The Ultimate PCS Checklist: A Guide for Service Members Moving Bases

Moving is a big part of military life.

According to information from the Department of War (formerly known as the Department of Defense), approximately 400,000 service members and their families, around 30% of the force, undergo a permanent change of station (PCS) move each year.

This can be a stressful and expensive process for service members. While most PCS move expenses are either paid for or reimbursed by the military, service members routinely experience high unreimbursed out-of-pocket costs as well.

For example, a survey by the Military Family Advisory Network found that service members incurred an average of approximately $2,000 in unreimbursed moving costs. Additionally, military families incurred an average of $3,000 in costs due to items lost or damaged in shipping during PCS moves. Understanding every aspect of your PCS move and preparing adequately for it is a crucial step in ensuring you can fully utilize your hard-earned PCS entitlements.

• $5 Billion – The amount the government spends every year on service member PCS moves.
• 29% – the percentage of families who reported they had to stay in temporary lodging between 11 and 30 nights during their PCS move.
• 81.7% – The percentage of service members reporting that their military move was either “somewhat more expensive” or “much more expensive” than they expected.

To prepare for a PCS, keeping things organized is key.

Your preparation can mean the difference between arriving with your cherished memories and keepsakes intact or losing boxes of shipments somewhere along the way, with no records that would enable you to apply for reimbursement.

We’ve put together a comprehensive checklist to help you prepare.

From those new to military life to seasoned vets who have gone through numerous moves, this checklist is a one-stop guide to your move into a new home.

There is no set interval in the military when you should expect to move, but most service members move every 2 to 4 years. Of course, it depends on the needs of the military, available positions, and your individual career progression. But knowing a move is on the horizon can help you prepare for and anticipate the timeline.

You can officially begin preparing for your move once you have military orders, an official document detailing when and where you report for duty next. After that, you can start making arrangements for moving day and beyond:

• Preparation (1 month before move)
• Final preparations (1-2 weeks before move)
• Moving day
• After your move

In most cases, you can expect to get military orders around 120 days before your official report date to your new command.

You might get “verbal orders.” These are unofficial, of course. However, you don’t need to wait until the official orders are issued to start your preparations. Consider your verbal heads-up as a warning order. You can start some preparations now, even while you wait for the paperwork to come through.

That means you can start preparing your household for the relocation and researching for a new home through AHRN to determine where you want to live and where to enroll your kids in school.

• Create your all-important PCS binder to keep track of important information.
• Make plans for your current housing, whether it involves ending your lease, selling your current home, or preparing to turn your current home into a rental property.
• Use AHRN to learn more about available places for rent or sale in your new community. However, don’t make any final plans or commit any money until you receive the official orders document.
• AHRN’s Plan My PCS portal provides an online, easy-to-use, and customizable checklist for your new duty station.

Of course, the 120-day timeline doesn’t always happen. Sometimes, service members have to move on very short notice.

In that case, go to your installation’s transportation office and ask about obtaining “expedited processing” to arrange your household goods move. You might be required to obtain additional security clearances or travel documents, depending on your new duty station and position. It’s essential to maintain constant communication with your new command, the transportation office, and any other required offices to ensure a smooth military PCS move process. It is also important to remember: no orders, no money. You can’t request reimbursement for any sort of expenses until you have your official orders on file.

Important Note For Pet Owners:
If you’re PCSing with pets, check vaccination and quarantine requirements for your new duty station right away, especially for locations like Hawaii and Guam. Completing rabies vaccinations, screenings, and flea and tick treatments can take weeks, but proper planning allows your pets to travel directly home from the airport. Failure to plan may result in up to 120 days of costly and stressful quarantine.

When flying with pets, coordinate closely with the airlines. Some don’t allow pets as cargo, and weather-related embargos may restrict flights if temperatures are above 80°F or below 40°F. To avoid disruptions, route through southern airports in winter and northern ones in summer, and schedule all required veterinary treatments and tests well in advance.

