Every new set of orders is delivering another round of sticker shock to military households.
Military families are being hit with mounting unreimbursed costs during Permanent Change of Station (PCS) moves as freight prices rise, personal property contractors fall short, and reimbursements fail to match real world expenses.
Studies from military family organizations show that many households lose thousands of dollars per move through damage, delays and gaps in coverage while federal watchdogs warn the system responsible for shipping household goods remains fractured after recent contract failures.
Hundreds of thousands relocate every year and the Defense Department faces growing pressure to stabilize the PCS system and evaluate cheaper, lighter and more efficient alternatives that could ease families’ financial strain.
Costs Pack Financial Punch
PCS moves come with out-of-pocket hits that often surprise families.
Stewart Moving and Storage, a national long-distance mover, lists pricing for family-size, cross-country moves that often fall in the mid-to-high five figures when factoring weight, distance and full-service packing. That creates a wide gap between what military families pay and what the government reimburses.
Independent research shows the same pattern. A Military Family Advisory Network (MFAN) study found families typically absorb about $1,900 in unreimbursed costs and lose nearly $3,000 more in damaged or missing property during each move.
Another MFAN survey reported that families who had moved within the previous two years often faced $500-$1,000 in unreimbursed expenses before even accounting for damage, storage or delays.
Families Say Burden Keeps Growing
Rising prices are turning each PCS into a financial battle families say they are losing.
A spokesperson for Blue Star Families told Military.com that PCS moves “remain a major financial and logistical stress for military households” as rising prices cut deeper into savings. They said that of the one-third of active-duty families that moved in the previous year, roughly 69% paid more than $500 out of pocket for their most recent PCS.
PCS moves “remain a major financial and logistical stress for military households.”
Many families needed more than a year to recover financially, the group said. They’ve called on Congress to restore full Basic Allowance for Housing reimbursements while urging the Defense Department to issue PCS orders earlier and to streamline payments.
Fixes Have Fallen Short
Recent efforts to privatize and streamline PCS moves have backfired.
A large-scale moving contract was terminated this year after widespread service failures and long delays across the shipment system. That breakdown left families dealing with missed pickups, incomplete shipments, and significant out-of-pocket expenses as the military reexamined its contractor oversight and moved some shipments back under government coordination.
The fallout contributed to the creation of a new Permanent Change of Station Joint Task Force at USTRANSCOM. Officials said the priority is restoring reliability and rebuilding trust among families who have struggled with gaps in service.
Military.com reached out to USTRANSCOM, SDDC, the Defense Department and multiple branches to determine whether lightweight corrugated systems are under review as part of ongoing PCS reforms.
One Company Sees Room for Improvement
Packaging and Crating Technologies, a Connecticut manufacturer, believes part of the solution lies in lighter shipping materials. The company produces corrugated cardboard crates that weigh far less than the wooden containers used across the moving industry.
Packaging and Crating Technologies COO Rodger Mort told Military.com that the company’s LiftVan containers weigh 165 pounds at empty weight, equivalent to half the weight of a full wooden crate, and are regularly utilized by preferred vendor TierOne due to weight savings.
Mort said the lighter crates can save an average of $700 per load during coast-to-coast shipments and can be reused for up to 100 moves. The design “significantly mitigates labor intensive crate construction” at a time when movers face persistent labor shortages,” he added.
The company says its containers meet Defense Department specifications and have a stacking strength of 4,000 pounds. Mort said his company has shipped “submarine doors and firing systems” and can build custom solutions for specialized military equipment.
The Problem Is Larger Than Packaging
Consumer estimates, family surveys, and federal audits all point in the same direction: families face rising costs.
Movers continue to struggle with staffing and capacity issues. Contract systems meant to simplify the process have fallen short. New ideas such as lighter crates may help some military households reduce freight weight but advocates say that alone cannot solve a system wide problem.
Persistent gaps in transportation capacity and contractor staffing have led to long delays across the moving system, creating missed delivery windows and unexpected expenses for many families.
Experts recommend that military families preparing for PCS orders budget for unreimbursed costs, document all items carefully, and review every entitlement before the move begins. Advocacy groups say any meaningful fix will need to address reimbursement gaps and contractor oversight, along with the general lack of consistency across the PCS system.
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