The VAT relief program lets U.S. forces personnel in Germany make purchases free of German value-added tax. Applied to a TLA stay it is worth hundreds of euros — and it is the piece of paperwork we see mishandled most, because almost nobody realises one form does not cover a whole stay.
The two forms
An NF-1 covers a single purchase up to €2,499.99 net. An NF-2 covers anything above that, requires a different procedure with more lead time, and your VAT office issues only one at a time. For routine amounts you can hold up to ten NF-1 forms per household simultaneously.
Why one form is never enough for TLA
At the Ramstein locality rate the arithmetic is straightforward: a night at $229 converts to roughly €198 net of German VAT. Divide €2,499.99 by that and you get about 12 nights per NF-1.
| Length of stay | NF-1 forms needed |
|---|---|
| 30 nights | 3 |
| 60 nights | 5 |
Each invoice block needs its own form, and the form must exist before the invoice is issued — relief cannot be applied retroactively to an invoice that has already been written.
The deadline that starts at check-in
For arriving PCS families in the KMC, the first VAT form has to be in place within 7 days of check-in. Miss it and the first invoice block carries full VAT that nobody reimburses as relief — though note the consolation prize below.
The consolation prize most people miss
The purchase cost of the VAT form itself is a reimbursable lodging expense. FMR Volume 7A, Chapter 68, paragraph 6.2.2 lists it alongside lodging taxes and currency-conversion fees as part of the lodging cost. Put it on the claim.
The same paragraph also counts lodging tax toward your reimbursable lodging cost. So even where VAT relief fails, the tax belongs on your TLA claim, inside your ceiling. It is not lost — it just eats ceiling you could have used.
Our invoices are structured around the form limits: blocks under €2,499.99 net, itemised per day, so each block matches one NF-1 and finance sees exactly what the regulation asks for.
Work out your own numbers
The calculator below shows how many VAT forms your stay needs, alongside the lodging and M&IE figures.
Lodging is reimbursed against receipts, up to a ceiling, and any unused ceiling is forfeited. What you actually keep is below.
Meals & incidental expenses per day
$86.45
65% of the locality M&IE rate, paid without a receipt. Whatever you do not spend on food and incidentals is yours to keep.
- Your TLA lodging ceiling 100% of the locality lodging rate
- $229.00
- What we charge
- set at your ceiling - you pay nothing on top
- Out of pocket
- $0.00
- Rental car included, handed over at your apartment – a €50–€100/day cost you skip (our own estimate)
- Weekly cleaning included
- Pets free – the pet-friendly TLF on base charges $10.00 a day
- Final cleaning free
- Housing assistance & landlord worksheet – the paper trail your extension request needs
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). The first VAT form has to be with us within 7 days of check-in. 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: DTMO Maximum Per Diem Rates Outside CONUS, Change 727 (effective 2026-10-01). Percentages: DoD Financial Management Regulation, Volume 7A, Chapter 68, Table 68-11. Last verified 2026-09-29. This is an estimate. Your housing office and your finance office decide what is actually paid.
Prefer paper? Get the free TLA worksheet →
| What you compare | DODSC apartment | TLF on base | Hotel in the area |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nightly rate | $229.00set at your ceiling, so nothing lands on you | $192.00Temporary Lodging Facility (all sizes) | $76.00–$140.00houses near the base |
| Out of pocket on lodgingmeasured against your ceiling of $229.00 | $0.00 | $0.00per night | $0.00per night at the top of the range |
| Rental car, 30 days | 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 |
| Housing assistance and landlord worksheet | Yes, both | No | No |
| Minimum stay | No minimum stayyou check out the day your lease starts | Their booking terms apply | Their booking terms apply |
| What happens to your M&IE | Full kitchen and a car, so most of it stays with you | A kitchenette at best, so part of it goes on meals out | No kitchen, so most of it goes on meals out |
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.
Related reading: the Non-Availability letter sets your lodging ceiling, and the 30-day extension clock sets how long you draw it.
Common questions about VAT forms
Where do I get the forms?
Your VAT office on base, after registering as a household. Bring your orders. Air Force families use the Ramstein VAT office; Army families the USAG Rheinland-Pfalz one.
The hotel says they cannot accept a VAT form. Now what?
Not every provider participates — acceptance is voluntary. Ask before you book. All of our invoices work with the program.
Does this apply to TDY too?
Yes. The relief program does not care whether your stay is TLA or TDY; the form limits and the before-the-invoice rule are identical.
Sources
DoD FMR Volume 7A, Chapter 68, paragraph 6.2.2 (January 2025 edition) · German VAT relief procedure for U.S. forces personnel, NF-1 and NF-2 forms · DTMO Maximum Per Diem Rates Outside CONUS, Change 727. Rates last verified 27 September 2026. The euro figure depends on the exchange rate on the day the invoice is written. This is general information, not tax advice — your VAT office decides what a form covers.
Need TLA Housing Near Ramstein?
DODSC offers fully furnished TLA apartments near Ramstein Air Base — pet-friendly and family-ready.