Permissive TDY (PTDY) for Transition: Job and House Hunting Before You Separate

Most separating service members know about terminal leave. Far fewer use the benefit that sits right next to it: Permissive TDY (PTDY) for job and house hunting. Used together, they can give you weeks of paid time to line up your civilian life without burning your leave balance.

What Permissive TDY Is

Permissive TDY is an authorized, non-chargeable absence granted for a specific purpose. "Non-chargeable" is the key word: unlike terminal leave, PTDY does not cost you any accrued leave days. You stay on active duty, keep full pay and allowances, and the days do not come off your leave balance.

For people leaving the military, PTDY is most commonly authorized for job hunting and house hunting in connection with your separation or retirement. It exists so you can travel, interview, and look for housing before your DD-214 date instead of scrambling afterward.

How Many Days You Get

This is where it varies, so treat any specific number as a starting point and confirm with your own service:

• Separating members are commonly authorized up to 10 days of PTDY for job and house hunting.
• Retirees, and members returning from an overseas tour, are often authorized more — frequently up to 20 or 30 days depending on the service and circumstances.
• Some categories (involuntary separation, certain overseas returns) carry more generous authorizations.

The governing policy is DoDI 1327.06 (Leave and Liberty Policy and Procedures), which each service implements with its own supplement, so the exact cap and eligibility window depend on your branch. Your transition office and your out-processing checklist are the authoritative source for your situation.

One important limit: PTDY for job or house hunting is usually without government-funded travel or per diem unless separately authorized. You get the paid days; you generally pay your own way.

PTDY vs. Terminal Leave vs. SkillBridge

These three benefits get blurred together. They are not the same thing:

• Terminal leave uses your accrued leave days at the end of service. You are paid, but the days come off your balance.
• Permissive TDY does not use leave days. It is granted for a purpose (job/house hunting) for a limited number of days.
• SkillBridge is a separate DoD program that lets you do a civilian work placement for up to 180 days before separation while still on active pay. It is authorized under different policy and requires unit and program approval.

Because PTDY does not touch your leave, you can often stack it with terminal leave: use PTDY for the focused job/house-hunting window, then roll into terminal leave for the remainder. Run your leave math with the terminal leave calculator so you know exactly how many leave days you are working with.

How to Request It

1. Ask early. Bring it up at your transition (TAP) counseling and with your command's admin/S-1 section well before your separation date.
2. Know your window. PTDY is tied to a period before separation; there is an eligibility window, and it needs command approval like any other absence.
3. Put it in writing. It is authorized on orders or a memorandum, not a handshake — get the documentation so there is no question about your status.
4. Coordinate with terminal leave. Sequence PTDY and terminal leave deliberately so you maximize paid, non-working time.

The Bottom Line

Permissive TDY is free time you have already earned by separating — days to interview and find housing that do not cost you a single leave day. Combined with terminal leave, it can turn the last stretch of your service into weeks of paid runway for your civilian start. The catch is that the rules vary by service, so confirm your specific authorization with your transition office before you plan around it.

Next: figure out your leave side of the equation with the terminal leave calculator, and see how leave sell-back is taxed before you decide to take or sell.

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Sources: DoDI 1327.06 — Leave and Liberty Policy and Procedures, DoD Financial Management Regulation Vol. 7A (military pay & leave), DoD SkillBridge program. Authorizations vary by service and situation; confirm with your transition office and out-processing checklist before relying on a specific number. General information, not official guidance.