DAFI36-3003 — Military Leave Program

DAFI36-3003 governs the Department of the Air Force Military Leave Program, including leave, administrative absences, PTDY, passes, and SLA.

Search DAFI36-3003

  • Publication number: DAFI36-3003
  • Title: MILITARY LEAVE PROGRAM
  • Date: 2026-02-26

View DAFI36-3003 on armypubs.army.mil


DAFI36-3003 addresses leave approval, disapproval, accrual, holidays, parental leave, permissive temporary duty, and Special Leave Accrual. It includes requirements for records and protected information, and clarifies en route leave, absence categories, and waiver authorities.

Applies to: This instruction applies to the Regular Air Force (RegAF), United States Space Force (USSF) military members, and the Air Force Reserve (AFR) and Air National Guard (ANG) members serving under the provisions of Title 10 United States Code (USC) or fulltime under 32 USC

Topics covered

  • Military leave
  • Leave approval authority
  • Leave accrual
  • Military parental leave
  • Permissive temporary duty
  • Special Leave Accrual
  • Administrative absences
  • Pass programs

Questions and answers

How many inactive duty parental leave periods are authorized after a qualifying event?

The IDPL is retroactive for any members with a qualifying event that occurred between 1 October 2024, and 7 August 2025 and will have 1 year from 7 August 2025 to use the benefit.

What does the Military Parental Leave Program authorize for covered service members?

The IDPL is retroactive for any members with a qualifying event that occurred between 1 October 2024, and 7 August 2025 and will have 1 year from 7 August 2025 to use the benefit.

What happened to the Post Deployment or Mobilization Respite Absence policy?

Subsequently, it discontinues the Post Deployment or Mobilization Respite Absence (PDMRA) policy, which provided the authority to grant an administrative absence to a Service member required to deploy or mobilize above the rotation frequency thresholds.

What must happen to records generated by processes in DAFI36-3003?

Ensure all records generated as a result of processes prescribed in this publication adhere to Air Force Instruction (AFI) 33-322, Records Management and Information Governance Program, and are disposed in accordance with the Air Force Records Disposition Schedule, which is located in the Air Force Records Information Management System.

Ask Reggie.Bot a question about DAFI36-3003