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Reserve IDT Travel Reimbursements

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It’s not uncommon for many Guard and Reserve members travel long distances to perform their drill duty, or Inactive Duty Training (IDT). I counted license plates from about 7 neighboring states at my last drill. I have friends in different units who tell me there are some members who regularly fly to and from their monthly drills. Talk about dedication!

The good news is if you live outside the normal commuting distance, your unit should provide Lodging-in-Kind, and may even reimburse you for your travel expenses (up to a certain amount). So don’t let the cost of travel be a reason no to join the Guard or Reserves . However, the rules here are very broad, and are not standardized between the services. Reimbursements may even depend on your pay grade or your AFSC or MOS. Let’s take a deeper look at what’s available.

For the purposes of this article, we will separate the Guard and Reserves because the Reserves follow a national standard, while the rules for Guard units vary by state. This first section will cover the Reserves.

Reserve IDT travel reimbursements:  The service secretary for each branch of the Reserves is allowed to authorize travel reimbursements for members who live more than 150 miles from their base. However, not all branches currently reimburse Reserve members for travel. Here are some basic rules of thumb (but be sure to verify with your unit, as some units may have unique rules):

Travel While on Inactive Duty. Members are not authorized to receive reimbursement for travel between their place of residence and their normal drill site when under inactive duty orders.

• Commands must establish normal drill sites that are validated by the District RFRS staff. If the normal drill site is different than the unit’s location, the District RFRS staff must be notified by the member’s command and noted along with the member’s PAL assignment. This is necessary to provide a legal means of determining eligibility for medical and other entitlements when members travel from their homes to the normal drill site, and for determining entitlements associated with travel between the normal drill site and the unit.
• Reservists who are ordered to locations other than their normal drill site must be placed on Temporary Duty (TDY) orders and receive entitlements in accordance with U4000 of reference (n), The Joint Federal Travel Regulations (JFTR). TDY orders are normally issued and funded by the member’s assigned unit, with the exception of duty such as RMPs performed for RSWE participation or medical readiness, which may be issued and funded by the District RFRS staff’s reserve appropriations manager. TDY orders shall specify the member’s normal drill site. When the member travels directly from home to the TDY station, reimbursement is limited to the lesser entitlement from either the member’s home or the normal drill site to the point at which TDY inactive duty is performed.

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National Guard IDT Travel Reimbursements

The National Guard is a completely different beast when it comes to determining whether IDT travel reimbursements are available. The short answer is: ask your unit.

I know that sounds like a cop-out, but it’s the easiest way to determine the availability of travel funds. Because Guard members work for their respective state, there may be differing policies. I have seen on some forums that some units offer travel reimbursements, but I’ve heard from many individuals that it is not available at their units. Please let me know if you have any specific information or references and I will update the site accordingly.

No Reimbursements? Deduct Your Travel Expenses

Even if you aren’t able to receive a reimbursement for your travel expenses, you may be eligible  claim mileage and other travel expenses on your taxes  if you have to travel more than 100 miles for drill duty. You can also claim half the cost of your meals on your taxes. Those benefits don’t negate the cost of travel, but it certainly helps when you file your taxes.

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What Type of Travel is Covered

Lodging. If you live outside the normal commuting distance, your unit will usually provide Lodging-in-Kind. They will either put you up in base lodging (if available), or pay for a hotel room in town. You may or may not be required to share a room, depending on your unit, your rank, and room availability. I’m not going to try and provide a standard set of rules for this, as they vary by unit.

However, most units only cover lodging for certain days, usually the night before training (if you live outside the commuting area), and after the first drill day. They may only cover one night of lodging if you live within a certain distance. They usually do not provide Lodging-in-Kind for the second day of a two day drill, or for your return trip.

If you need lodging outside of the days that are normally covered, you will need to work it out with your unit or claim a tax deduction the following year. Save your receipts!

Transportation: There are many types of transportation that qualify, including planes, trains, and automobiles. Rental cars are not normally authorized. Mileage is typically charged at the standard IRS rate, which is $0.575 per mile in 2015. Servicemembers can also claim incidental expenses such as parking, tolls, and related travel expenses.

When in Doubt, Go to the Source

Standard disclaimer – this is a topic that gets complicated quickly. Each branch has different rules, there are different rules for Guard and Reserves, and there are even different rules within certain branches, depending on your unit, AFSC/Rating/MOS, pay grade, etc.

