John said there was no reason I should know this, and he was right, but I was curious enough to look it up. We know that there are funds you can get for moving to a foreign post, but what about transferring back to the US? Well, it’s not so easy. The Home Service Transfer Advance (HSTA) works pretty much like the FTA discussed previously. Instead of that DS-240 for the FTA, you’ll use the DS-250 and its magic to figure your allowances on the SF-1190. While there’s no advance of pay loan, the HSTA can provide you with a lot more money if you need it. Here’s how:

Miscellaneous Expenses

Like the FTA, you can either claim a flat $500 with no family or $1000 with a family OR keep your receipts. This time, it gets a lot more useful, as it includes not only the shipment cost of your pet, but also driver’s licenses, car registration, reinstallation of a catalytic converter, utility hookups and converting your household appliances to 110V/60Hz. You still might be better off with the flat rate, but it might be worth looking into. The max rate is ~$3300 right now for families, half that for singles.

Subsistence Expense Portion

Here’s the real help. Rather than the 10-day pre-departure per diem you get when you’re leaving from a US posting to a foreign post, you get up to 60 days to find a permanent place and move in to it, and they’ll give you per diem to do that. KEEP YOUR RECEIPTS, even if doing the flat-rate method, because they can demand them. Essentially, the employee gets 100% per diem (the per diem for their US post of assignment), EFMs over 12 get 75% and under 12 get 50% for the first 30 days. For the second, the employee gets 75%, EFMs get 50% and 40% for over and under 12, respectively. Technically, you could use it for up to four months, but that’s never gonna happen, so don’t plan on it. Like everything, there’s a catch: you have to sign a form saying you’re not going to leave the USG within 12 months of taking the advance or you’re on the hook for the money they gave you.

By my read, you don’t need to have reported for work in order to start claiming the allowance and can have it broken up by leave days if you’re out of the city. It’s basically there to help you find a place to live during your permanent stay in the US. Like other travel allowances, you can get an advance for up to 80% of the proposed spending. For me+1 PCSing to DC with a planned hotel stay of 30 nights, that’s more than an $11,000 advance. If that doesn’t help you transfer back home, I don’t know what will.

Fortunately, the regulation is online, so you don’t have to take my word for it.

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