A nonworkday is not automatically personal leave
FTR §301-11.13 addresses per diem on nonworkdays during qualifying temporary duty travel. Whether a traveler must remain at the destination, takes leave or returns home affects the treatment. Keep the authorized itinerary and work requirement clear.
A weekend between required workdays is different from days added solely for personal convenience. Do not infer the same entitlement for both merely because a hotel booking spans the dates.
Authorized and voluntary returns are different
FTR §§301-11.14–15 distinguish an agency-authorized return from a voluntary return to the official station or residence. A voluntary return is subject to a limit based on the transportation and subsistence costs that would have been allowed had the traveler remained at the temporary duty location.
The comparison concerns the applicable combined costs, not an automatic reimbursement of every ticket or mile home. Ask the travel office which dates, costs and documentation are required for the specific itinerary.
Avoid counting personal days as ordinary meal days
The calculator assumes one continuous qualifying work trip, with every date eligible under its stated method. It has no personal-leave or return-home controls. Exclude these itineraries from its single-trip total rather than assuming a displayed daily amount has been approved.
For a mixed itinerary, keep a separate schedule of duty, leave, required nonworkdays and travel home, along with any approvals. The destination tables remain useful rate references even when the complete claim requires a different calculation.
Official sources
This guide explains a general method. Your travel authorization and applicable policy determine the claim. Report a correction.