They are recommending 6 months halfway house, how long till we will know the actual out date headed to halfway house?

You will know when they decide. There is no magical process that we are in on. If he was recommended six months, more than likely he will get it. Most federal inmates are getting six months these days - even more months if they started with longer sentences. Halfway house is no joke either. The inmate must look for a job and pay the house one-third of their pay for the entire six months. Newly released inmates get a false sense of security in the new environment but the employees are still a part of the BOP and everything that you do there could conceivably send them back. There is random and often drug and alcohol testing and a high percentage of inmates fall back while in the halfway house thinking that they are no longer in prison.