TQSA Calculator for Ramstein & the KMC
As a DoD civilian on PCS you draw a single daily ceiling for lodging AND meals together – 75% of the $362.00 per diem rate in your first 30 days, stepping down every 30 days. Work out your blocks below, and see what our Ceiling Guarantee keeps for food.
15 years of TLA housing in the KMC · 500+ military families hosted · veteran-owned
TQSA reimburses your actual costs for lodging, meals, laundry and dry cleaning - the lesser of what you spent and your daily ceiling. Unused ceiling is forfeited, and the ceiling steps down every 30 days.
Your TQSA ceiling per day, days 1–30
$271.50
75% of the DSSR 925 per diem rate ($362.00) - one ceiling for lodging AND meals together.
| Days | Ceiling | What we charge | Left for food & laundry |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1–30 | $271.50 | $226.50 | $45.00 |
The Ceiling Guarantee
You never pay a cent from your own pocket, and at least $45 a day stays for food - or our rate drops.
The $45 reserve is the $18.00 Government Meal Rate plus the $27.00 incidental portion of the locality rate - the same documented figures the TDY page uses.
- Rental car included. TQSA never reimburses a rental car - only lodging, meals, laundry and dry cleaning count. Every day with our car is money that stays in your pocket at any hotel.
- Full kitchen - your food money buys groceries, not restaurant bills.
- Weekly cleaning included. Pets free. Final cleaning free.
- We issue an itemized invoice per 30-day block - exactly what your SF-1190 claim needs.
How TQSA is claimed. Lodging receipts are mandatory, plus a certified statement of daily meal, laundry and dry cleaning expenses. You file a separate SF-1190 claim for each 30-day block. Reimbursement is the lesser of your actual expenses and the ceiling.
TQSA is not paid together with Post Allowance, and only in limited circumstances with LQA (DSSR 124.1A). It runs 90 days, up to 150 with agency approval. Per diem rates may change monthly - your voucher uses the rate of each claim month, this page shows the rate last verified on 2026-09-27.
VAT forms for this stay: 3. One NF-1 covers up to 2.499,99 € net, which at this rate is about 12 nights (exchange rate 1 EUR = 1.08 USD, 2026-09-27). On a civilian PCS the deadline for the first form follows your agency's guidance - send it as soon as you have it. Every further invoice needs its own form before that invoice is issued - VAT cannot be taken off afterwards. The cost of the form itself is a reimbursable lodging expense.
Plan ahead: the VAT Office issues no more than 10 NF-1 forms per household at the same time.
Locality rate: unchanged since 2026-09-01. Source: DSSR Section 925 Per Diem Supplement, Germany [Other], 2026-10-01 (effective 2026-09-01). Percentages: DSSR Section 120 - TQSA Worksheet. Last verified 2026-09-27. This is an estimate. Your housing office and your finance office decide what is actually paid.
