What GYH(O) is
An overseas posting can put a lot of distance between you and the people you care about. Get You Home (Overseas) helps close it by contributing to one return journey to the UK for each year you’re assigned overseas — for you and for each eligible member of your immediate family who travels with you.
It’s tax-free, and you’re reimbursed what you actually pay for a standard economy return flight, up to the published MOD flight allowance for the country you’re assigned to.
Who can claim
- All Service personnel permanently assigned to an overseas station. For reservists this normally means FTRS (Full or Limited Commitment) and mobilised personnel.
- Eligible immediate family members accompanying you on the assignment.
Entitlement starts on the day you report for duty in the overseas country — not during any leave you take there beforehand — and ends on your last day of duty there.
Who can’t claim
- Personnel whose terms already include a return journey to the UK — Loan Service is the common example.
- Journeys during terminal leave.
- “Reverse” travel: you can’t use the allowance to bring family or friends out to visit you.
- If you apply for Voluntary Outflow, entitlement only continues if your discharge date falls after the end of the assignment year.
How much you get
Each country has its own flight allowance — the most you can be reimbursed per person for a return economy flight between a local international airport and a UK international airport. These are some of the rates from 1 October 2026:
| Assignment country | Flight allowance per person |
|---|---|
| Republic of Ireland | £120 |
| France | £187 |
| Germany | £219 |
| Gibraltar | £243 |
| Cyprus | £327 |
| Canada (East) | £736 |
| USA (West) | £895 |
| Kenya | £900 |
| Belize | £1,057 |
| Brunei | £1,327 |
| Australia (East) | £1,845 |
There are over 100 countries — the calculator below and our rates finder have them all. No rate is currently listed for Russia, Sudan, Ukraine or Yemen. You can also claim terminal travel — getting to and from the airports by rail, coach, bus or taxi — within set limits.
Work out yours
Put in your details to see what you could get, using the current JSP 752 rates.
Worked examples
Family of four in Cyprus
A staff sergeant, his partner and two children fly home in the summer. The Cyprus allowance is £327 each, so they can reclaim up to £1,308 in flights. If the fares come to £1,180, that’s what’s refunded.
Single officer in Canada
A captain in Canada (West) books a return flight for £1,120. The allowance is £1,014, so she’s reimbursed £1,014 and pays the difference.
Getting to and from the airport
As well as the flight, you can claim terminal travel — the journeys to the airport overseas and from the airport to your UK address, and back again. Actual costs by rail, coach, bus or taxi, or a combination, are refunded within set limits. Journeys made by road using a ferry, Eurotunnel or Eurostar have their own rules in JSP 752 Chapter 9 Section 11.
Back-to-back tours and assignment years
Your entitlement runs in assignment years, starting from the day you report for duty overseas. If you serve consecutive qualifying assignments in the same country, your entitlement carries on rather than resetting — but you need to complete at least 12 months’ qualifying service to stay eligible. Periods of less than 12 months only qualify in limited circumstances.
If you’re a Service couple both assigned overseas, you each have your own entitlement from your own country of assignment.
Rules worth knowing
- Use it or lose it. Entitlement doesn’t normally carry over from one assignment year to the next. In exceptional cases — back-to-back operational deployments, for example — your CO can authorise a carry-forward.
- Family can travel separately. If you can’t travel, your family’s entitlement can be split over two journeys to the same UK address.
- Short-toured? If you’re unexpectedly short-toured for Service reasons, journeys already taken aren’t clawed back, and a journey already booked can still go ahead.
- Non-British passport holders can use the allowance towards a flight to their country of origin, up to the same cap.
- Combine with Respite Provision. You can pair a GYH(O) trip with your Respite Provision, using respite for the accommodation element.
- Air trooping flights can be used if available, but you won’t then get a refund for that air travel.
How to claim
- Book your own travel — Service flights aren’t normally used for GYH(O).
- Submit a leave application covering the whole journey.
- Claim your fares and terminal travel through JPA, keeping tickets and receipts.
Frequently asked questions
Is the flight allowance per person or per family?
Per person. You and each eligible family member travelling have your own entitlement, each up to the country’s flight allowance.
Do I get the full allowance even if my flight is cheaper?
No. You’re reimbursed your actual economy fare, up to the allowance — not a flat payment.
Is GYH(O) taxed?
No — it’s non-taxable under ITEPA 2003 section 299.
Can I fly to somewhere other than the UK?
Normally the journey is to the UK address on JPA for your leave. Non-British passport holders can use it towards a flight to their country of origin, up to the same limit.
Can my family travel without me?
Yes. If you can’t go — for Service or family reasons — your family’s entitlement can be split over two journeys, as long as they travel to the same qualifying UK address.
Can I carry my entitlement into next year?
Not normally. In exceptional circumstances, such as back-to-back operational deployments, your CO can authorise a carry-forward.
Sources and last checked
- JSP 752 v67.1, Chapter 9 Section 11 (paras 09.1101–09.1124)
- JSP 752 v67.1, Chapter 3 Section 1 — GYH(O) flight allowances, 1 October 2026
Last checked against JSP 752 version 67.1 on 31 October 2026. Rates change, usually each April — always confirm with your unit HR admin staff before you claim.