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: Read more on this Article!

There are several transfer allowances that you might be eligible for when you’re heading off to post, but I’m going to focus on the two (and a half) allowances that are most used and most versatile: the Advance of Pay allowance (aka interest-free loan) and the Foreign Transfer Allowance (FTA or free money). These can save you a ton of money as you spend thousands getting overseas, or can give you a little extra cash if you play your cards right. See how after the jump.

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I was a local hire and then went to post, where all of my travel vouchers were handled by FSNs. Imagine my horror when I had to navigate the voucher system all by my lonesome upon coming back to FSI for long-term language training. I would have killed to have this info before, so to prevent homicide I give you the following how-to: Read more on this Article!