30 nights · from $226.50 per day · $0.00 out of pocket
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| What you compare | DODSC apartment | TLF on base | Hotel in the area |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nightly rate | $226.50our Ceiling Guarantee rate for days 1–30 - below your ceiling, so $45.00 a day stays for food | $192.00Temporary Lodging Facility (all sizes) | $76.00–$140.00houses near the base |
| Out of pocket on lodgingmeasured against your days 1–30 ceiling of $271.50 - the ceiling steps down with each block, and so does our rate | $0.00 | $0.00per night | $0.00per night at the top of the range |
| Rental car, 30 days (never reimbursed under TQSA) | Included – $0.00handed over at your apartment | €50–€100 a dayour own estimate, see below | €50–€100 a dayour own estimate, see below |
| Pets | Free | $10.00 a day$300.00 over 30 days | Often refused |
| Weekly cleaning | Included | Room cleaning to their schedule | Room cleaning to their schedule |
| Final cleaning | Free | Not charged as standardbut their $150.00 "In-room smoking / excessive cleaning fee" can apply | Usually charged |
| Kitchen | Full kitchen | Kitchenette or none | None |
| Washer and dryer in the unit | Yes | Coin laundry | No |
| Parking | Free | Free | usually chargedno sourced figure, see below |
| Itemized invoice per TQSA block, ready for your claim form | Yes, as standard | On request | Varies |
| Minimum stay | No minimum stayyou check out the day your housing is ready | Their booking terms apply | Their booking terms apply |
| Your food costs against the same ceiling | Full kitchen - groceries keep your documented costs low | A kitchenette at best - meals out run against your ceiling | No kitchen - meals out run against your ceiling |
Rental car: €50–€100 a day is our own estimate, published in our own FAQ (retrieved 2026-09-27). It is not a market survey: on the same day, small cars in Ramstein started at €38 a day (Stress Free Car Rental, Ramstein pick-up). Hotel rates: $76.00–$140.00 a night, read on 2026-09-27 from hotels.com, Booking.com and Tripadvisor, houses in Ramstein-Miesenbach and Kaiserslautern. Those are the published nightly rates of individual houses, not an average - four rates do not make one. Hotel rates move daily and with the season, so this is a snapshot of the date above and not a quote. Hotel parking: usually charged, but we have no sourced figure for the Ramstein area, so we give none. On-base rates: 86 FSS Air Force Inns - Room Rates, Ramstein, checked 2026-09-29. Everything above is what the rate covers, not what your finance office will pay. Your housing office and your finance office decide.
Leave the day your lease starts. No minimum stay, no penalty. Your TLA ends when your permanent housing is ready – with us, so does your bill.
Your ceiling is set by regulation. Your apartment is not.
Answer within 2 hours.
May-September fills up early - if you have orders, write us now.
Common questions
TLA, TDY or TQSA - which one am I?
It follows your orders, not your preference. In uniform on PCS orders you draw TLA - use our TLA calculator at /tla-calculator/. On temporary duty orders, military or civilian, you draw per diem - that is the TDY mode of the same calculator. As a DoD civilian employee arriving on PCS you draw TQSA under the Department of State Standardized Regulations, and this page is yours.
How much TQSA will I get in the KMC?
Your ceiling is a percentage of the DSSR Section 925 per diem rate for Germany [Other], currently $362.00 a day - the KMC has no post of its own in that table. As the employee you draw 75 percent in days 1-30, 65 percent in days 31-60 and 55 percent from day 61, with a supplement for each family member. It is one ceiling for lodging, meals, laundry and dry cleaning together. Put your family into the calculator above for your blocks.
Does unused TQSA stay with me?
No. TQSA reimburses the lesser of what you actually spent and your daily ceiling, against receipts and a certified expense statement - unused ceiling is simply forfeited. That is the opposite of the M&IE portion of TLA, which is paid without receipts. Do not plan around keeping a difference; plan around a comfortable stay that fits under the ceiling.
What receipts does TQSA need?
Lodging receipts are mandatory. Meals, laundry and dry cleaning go on a certified daily expense statement. You claim each 30-day block on its own Standard Form SF-1190. We issue an itemized invoice per 30-day block, which is exactly the paper your claim needs.
How long does TQSA run?
Up to 90 days on arrival, extendable to 150 days with your agency's approval. On final departure from post, days 1-30 apply as well - days 31 and beyond need agency approval. The per diem rate may change monthly; your voucher uses the rate of each claim month.
Can I get TQSA in no-cost quarters?
Only a reduced one. In no-cost Government quarters your daily family rates are capped at 50 percent of the maximums (DSSR 122.3), and your agency may restrict further where the quarters include cooking and laundry facilities. Tick the box in the calculator and it shows the halved ceiling.
Is a rental car reimbursed under TQSA?
No - TQSA covers lodging, meals, laundry and dry cleaning, nothing else. A rental car is never reimbursed under TQSA, at any hotel or apartment. That is why the car included in our rate is real money in your pocket: every day you would otherwise rent one is a cost TQSA will not touch.