TDY

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Distinct from Teledyne (NYSE: TDY)

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A Temporary Duty assignment, or TDY, refers to a U.S. government employee travel assignment at a location other than the employee's permanent duty station. They are usually of relatively short duration, typically from two days to two months in length. Not all agencies use this designation. TAD is another variant on the same concept. A TDY can be to any location, be it 50 or 5,000 miles away, but they are all less than 1 year in duration.

TDYs usually come with per diem pay, covering hotel, meals, and incidental expenses. Many employees value the per diem aspect of a TDY, since that money is guaranteed, even if they spend less than their allotted daily value. (Note that some agencies handle the hotel per diem separately from the meals and incidentals per diem, and employees may not make money by staying at a cheaper hotel, or putting more than one person in a room.) Typically, an employee may request a cash advance of 60-80% of the total value of the meals and incidental expenses before the TDY takes place, in order to prevent the employee from having to use his or her own money, or putting money on a personal credit card. Government travel cards are also typically available, though these sometimes carry restrictions on the types of goods or services that can be purchased with them.