Which statement about leave and liberty is true?

• A. Leave is unpaid time off
• B. Liberty is paid time off
• C. Liberty is short-term time away not charged as leave
• D. Leave does not affect duty status

Answer: (C)

Understanding how time away from duty is accounted clarifies this topic. Leave is an authorized absence with pay that is charged against your leave balance, so it reduces the amount of leave you have available. Liberty, by contrast, is short-term time away from duty that is not charged against your leave balance and is typically subject to local area restrictions. Because of that distinction, the statement that liberty is short-term time away not charged as leave is the best description. The other ideas conflict with how leave and liberty are tracked—leave does affect your leave balance and, while you’re on leave you’re not in duty status; liberty is not charged to leave but is still time away from duty under command guidance.