The Short Answer

• What it is: the regulation that sets travel and transportation allowances for Uniformed Service members, their dependents, and Department of War civilian employees. That includes every PCS allowance.
• Who publishes it: the Per Diem, Travel, and Transportation Allowance Committee (PDTATAC). The JTR's cover gives its website as travel.dod.mil.
• Who it covers: all eight Uniformed Services (Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, Space Force, Coast Guard, NOAA Corps and Public Health Service), active and reserve.
• Where PCS lives: Chapter 5, "Permanent Duty Travel." Part A covers the standard allowances, Part C household goods, and Part E POV shipment and storage.
• What is not in it: BAH, OHA, CONUS COLA, overseas COLA and TLA. The JTR says these allowances moved to the DoD Financial Management Regulation, Volume 7A.
• How to tell the edition: each page carries its change date in the lower left corner, and the cover letter lists what that change revised.

What Is the JTR, and Who Publishes It?

JTR stands for Joint Travel Regulations. It is a joint regulation: one document covers every Uniformed Service. The Introduction to the JTR states its purpose in one sentence:

The JTR implements policy and laws establishing travel and transportation allowances of Uniformed Service members and Department of War (DoW) civilian travelers.

The committee that writes it is named in the same Introduction: "The Per Diem, Travel, and Transportation Allowance Committee (PDTATAC) updates and publishes the JTR." PDTATAC "is composed of a Chair and a member representing the Departments of the Army, the Navy, the Air Force, Homeland Security, Health and Human Services, and Commerce." Those last three are the departments that run the Coast Guard, the Public Health Service and the NOAA Corps. Each Uniformed Service also has a representative on the Military Advisory Panel (MAP) and the Civilian Advisory Panel (CAP). Changes are written as numbered MAP and CAP items, and the cover letter lists them by number, such as "MAP 03-26(R)."

You will see "Department of War" and "DoW" in recent editions. The August 1, 2026 cover letter lists an item that "updates the JTR language from 'Department of Defense,' 'DoD,' 'Secretary of Defense' to 'Department of War,' 'DoW,' 'Secretary of War.'" The item cites Executive Order 14347 as the reason. Older documents, forms, many websites and some JTR passages still say DoD. Both names refer to the same department.

Who Does the JTR Apply To?

The Introduction lists who is covered. For a PCS, the first line is the one that matters:

Uniformed Service Active and Reserve Component members and their dependents.

It names the Services: the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, Space Force, Coast Guard, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the U.S. Public Health Service (USPHS). It also covers DoW civilian employees and their dependents, some other travelers paid from DoW funds, and DoW personal services contract employees. Among those it does not cover: "Contractor employees under a DoW contract for anything other than personal services."

So a Coast Guard member, a Space Force Guardian and a soldier on a PCS all read the same regulation. Some paragraphs give different rules to members and civilians, and Chapter 5 separates them. Parts A through E are for Service members, and Parts F through H are for civilian employees.

Is the JTR Law?

For travelers, effectively yes. The Introduction says: "The JTR has the force and effect of law for travelers." It also puts the cost of mistakes on you: "The traveler could be personally financially responsible for any expense accrued by not complying with the JTR."

The JTR limits itself as well. "Nothing in the JTR authorizes expenditures for purposes not provided for in Congressional appropriations or in law." It also rules out borrowing from the civilian rules: when the General Services Administration's Federal Travel Regulation authorizes a discretionary allowance that the JTR does not address, "the allowance is not authorized or implemented within the DoW."

Your orders rank below the JTR, too. Par. 010206 says: "If there is any conflict between a travel order and the JTR, the JTR prevails." It also says that "A travel order may only contain authority for travel and transportation allowances provided within the JTR." An order cannot grant an allowance the regulation does not provide, and where the two conflict, the regulation controls. Our guide to reading PCS orders covers what the order itself contains.

Four Chapter 1 Rules to Know Before You Move

Chapter 1, General Policy, sets ground rules for every kind of travel the JTR covers. Four of them are worth knowing before any PCS.

If the JTR does not say it, it is not paid. Par. 010103-B is direct about this:

The philosophy of "It doesn't say I can't; therefore, I can" does not apply to the JTR. Instead, if the JTR does not say something can be reimbursed, then it cannot be reimbursed as a travel claim.

Before you plan around an expense, look for the paragraph that pays it. If you cannot find one, budget as though you will pay it yourself.

"Authorized" means before, and "approved" means after. Par. 010201-B defines the authorizing or approving official (AO), the person who signs off on your travel. It then explains two words the JTR uses constantly. If the JTR says something "must or may be authorized," it "means the AO must give permission before the action takes place." If it says "may or must be approved," then "the AO may or must give the traveler permission after the action takes place." So when a paragraph says an expense may be authorized, ask before you spend the money.

