The Pentagon relocates approximately 400,000 service members and their families every year. The bulk of those moves happen between May and September — peak PCS season — when competition for moving contractors is highest, availability is tightest, and the margin for error in your planning is smallest. A service member who understands what the military will and will not reimburse before moving day is measurably better off than one who figures it out afterward. The difference can easily run $3,000 to $8,000.
What Changed in 2026
New Personal Property Activity
The biggest structural change to PCS logistics this year is the transition to a new Personal Property Activity structure, which stood up at Scott Air Force Base on May 1, 2026, following the cancellation of the Global Household Goods Contract in June 2025. All household goods shipments now flow through this new framework.
If you’re still initiating the process, you need to contact your installation’s transportation management office before you do anything else. The process for booking your shipment has changed, and the office will walk you through the current system.
DLA and PPM Rates
Dislocation Allowance (DLA) rates increased 3.8% effective Jan. 1, 2026, ranging from $1,018.96 for an E-1 without dependents to $6,385.58 for an O-7 or above with dependents. The reimbursement rate for a personally procured move (PPM) returned to 100 percent of the government’s constructed cost this year, down from the temporary 130 percent during the summer 2025 contractor crisis. The Monetary Allowance in Lieu of Transportation (MALT) is $0.205 per mile for up to two personally owned vehicles.
Your Entitlements — And the Ones Most People Miss
Your PCS benefits package includes several distinct allowances that do not overlap.
- DLA is a flat, one-time, non-receipt-based payment for the miscellaneous cost of setting up a new household — deposits, utility hookups, replacing what the move breaks. You can request up to 80 percent as an advance 10 to 15 days before your move date. Ask finance. Most do not volunteer this.
- MALT covers your mileage at $0.205 per mile per authorized vehicle, calculated from the Defense Table of Official Distances — not your odometer. If you and your spouse drive separately, claim both vehicles. Tolls, ferry fees and bridge charges are separately reimbursable with receipts.
- Per diem for authorized travel days runs approximately $109 per day on standard CONUS rates.
- TLE covers temporary lodging at your old or new duty station up to 21 days at up to $290 per day.
- Spouse Relicensure Reimbursement is one military spouses frequently miss. The Spouse Relicensure Reimbursement covers up to $1,000 per move for occupational license and certification transfer costs when a PCS crosses state lines. It was established in the 2018 National Defense Authorization Act and remains in effect in 2026. If your spouse holds a nursing license, real estate license, teaching certificate or any other state-issued professional credential and you are crossing a state line, track those transfer costs and file the claim.
The Weight Allowance: Where Families Lose Real Money
Your household goods weight allowance is determined entirely by pay grade and dependent status, ranging from approximately 5,000 pounds for an E-1 without dependents to 18,000 pounds for an O-6 or above with dependents. Excess weight costs roughly $1 or more per pound over your limit, and a single overage can run into four figures. Professional gear — uniforms, trade tools, and specialized equipment documented as required for your duties — does not count toward your weight limit when properly inventoried. Personal computers do not qualify as pro-gear. File the pro-gear paperwork with your transportation office before the move, not after.
If you are doing a PPM, the government reimburses 100 percent of what it would have cost them to move your authorized weight. The reimbursement is calculated on the lesser of your actual weight or your authorized weight, so exceeding your limit does not increase the reimbursement. You need certified weight tickets, one empty and one loaded, from a scale approved by your installation. Damage claims for any move type must be filed through the Defense Personal Property System within 75 days of delivery. Document damage on the delivery paperwork before the movers leave.
The Gaps the Government Does Not Cover
PCS moves consistently run 10 to 20 percent more than service members expect. The government does not cover security deposits or first-month rent at the new location, pet transport costs beyond basic handling, spouse income loss during the transition period — which is often the largest single financial hit military families absorb — or hotel nights beyond your TLE window if housing is not ready. On-base housing waitlists in high-demand locations such as San Diego, Joint Base Lewis-McChord and the DC metro area routinely run months. Budget separately for that gap. A realistic buffer for the first 30 days at a new duty station is $1,500 to $3,000 beyond anything the government reimburses.
Your finance office and your installation TMO are your primary resources. Use the DoD PCS entitlements estimator at travel.dod.mil to run your specific scenario before the move. File your PCS travel voucher within five working days of arrival at your new duty station.
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