Foreign Service Education Allowance Estimator

Quick Explanations

How This Works

1. Select Primary Post: Choose your main post to start.
2. Add Children: Add children one by one, selecting their grade and allowance type.
3. Compare Posts: Add other posts to the comparison panel to see how your family's total allowance would differ.

What's Covered? The allowance helps cover costs that are normally free in U.S. public schools, up to the maximum rate for your post. Examples include:
  • Tuition: Costs for required courses and instruction.
  • Fees: One-time admission or registration fees.
  • Books: Required textbooks (but not general supplies).
  • Transportation: Required, school-sponsored transport like a daily bus service.
For detailed rules, see DSSR 270.

The allowance covers required tuition, fees, books, and school transport, up to the maximum rate. It does not cover expenses like school lunches or extracurriculars.
Note: Department of Defense (DoD) personnel fall under a separate education benefits authority.

Allowance Types

'At Post' is for schools at your post. 'Away from Post' is used if no adequate school exists locally. Home Study expenses are reimbursed up to the 'At Post' maximum rate.

Step 1: Build Your Family Estimate

Step 2: Compare Posts

Add a child to your family profile to enable post comparisons.

This calculator is for informational purposes only and is not an official government resource. Always vet final allowance amounts with your post's management team.

Remember that the Education Allowance is different from the Educational TravelThis separate benefit provides one round-trip flight annually between a student's school and your foreign post. It's mainly for post-secondary students but can be used for grades 9-12 instead of the Education Allowance (but not both at the same time). The benefit ends when the student turns 23, with some exceptions for military service (see DSSR 284). benefit.