As your move date approaches, you can begin preparing for packing. Here’s what you need to focus on:

• Determine your PCS weight allowance. This is the amount of weight you are allowed to move at government expense. Your weight allowance will vary based on your rank and number of dependents. When packing, ensure that you separate your professional gear, including uniforms, professional reading materials, and other necessary equipment. Those items don’t count against your weight allowance.
• Choose between a household goods (HHG) move (government paid, up to your weight allowance), a personally procured move (PPM), sometimes called a do-it-yourself (DITY) move, or a combination of the two called a partial DITY move. An HHG move has much lower up-front out-of-pocket costs. However, a PPM offers more flexibility in selecting your own movers, among other benefits.
• Schedule your pack-out day. If you are doing an HHG move, schedule your pack-out day with your transportation office. If you’re doing a PPM move, you can schedule that day on your own.
  • Schedule it approximately one month in advance of your report date. Coordinate with your current unit to ensure you won’t have duty on pack-out day (e.g., try to schedule it during a “red” or “amber” training cycle). Ensure it’s not on the same day you need to clear CIF or perform other outprocessing tasks.
• Apply for a government travel card. This is particularly important if you don’t already have one. You’ll want this to book your flights and pay other authorized travel costs, so you don’t have to front them out of pocket. Travel expenses are notoriously slow to get reimbursed, so you’ll want to use your government travel card to absorb these costs as much as possible.
• Know your per diem rate. This is the amount you can spend on food and incidentals during travel that the military will reimburse you for. Any spending exceeding your per diem rate will be at your own expense.
• Apply for an advance on your dislocation allowance. This provides you with some “walking around” money to cover expenses such as veterinarian visits, childcare, moving and packing supplies, and any other necessary costs.
  • You can request your dislocation allowance advance through the finance office. Your current command can assist you in completing the required paperwork, although they will not process the request on your behalf.
• Terminate your lease. If you are renting, the service members Civil Relief Act requires landlords to let you out of your lease if you’re deployed or receive orders for a PCS move. Notify your landlord as soon as you receive your orders and provide them with a copy of the order. This should free you from any early termination fees.

Inventory Your Belongings.
Before packing, take an inventory of your household goods. Take photos and add them to your PCS binder or electronic folder. Document serial numbers and photograph high-value goods, such as musical instruments, art, furniture, and fragile items, so you can prove they weren’t damaged prior to the move.

There are a handful of helpful apps to help your PCS move run smoothly. You can use Sortly or Itemtopia, which allow you to take a photo of each item and track every item you document, down to the box level. That way, when your goods arrive, you’ll know exactly what was in each box.

These tools are critical if your box is lost or damaged, as you’ll have documentation to support your claim for reimbursement. It’s also very useful later, after your move, if you have a flood, fire, or break-in and need to file a home insurance claim.

Tip: The free versions will limit the number of items you can track. You may want to consider paying a few dollars to upgrade to the premium versions. The National Association of Insurance Commissioners has also developed its own powerful app. It’s a little more basic than the others, as it’s optimized for insurance claims rather than for moving. But it’s free!

Account for appliances and large items. Washers, dryers, outdoor grills, pianos, and other items require additional packing materials and planning.

It’s time to get serious about packing and preparing.

If you’re renting, you want to get your deposit back and see if your landlord will provide a good reference. If you own your current home, you want to get it in the best possible condition for sale or to rent it out to a tenant for extra income.

Take care of any maintenance items and give your home a general cleaning. The day after your pack-out day is a good time to schedule a cleaning, because all your belongings and clutter will be out of the way.

If you are moving outdoor furniture or grills, ensure they are thoroughly cleaned and ready for the move. You’ll also need to ensure they are free of gas, oil, and other hazardous materials.

Note: If you are doing a full HHG move, you won’t need to pack any items yourself. The moving company will unpack and repack them on loading day. However, it is helpful to locate shipping boxes for large items, such as TVs, since they are often purchased with custom-fitted materials. If you don’t have them, the movers can use a generic box and pack them securely.

