Military leave, decoded.

2.5 days per month, totaling 30 days per year. This accrues automatically from your first day of active duty.

60 days at the fiscal year boundary (October 1). Anything above 60 days on September 30 is "use or lose" — it vanishes.

If you have more than 60 days of leave on September 30, the excess disappears — no payout, no rollover. Plan ahead.

If your mission prevented you from taking leave, you can request to carry over up to 120 days instead of the normal 60. Must be approved by your commander.

Weekends and holidays during your leave period ARE charged as leave days. If you take leave from Monday through the following Monday, Saturday and Sunday count.

Using your remaining leave balance at the end of your enlistment. You're technically still on active duty but done reporting to your unit. You get full pay, BAH, BAS, and all allowances until your ETS date.

Your current leave balance = the number of terminal leave days before your ETS date. If you have 45 days of leave and your ETS is June 30, your last day of work would be around May 16.

You can sell up to 60 days of leave across your entire career at the base pay rate — 1/30th of your monthly base pay per day. No BAH, no BAS, no allowances.

Terminal leave almost always wins financially. During terminal leave you receive base pay + BAH + BAS + all allowances. Sell-back only pays base pay (1/30th per day). The difference can be thousands of dollars.

You can legally start a civilian job while on terminal leave. This creates a double-income period — military pay continues while you earn your new civilian salary.

Permissive TDY for job/house hunting (up to 20 days for separation) can be taken BEFORE your terminal leave begins. This stacks — PTDY days + terminal leave days = total time away from your unit.

Up to 10 days of non-chargeable leave for job or house hunting at your new PCS duty station. These days do NOT come from your leave balance.

Up to 20 days of non-chargeable leave for job hunting before separation from the military. This is IN ADDITION to terminal leave — they stack.

Up to 21 days of non-chargeable leave for adoption-related travel and appointments. Applies to both domestic and international adoptions.

Up to 30 days for bone marrow donation and up to 60 days for organ donation — all non-chargeable. Includes time for testing, the procedure, and recovery.

12 weeks of non-chargeable leave for the primary caregiver following birth, adoption, or long-term foster placement of a child.

12 weeks of non-chargeable leave for the secondary caregiver. This was expanded from the previous 6-week policy.

Must be used within 1 year of the qualifying event (birth, adoption, or foster placement). Can be taken non-consecutively with command approval.

If both parents are service members, each qualifies for their respective caregiver leave (primary or secondary). Both can take their full entitlement.

Parental leave was significantly expanded in recent years. Secondary caregiver leave went from 6 weeks to 12 weeks. The policy now covers adoption and long-term foster placement equally.

Non-chargeable leave prescribed by a medical provider for recovery from illness, injury, or surgery. This is completely separate from your regular leave balance.

Determined entirely by the medical provider based on medical necessity. There is no set maximum — it lasts as long as the provider determines you need to recover.

Your doctor or surgeon writes a convalescent leave recommendation specifying the number of days needed for recovery. Your command then approves the leave based on the medical recommendation.

Convalescent leave does NOT come out of your regular leave balance. It is a completely separate category. You keep all your earned leave days intact.

Standard after major surgery, dental procedures, childbirth complications, and significant medical procedures. Always ask your provider whether convalescent leave is appropriate.

Chargeable leave granted for personal or family emergencies — serious illness or injury of an immediate family member, death of a family member, natural disasters affecting your home or family.

Approved by your commander, usually on an expedited basis. For deployed members, the Red Cross can verify the emergency to facilitate rapid approval and travel arrangements.

Emergency leave travel may be funded by the military in some cases. Command-sponsored travel can cover flights home for verified emergencies, especially for deployed or OCONUS members.

The Red Cross emergency notification is the standard process for deployed service members. Your unit will facilitate departure from theater, arrange transportation, and handle the administrative paperwork.

Weekends and federal holidays — non-chargeable time off within your unit's pass radius. You don't need to submit leave paperwork for regular pass periods.

Commander-granted extra days off — non-chargeable. Often used as a reward for exceptional performance, completing a field exercise, or unit achievements.

Typically includes a regular weekend plus 2 additional days (often Thursday-Sunday or Friday-Monday). Non-chargeable. Common around federal holidays or training milestones.

Pass days generally cannot be combined with leave to extend trips without commander approval. The pass radius may restrict how far you can travel. Passes typically cannot exceed 4 days.

Non-chargeable leave for the death of an immediate family member. Separate from emergency leave in some branches, which means it doesn't come from your regular leave balance.

Some branches grant non-chargeable leave upon reenlistment as an incentive. Duration varies by branch and may depend on where and when you reenlist.

Non-chargeable leave during extended deployments, typically with funded travel home. Usually offered during deployments longer than 270 days.

Leave without pay — taken when you've exhausted your entire leave balance. Rarely approved, and you receive no pay for the days taken. Used in extreme circumstances.

Non-chargeable leave at certain OCONUS remote or isolated duty locations. Designed to prevent burnout at hardship posts. Typically includes funded travel to a designated R&R location.