A tight budget does not cut your allowance. Par. 010104-B states: "Unless stated otherwise in the JTR, the Service or Agency cannot reduce allowances or deny reimbursements because of limited DoW travel funds." The same paragraph says a Service cannot direct a traveler "to travel at personal expense or at reimbursement rates or amounts inconsistent with the JTR."

Expenses before your order are generally not paid. Par. 010206 says "Travel or expenses incurred before a travel authorization or order is issued are not reimbursable, unless otherwise stated in the JTR." In an urgent case a verbal authorization can come first, but it "must be followed up in writing (called a 'confirmatory order') before allowances are paid."

How Is the JTR Organized?

The regulation has an Introduction, six chapters and two appendices:

Part	Title	What it means for a PCS
Introduction	Authority, responsibility, effective dates, interpretation	Who writes the rules and how disputes are decided
Chapter 1	General Policy	Traveler responsibilities, the AO, orders
Chapter 2	Standard Travel and Transportation Allowances	Base rules other chapters refer back to, such as how official distance is determined
Chapter 3	TDY Travel	Temporary duty, not a PCS
Chapter 4	Government-Funded Leave	Emergency leave, R&R and similar travel
Chapter 5	Permanent Duty Travel	Every PCS allowance
Chapter 6	Evacuation Travel	Evacuations
Appendix A	Definitions and Acronyms	What the JTR's terms mean
Appendix B	DoD Travel Allowance Guidance	A summary, which the JTR says is not authoritative

Chapter 5 is divided into eight parts:

• Part A, Standard PCS Allowances (Service Members): sections 0501 to 0506. Transportation, PCS per diem, dependent travel, DLA and TLE.
• Part B, Categories of PDT (Service Members): sections 0507 to 0512. Accession and training travel, OCONUS moves, ships and sea duty, retirement and separation, moves tied to medical events or death, and other situations.
• Part C, Household Goods (HHG) Transportation (Service Members): sections 0513 to 0521. Weight, transportation methods (including moving your own goods), storage and local moves.
• Part D, Mobile Home Transportation (Service Members): sections 0522 to 0528.
• Part E, POV Transportation and Storage (Service Members): sections 0529 to 0534.
• Parts F, G and H: civilian employee PCS allowances, service agreements and renewal agreement travel, sections 0535 to 0550.

Appendix A is easy to skip and worth checking. When an allowance turns on the meaning of a term, such as "acquired dependent" or "accompanied baggage," the JTR's definition is there. Appendix B describes itself as "intended to be a summary of travel allowances," and it warns that it "is not the authoritative source for travel allowances." Cite the chapter paragraph, not the summary.

How Do You Read a JTR Citation Like par. 051502?

JTR numbers follow a pattern. Once you see it, a six-digit number tells you where to look:

• Chapter: the first two digits. 05 is Chapter 5.
• Section: the first four digits. 0515 is "Transportation Methods." The JTR calls these sections, as in "section 0518" for HHG storage.
• Paragraph: all six digits. 051502 is "Personally Procured HHG Transportation," the paragraph behind a PPM move. The JTR writes it as "par. 051502."
• Subparagraphs: capital letters (A, B, C), then numbers (1, 2), then lowercase letters (a, b). Par. 050203, for example, has a subparagraph A, "Transoceanic Travel," with a numbered 1 and a lettered a beneath it. Cross-references add the letter with a hyphen, such as "par. 020207-D." This site follows the same pattern for deeper levels, as in par. 051502-C-2.
• Tables: numbered by chapter, such as Table 5-37, "PCS and NTS Weight Allowances (Pounds)."

When a finance office, a counselor or a website cites a JTR number, you can check it. Open the current edition, search the PDF for the six digits, and read the paragraph and its subparagraphs. Section and paragraph headings are in the table of contents, so a number that does not appear there is a sign the citation is out of date or wrong.

Where the PCS Rules Live: A Quick Map

These are the places to start reading for the questions members ask most. The headings are the JTR's own, from the 08/01/2026 edition.

