Members can get an allowance to help with the cost of meals when they’re staying in temporary accommodation at the beginning and end of a long-term posting overseas.
You’ll still be required to pay a fortnightly contribution towards your accommodation and utilities costs.
The allowance is also available if you need to move out of unsuitable housing.
You may also get temporary accommodation allowance if you need to stay in temporary accommodation before you leave Australia.
When you can get the allowance
You'll be eligible for settling-in allowance and settling-out allowance if you're staying in temporary accommodation because you:
- have arrived at a posting location
- are leaving a posting location
- have to move out of unsuitable housing.
When you're not eligible
You won't be eligible for the allowance if you're staying in accommodation that has cooking facilities.
Your allowance may be reduced by the cost of any meals you or your
Defence uses the word dependant to describe your family while you’re overseas. A dependant can be your:
• partner who normally lives with you
• child, or your partner’s child, who’s under 18, dependent on you, and normally lives with you. In some cases, Defence may approve another person to be your dependant.
get for free.
You won't get the allowance while you're on recreation leave.
If your partner is an ADF member or an APS employee, only the partner who's getting the overseas allowances will get the settling-in allowance and settling-out allowance.
Work out how much you’ll get
The amount you'll get depends on the location you’re travelling to, if your accommodation includes the cost of a meal, the time you arrive at the location, and the time you leave.
To find your rate of allowance, and the rate of allowance for any eligible dependants travelling with you who are 12 years or older:
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Navigate to the Defence Protected Network (DPN) and open a web browser
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Type https://objcdc6/id:BN127994707 into the URL bar at the top of your browser and press the Enter key on your keyboard to automatically download the document
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Navigate to your downloaded files and open the document you just downloaded (note: it may be titled 2026-2027 Defence International Travel Costs Schedule)
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Select the financial year from the tabs at the bottom of the document
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Refer to the instructions at the top of the document
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Take the daily limit for meals at your location and multiply it by 0.6667 to calculate your daily allowance rate for meals
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Take the daily limit for incidentals at your location and multiply it by 0.6667 to calculate your daily allowance rate for incidentals
If you have any eligible dependants who are younger than 12 years old travelling with you, their rate of allowance is 2/3 of your rate, and is worked out using the following formula:
Your rate of allowance × 0.6667
If your accommodation tariff includes a meal, the rate you and any eligible dependants will get for each meal is reduced by:
- 25% for breakfast
- 25% for lunch
- 50% for dinner.
The daily rate for meals will also be reduced depending on the time of day you arrive or leave your location.
If you arrive at the location:
- before 0700, your daily rate won’t be reduced
- between 0700 and 1300 your daily rate will be reduced by 25% on the day you arrive
- between 1301 and 1900 your daily rate will be reduced by 75% on the day you arrive
- after 1900 you won’t be eligible for meals or incidentals on the day you arrive.
If you leave the location:
- before 0700 you won’t be eligible for meals or incidentals allowances on the day you leave
- between 0700 and 1300 your daily rate will be reduced by 75% on the day you leave
- between 1301 and 1900 your daily rate will be reduced by 50% on the day you leave
- after 1900 your daily rate won’t be reduced.
If you’ve opened a bank account in your posting country, you'll get the allowance paid in local currency. If you don’t have a local bank account, you can have it paid into your Australian bank account in Australian dollars.
The allowance is considered a fringe benefit but not FBT reportable. It may affect your tax assessable income.
When the allowance starts and stops
You’ll get settling-in allowance when you arrive at the posting location. It stops on the day your long-term accommodation becomes available or after 6 weeks, whichever comes first.
You’ll get settling-out allowance if you need to move out of your house before your posting finishes. It stops on the day your posting finishes or 2 weeks after you move out of your accommodation, whichever comes first.
You may also get settling-out allowance if you need to move out of unsuitable housing. It stops on the day your new accommodation becomes available.
You may get approval to get the allowance for longer if:
- you can’t find suitable accommodation
- you're waiting for your accommodation to become available
- you need to move out of your accommodation more than 2 weeks before the end of your posting.
Your allowance will stop if you're offered suitable accommodation and don't accept it.