The best place to find specific answers for your situation is through your unit. Your recruiter will be able to help you if you are considering joining a unit. Otherwise, contact the finance or travel department.

US Code. Here is the official code as written in 37 U.S. Code § 478a – Travel and transportation allowances: inactive duty training outside of normal commuting distances.

Note: Special thanks to LT. Josué Román, USCG, for sending the information on Coast Guard travel while on inactive duty.

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Ryan Guina is The Military Wallet’s founder. He is a writer, small business owner, and entrepreneur. He served over six years on active duty in the USAF and is a current member of the Tennessee Air National Guard.

Ryan started The Military Wallet in 2007 after separating from active duty military service and has been writing about financial, small business, and military benefits topics since then.

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Robert vanhoose says

October 13, 2021 at 2:18 pm

Do I have to attend drill if I’m told that there’s no money in the budget to pay for my lodging and I must pay out of pocket?

Ryan Guina says

October 26, 2021 at 1:00 pm

Hello Robert,

When I joined my unit, I had to sign a form stating that I was aware of the travel distance from my home of record and that I may incur some expenses as a result. I believe this is standard, but I’m not 100% certain. I recommend asking your personnel/human resources office or your Judge Advocate for additional information. Best wishes.

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IDT Travel Reimbursement for Guard and Reserves

Julie Provost

National guard and reserves’ idt travel reimbursement and tax deduction.

For soldiers in the Reserves and National Guard, the cost of traveling to and from Inactive Duty Training (IDT) every month can add up. Many live long distance from where their unit is located, some even traveling by plane for drill. It is not always easy to transfer units, as some military occupational specialties (MOS) have limited available slots. Since Reservists and those in the National Guard often need to work full-time civilian jobs, this may require them to move from where they originally enlisted or from where they had found an available MOS slot.

Who Gets Reimbursed for IDT/Drill Travel Costs?

For those in the Reserves, each branch and unit may have different rules for travel reimbursement. Below are some travel reimbursement resources for each branch, but be sure to check with your individual unit before submitting any requests. For all IDT outside of the normal commuting distance, or 150 miles, the maximum allowed reimbursement authorized by the DOD is $500.00. This was increased in 2018 from $300.00. (See the DOD memo PDF with the updated changes here .)

• Air Force Reserves : You can find detailed information on qualifications, as well as submit your travel reimbursement request here . This link also includes voucher processing status updates, travel guides, details on booking flights, and contact information.
• Army Reserves : I was unable to find more specific resources for IDT reimbursement. The Defense Finance and Accounting Service (DFAS) provides reimbursements and travel voucher submissions for Permanent Change of Station (PCS) and Temporary Duty Travel (TDY), but makes no mention of IDT. I would recommend checking with your unit, as the maximum of $500.00 round trip reimbursement should still apply, if you qualify.
• USMC Reserves : Eligibility details, including eligible ranks and MOS, authorized exceptions, detailed reimbursement guidelines, and contact information is available here for the 2020 Fiscal Year.
• Navy Reserves : There is no reimbursement for travel from a member’s permanent residence to their permanent IDT location. Reimbursement is available for IDT assigned at alternate locations, and the allowance limitations are detailed in this PDF .
• Coast Guard Reserves : Members and officers are not authorized a substance allowance for travel to and from their normal IDT site. The PDF, including contact information and other references, for this information can be found here , updated April 2020.

As stated above, I was not able to find specific resources or information for IDT reimbursement for those in the Army, and this of course applies to those in the National Guard. In contrast to the Reserves, the National Guard is state-run, and therefore may have even more variance between units regarding reimbursement rules and eligibility.

What If I’m Not Eligible or Never Receive a Reimbursement?

Ideally every soldier would be paid within a reasonable time for thier travel costs, but for various reasons this may not be the case. You also may not be eligible, for example if you live outside the 150-mile radius, or you may not want to deal with the potential hassle of sending in reimbursement requests. In any of these situations, you should be deducting travel costs from your taxes.

What National Guard/Reserve Travel Costs Can I Deduct From My Taxes?