Your question	Where to look	On this site
Does my order authorize this expense?	par. 010206, Travel Authorizations and Orders	Reading PCS orders
What does driving pay per mile?	par. 050203, Privately Owned Vehicle (POV)	PCS per diem calculator
How many travel days do I get?	par. 050205, Authorized Travel Time	PCS travel days
What per diem do I get while driving?	par. 050301 and Table 5-4	PCS per diem calculator
How much DLA will I get?	Section 0505, Dislocation Allowance (DLA)	DLA calculator
Will TLE pay for my hotel?	Section 0506, Temporary Lodging Expense (TLE)	TLE calculator
Does the military pay to move my pet?	par. 050107, Pet Expenses Due to a PCS	Moving with pets
What are the rules for an overseas move?	Section 0508, Moves Outside of the Continental United States (OCONUS)	OCONUS PCS guide
What does my final move pay when I retire or separate?	Section 0510, Retirement and Separation	Separation and retirement moves
What is my household goods weight allowance?	par. 051401 and Table 5-37	Weight allowances by grade
What does a PPM pay?	par. 051502, Personally Procured HHG Transportation	Filing a PPM claim
Can I move part of my goods myself?	par. 051503, Split Shipments	Partial PPM
Will the government store my goods?	Section 0518, HHG Storage	PCS storage options
Does a move on or off base in the same area count?	Section 0519, Local Moves	Local moves and partial DLA
Will the government ship or store my car?	Sections 0529, 0530 and 0532	Shipping a car on a PCS

Start with the paragraph, then read every subparagraph under it. Exceptions and limits usually sit a level or two down, and a summary that quotes only the first sentence often misses them.

What Is Not in the JTR?

Many people assume every military allowance is in the JTR. Several of the largest ones are not. They used to sit in JTR Chapters 8 through 10, and the JTR still carries a disclaimer for those chapters. It says the allowances "have been moved to" Volume 7A of the DoD Financial Management Regulation and names the new chapters: "Chapter 26 – Housing Allowances (BAH and OHA), Chapter 67 – CONUS COLA and Chapter 68 – Overseas COLA and TLA." It also says that "Future changes or questions on allowances policy and rates should be referred to the Directorate of Military Compensation Policy." If you are searching the JTR for the rules behind your BAH, OHA or TLA, look in Volume 7A of the Financial Management Regulation instead. TLE is still in the JTR, in section 0506.

Three other things sit outside the regulation:

• The rate tables. The JTR sets the rules for per diem and DLA, but it sends you elsewhere for the dollar amounts. Par. 050104 says "See the DTMO website for current DLA rates," and par. 050508 says "See the DTMO DLA webpage for the current partial DLA rate." Our PCS reimbursements guide gathers the current figures.
• The moving process. The JTR says what a move pays, not how to book one. Scheduling, counseling and PPM paperwork go through your transportation office and your Service's procedures. For some household goods details the JTR points to another regulation: par. 051301-A says DTR 4500.9-R, Part IV, Chapter 403 "contains details on 'Best Value' costs," the cost that caps what the government pays to move your goods.
• Common nicknames. The JTR does not use "DITY" or "partial PPM." It calls a move you arrange yourself a "personally procured move (PPM)" (par. 051502), and it covers moving part of your goods yourself under "Split Shipments" (par. 051503). Search the PDF for the JTR's terms, not the nickname.

How Often Does the JTR Change, and Which Edition Applies?

The JTR is updated through dated revisions, each called a change. The Introduction explains how to date what you are reading:

A change to the JTR is effective, unless otherwise noted, on its first publication date. This date appears in the lower left corner of each page.

Three habits keep you from relying on an outdated version:

• Check the date on the page. A PDF saved to your computer months ago, or a page printed in a binder, carries the date of the edition it came from.
• Read the cover letter. The 08/01/2026 edition opens with a cover letter that lists each MAP and CAP item in the change, with a short description and the paragraphs it affects. For example, it lists MAP 03-26(R), "Lodging for the Last Day of Travel to the New Permanent Duty Station (PDS)," which affects Table 5-5. That table covers per diem when you travel by plane, train, ship or bus.
• Look for yellow highlighting. The cover letter says that "Material new to this change is indicated by yellow highlighting."

Some paragraphs say which date's rule applies. Par. 050203 says that "The MALT rate in effect on the date PCS travel begins applies even if the rate changes while en route." If a change was published during your move and the paragraph does not say, ask your finance office which edition governs your claim.

Can a Service Add Its Own Rules?

Only within limits. The Introduction says Services and Agencies "may issue related administrative procedures provided they do not conflict with or unnecessarily duplicate JTR provisions." PDTATAC staff review all DoW written material that implements the JTR "to ensure that per diem, travel, and transportation allowances, relocation allowances, and certain other allowances are uniformly applied."

So your Service's guidance can tell you how to apply for an allowance, which office handles it and which forms to use. It cannot change how much the JTR pays. When a Service handout and the JTR disagree on an amount, the JTR is the authority.

What If Finance Reads the JTR Differently Than You Do?

