Home Leave is provided by order of Congress to ensure that Foreign Service employees maintain close ties to the United States while pursuing careers overseas. Home Leave accrues at the rate of 15 workdays per calendar year while on overseas assignment and may be used at the end of a two- or three-year assignment abroad, or at the midpoint of a three- or four-year tour. In addition to providing paid Home Leave, the U.S. government will also pay for employees and family members to travel to a Home Leave address in the United States.