Additionally, a list of items that military movers will not pack or move on your behalf is located on the PCS Prohibited List.

Complete a pre-inventory a few days before your actual move. This helps the movers determine how many people to bring and how long they can expect the move to take.

Designate one room for items you don’t want the movers to pack. Before movers arrive, designate one room or a clearly marked area for items you’ll take with you personally, such as baby supplies, medications, electronics, and luggage. Use something like removable painter’s tape to mark the space so movers know to skip it. Some movers may ask questions as they pack, but others won’t. To avoid losing access to essentials during your move, be proactive: if you don’t want an item boxed up, either dispose of it or move it to the “do not pack” area.

It’s finally moving day, and the excitement is high! Packing for any move can be stressful, but packing for a PCS move can be especially anxiety-inducing. Make sure to have a plan to help lower PCS moving day stress.

If you’re doing an HHG move, you don’t have to do much actual packing. But there are still important steps to take:

• When the movers arrive, show them all the rooms in your home, including the designated “do not pack” area.
• Provide them with instructions regarding parking, a designated loading path, any pets to be aware of, and items that require special handling and packing. In most cases, this information is repeated from the walkthrough, but it is always a good idea to make it abundantly clear and address any questions that may arise.
• Focus on documentation.
  • As items are placed into boxes, verify that they are recorded on the official inventory sheet and in the correct condition. Military movers do a great job, but they will not be as attentive to your valuables as you would be. This should be your focus as the movers move items into boxes and out of your home.
  • Ensure that boxes are numbered and labeled with their contents or the room to which they belong, which can greatly aid in unpacking once you arrive at your new home. Again, mobile apps can help streamline this process.

• Plan ahead for furniture reassembly. Movers will disassemble some pieces of furniture, such as large tables. Ensure all hardware (screws, bolts, etc.) is labeled, placed in a plastic bag, and stored in a designated and clearly marked box. This way, when your goods arrive at your new home, the movers can use the correct hardware to reassemble your furniture.
• Turn your modem/router, etc. in into your Internet/wireless company. Otherwise, you could be charged hundreds of dollars in equipment fees.
• Do a Final Check: After the movers have loaded everything, walk through your empty home to ensure that nothing is left behind. Shut off or transfer all utilities to avoid incurring extra charges. If you’ve arranged professional cleaning, let the cleaners in before turning in your keys to the landlord or new owner.

Getting to your new duty station is a monumental feat. As you get settled, there are a few important things to set up, especially if you are PCSing to a new state:

• Update your address with your command
• Update your address with banks, subscriptions, and other accounts
• Update your TRICARE region
• Find a new primary care manager
• Set up your utilities
• Enroll children in school
• Get a new driver’s license, if required
• Update your car registration

When you arrive at your new home, your household goods may or may not already be there. When it does arrive, you’ll want to quickly unpack the most important things to help make your new house feel like a home.

You can usually schedule a delivery 1 or 2 days after you arrive. Check to see if anything is broken and file a claim with the transportation office if needed.

If you executed a PPM, submit all required paperwork and documentation for reimbursement.

Important: Don’t wait to file your reimbursement claim. You usually have around 75 days to file claims for damaged or missing items related to your move. You must also complete a survey and submit your travel claim paperwork to receive additional allowances.

Maintaining organization and staying on track during a PCS move is crucial to making the entire process smoother and more enjoyable. All moves are going to be different, whether it is your first PCS move or your 10th, but some key pieces are going to stay the same.

When you set up a PCS binder, familiarize yourself with key dates, and establish a process for packing, moving, and unpacking, you can enjoy the experience and embrace your new home with a sense of adventure.

To dive deeper into the essentials of a successful PCS move, download our PCS Toolkit. It provides detailed information on checklist items and timing to help you stay prepared every step of the way