The Introduction lays out the path. A traveler "who disagrees with a decision by a certifying officer may submit an appeal or reclaim in accordance with DoD Financial Management Regulation, Vol. 9." For a Service member, the Defense Office of Hearings and Appeals (DOHA) is among the bodies that "determine how the JTR, the Federal Travel Regulation (for civilian employees), and departmental instructions should be interpreted."

Before you reach that point, three steps help:

1. Ask for the citation. Ask which paragraph the decision rests on, then read it and its subparagraphs in the current edition.
2. Bring the paragraph you are relying on. Quote it with its number and the edition date. A disagreement over a specific sentence is easier to settle than a general one.
3. Check Appendix A. Some disagreements turn on what a word means, and the JTR defines its terms there.

Questions about the regulation itself, or suggestions to change it, go a different way: "through Command channels to the respective Service or Agency PDTATAC representative."

The JTR at a Glance

Question	Answer	Source in the JTR
Full name	Joint Travel Regulations	Title page
Publisher	Per Diem, Travel, and Transportation Allowance Committee (PDTATAC)	Introduction
Issued under	DoDI 5154.31, Vol. 5	Introduction
Covers	All eight Uniformed Services, active and reserve, and their dependents; DoW civilians	Introduction
PCS chapter	Chapter 5, Permanent Duty Travel	Table of contents
Order vs JTR	The JTR prevails	par. 010206
Not mentioned	Not reimbursable	par. 010103-B
BAH, OHA, COLA, TLA	DoD Financial Management Regulation, Vol. 7A	Disclaimer for Chapters 8-10
Edition date	Lower left corner of each page	Introduction

Frequently Asked Questions

What does JTR stand for?

JTR stands for Joint Travel Regulations. It is the regulation that sets travel and transportation allowances, including every PCS allowance, for members of all eight Uniformed Services and their dependents, and for Department of War civilian employees.

Who publishes the Joint Travel Regulations?

The Per Diem, Travel, and Transportation Allowance Committee (PDTATAC) updates and publishes the JTR. It is made up of a Chair and members representing the Departments of the Army, the Navy, the Air Force, Homeland Security, Health and Human Services, and Commerce. The JTR's cover gives its website as travel.dod.mil.

Is there a separate JTR for the Army, Navy, Air Force or Marine Corps?

No. One JTR applies to every Uniformed Service, and its Introduction lists all eight by name. Services may issue their own administrative procedures, but those may not conflict with or unnecessarily duplicate the JTR, so they can tell you how to claim an allowance but not change how much it pays.

Which chapter of the JTR covers PCS moves?

Chapter 5, "Permanent Duty Travel." Part A covers the standard allowances (transportation, per diem, DLA and TLE). Part B covers categories of moves such as OCONUS, retirement and separation. Part C covers household goods, Part D mobile homes, and Part E POV shipment and storage. Parts F through H apply to civilian employees.

Is BAH in the Joint Travel Regulations?

No. The JTR states that the allowances it used to carry moved to the DoD Financial Management Regulation, Volume 7A: Chapter 26 for housing allowances (BAH and OHA), Chapter 67 for CONUS COLA, and Chapter 68 for overseas COLA and TLA. TLE is still in the JTR, in section 0506.

What happens if my PCS orders conflict with the JTR?

The JTR wins. Par. 010206 says that if there is any conflict between a travel order and the JTR, the JTR prevails, and that an order may only contain authority for allowances the JTR provides.

How do I know if I have the current JTR?

Each page shows its change date in the lower left corner, and a change is effective on that date unless it says otherwise. Compare that date with the edition on the official site, and read the cover letter to see what changed. New material is highlighted in yellow.

Related Articles

• PCS Entitlements 2026: JTR Allowances, Non-Temporary Storage
• PCS Orders: What They Look Like and What Each Line Means
• PCS Travel Days 2026: How Many You Get and What They Pay
• Partial PPM: How a Split Shipment Is Paid Under the JTR
• 2026 PCS Reimbursements: Per Diem, MALT, DLA and TLE Rates

Sources: Joint Travel Regulations, 08/01/2026 edition (Per Diem, Travel, and Transportation Allowance Committee): title page; cover letter of August 1, 2026; Introduction; pars. 010103, 010104, 010201, 010206, 050104, 050203, 050205, 050508, 051301 and 051502; the table of contents and the section and paragraph headings of Chapter 5; Appendix A; Appendix B; and the Disclaimer for Chapters 8-10. Checked November 5, 2026. Later changes may have been published since that edition. Confirm any paragraph against the current edition on travel.dod.mil before relying on it for a claim.