According to the IRS , for those in the National Guard and Reserves, in order to deduct travel expenses from your taxes your expenses must not be reimbursed, travel must be overnight, and your destination must be more than 100 miles from your home. Expenses that qualify must be “ordinary and necessary,” and these may include:

• Air, car, train, bus, or car travel from your home and your business destination
• Baggage shipping
• Driving your car or rental while at your business destination
• Non-entertainment-related meals
• Dry cleaning and laundry
• Any tips associated with the above expenses
• The IRS also lists “other similar ordinary and necessary expenses related to your business travel”

National Guard and Reservists’ travel tax deductions are limited to the regular federal per diem rate for lodging, meals, and incidental expenses (you can find per diem rates here for each state and city). Deductions are also limited to the standard mileage rate for car expenses (the 2019 standard mileage rate for business use is 0.58 per mile ), plus parking fees and tolls.

RELATED:  Basic Training for Taxes for Military

How Do I Claim These Expenses?

In order to claim these expenses, you will need to fill out the IRS Form 2106, and detailed instructions for this form are located here . You will also need to report these on Form 1040 or 1040-SR as an adjustment to income.

Do I Have to Keep Records of My Expenses?

As with any source of income or deductible expenses, you should keep all receipts of purchase and prepare a written record of all deductions. This PDF published by the IRS gives detailed recordkeeping guidelines in Chapter 5, page 24. It also gives further detailed information on business related travel expenses, non-entertainment-related meals, gifts, and transportation.

List of Resources

• DOD memo from 2018 increasing maximum travel reimbursements: Link
• Air Force Reserves Travel Resource: Link
• USMC Reserves IDT Travel Resource: Link
• Navy Reserves Order Processing and Travel Arrangements: Link
• Coast Guard Reserves IDT Subsistence Allowance:  Link
• IRS, Topic No. 511 Business Travel Expenses: Link
• IRS, Form 2106 Instructions: Link
• IRS, Travel, Gift, and Car Expenses Publication:  Link
• Federal Per Diem Rates:  Link
• The Defense Travel System (DTS): An Overview
• Space A Travel: Everything You Need To Know
• National Guard Benefits Access Enabled With Extended Orders

About the author

Julie Provost is a freelance writer, and blogger. She lives in Tennessee with her National Guard husband and three boys.

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Tax Considerations for Reservists

Members of the United States Armed Forces are eligible for a number of special tax benefits. Additionally, Armed Forces reservists, regardless of duty status, can  take advantage of tax-related benefits, such as considerations for travel and business expenses, military differential pay and tax deferral status.

If you are an Armed Forces reservist and travel more than 100 miles away from your home to perform reserves service (such as drills or meetings), travel-related expenses can be subtracted directly from the income reported on your tax return as an adjustment to income.  You do not have to itemize deductions to take advantage of these benefits. Also, unlike most other employee business expenses, the deduction for these expenses is not subject to the standard 2% Adjusted Gross Income (AGI) limit.  Allowable expenses include those that cover overnight transportation, meals, and lodging. 

Reservists can deduct additional employee business expenses only if they itemize deductions on Schedule A (rather than take the standard deduction).  Itemizing is generally a better option if you have enough deductions to exceed the standard deduction for your filing status A professional tax preparer like Jackson Hewitt can help reservists understand these and the other job-related deductions available.

Reservists called to active duty may receive military differential pay from their employer to represent the difference between their regular salary, prior to being called to active duty, and the amount being paid by the military.  Military differential pay is voluntary by an employer and has special rules.  For example, the pay is not considered wages and therefore is not subject to Social Security, Medicare, or income tax withholding.  The income should be reported on Form 1099-MISC (Box 3) and on Form 1040 (Line 21) as "other income" when filing a tax return. Additionally, this pay will not qualify for the combat pay exclusion. Even though this income is not subject to any withholding, it is still considered taxable. 

Another benefit for reservists called to active duty is that they may qualify for a deferral of taxes owed if you can show that your ability to pay taxes was affected by your military service.  The deferral is not automatic; you will need to apply for it.  When applying, you must show how your military service impacted your ability to pay.  You must have received a notice of tax due, or have an installment agreement with the IRS before applying for the deferral.  The deferral does not extend deadlines for filing any tax returns.

Many tax benefits exist for all members of the military, regardless of the branch of service or duty performed.  However, the rules are complex and change often. Being aware of the many tax considerations can help military men and women take advantage of all of the relevant credits and deductions. A list of additional rules and tax benefits available to military service members is available at www.jacksonhewitt.com .

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