General Motors Relocation Package and Policy (2026)

Here’s what General Motors employees report receiving for relocation:

How General Motors relocation works

General Motors does not publish a single public relocation policy that covers everyone. What you get depends heavily on whether you’re a salaried, “classified” employee or a UAW-represented hourly employee, since these two groups have entirely separate programs.

Salaried employees on Reddit report that Cartus is the relocation company that handles the process end to end. However, several employees who moved between 2020 and 2022 describe working with BGRS, which suggests GM changed relocation vendors at some point in the last few years.

If you’re a UAW-represented, hourly production or skilled trades employee, your relocation benefit works completely differently. See GM relocation for UAW-represented employees below for the full breakdown.

Relocation is a live topic at GM, as the company announced in April 2024 that it would move its global headquarters to Hudson’s Detroit, a new development on Woodward Avenue, consolidating its downtown Detroit workforce. Beyond headquarters staff, salaried employees report relocating to GM’s Technical Center in Warren, Michigan. Some were told a Mountain View, California software role had no space available and were redirected to Warren instead. Austin, Texas is another reported relocation destination, according to employees on Reddit.

GM relocation for UAW-represented employees

If you’re a UAW-represented production or skilled trades employee transferring between GM plants, your relocation benefit is a contractually negotiated Relocation Allowance, defined in Paragraph 96a of the UAW-GM National Agreement and administered through Appendix A, the Memorandum of Understanding on Employee Placement, commonly called Extended Area Hire.

Extended Area Hire lets eligible seniority employees, particularly those from closed or idled plants, apply to transfer to open positions at other GM plants outside their local Area Hire Area. Production employees with two or more years of seniority can apply to transfer voluntarily. Under the October 2023 national agreement, members with less than two years of seniority also became eligible to transfer within their area hire, a change from the 2019 terms.

The three relocation package tiers

Under the 2019 National Agreement, transferring employees could choose from three relocation packages. The October 2023 agreement, which is the current national contract and runs through April 2028, increased the top Enhanced Relocation Package tier to $37,500. The union’s public highlights bulletin doesn’t spell out the new payment schedule for that tier, and doesn’t confirm whether the other two tiers also increased. The figures shown for Options 1 and 2 below reflect the 2019 terms.

Choosing Enhanced Relocation comes with trade-offs. Under this option, you terminate your seniority and recall rights at every other GM location, and you can’t initiate another Extended Area Hire or Area Hire placement for 36 months. Modified Enhanced and Basic Relocation both preserve a path back to your former plant.

Employees on Modified Enhanced can exercise Return to Former Community rights after six months, though doing so forfeits any remaining relocation installments and a separate $6,000 payment offered for giving up those return rights. Basic Relocation recipients can apply to return to their former community after six months, or apply for another Extended Area Hire transfer after one year.

Eligibility and how to apply

To qualify for a Relocation Allowance, the plant you’re transferring to must be outside the Area Hire Area, and you must apply within six months of starting at the new plant. If you’re also eligible for a relocation allowance under federal or state law, you’re required to apply for that first. Your combined relocation benefit can’t exceed the maximum you’d otherwise be eligible for under the contract.

Relocation for UAW-represented employees is administered directly by UAW-GM Relocation Services, an in-house team at the Center for Human Resources. Offered relocation services include a preferred broker network, mortgage company referrals, mover referrals, temporary living assistance, and an advance of one to two years of payments toward a home purchase in the new location.

The lump sum for salaried employees

The figures in this section apply to salaried, classified employees. If you’re a UAW-represented hourly employee, see the dedicated section above. Since the figures below come from employee-reported accounts on Reddit, treat them as a benchmark rather than a guarantee. Amounts scale with family size, distance, and whether you own a home.

Employees note that GM covers a portion of the taxes on the relocation lump sum.

What the salaried relocation package includes

Beyond the cash lump sum, employee accounts describe several components that can be layered on depending on your situation:

• Household goods move: GM arranges movers directly in many reported cases, plus up to 30 days of storage.
• House-hunting trips: Reported as roughly three trips for employees buying a home and two for renters.
• Self-move option: Employees who move themselves report a flat bonus of around $500, plus reimbursement for a rental truck, gas, and tolls.
• Lease-break reimbursement: Renters can be reimbursed for early lease-termination fees.
• Vehicle transport: Some accounts mention GM transporting personal vehicles as part of the package.
• Realtor assistance: GM provides a choice of two assigned realtors for employees selling a home, which is required to access the home-sale benefits.

Home sale and buyout benefits

Self-sale bonus

If you sell your home on your own through one of GM’s two assigned realtors, employees report a bonus of 2% of the sale price, capped at $10,000.

Guaranteed buyout

If your home doesn’t sell, you can take advantage of a guaranteed buyout process. The home is listed for a set period before GM will order an inspection and two independent appraisals. GM averages the two appraisals to set its offer and completes the buyout in roughly 60 days from that point. The full process can take close to nine months if your home doesn’t sell on the open market first.

You can typically continue to market your home in parallel once the buyout process starts. One employee explains that GM structures the buyout as purchasing the home directly and reselling it, rather than reimbursing agent fees. Under this structure, the benefit isn’t added to your W-2 as taxable income.

Loss-on-sale protection

Employee reports describe GM covering the first $25,000 of any loss on the sale of your home in full, then 50% of any additional loss up to a combined cap. Newer-construction homes may not qualify for this protection.

Payment timing and the repayment clause

Most employee accounts describe the salaried lump sum landing on their second paycheck after they start. This means that if you’re relocating, you’ll need to cover moving costs out of pocket until then. At least one employee reported a six-paycheck delay tied to an unresponsive relocation consultant.

In terms of repayment, the exact terms may vary by offer. UAW-represented employees on the Enhanced Relocation tier who leave early permanently give up seniority and recall rights at other GM plants rather than owing money back.

Taxes on your GM relocation package

Since the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, employer-paid relocation is treated as ordinary taxable income for non-military employees. A lump sum added to your paycheck can be taxed at your combined federal, state, and FICA rate. Those taxes can reduce what you actually receive unless the amount is grossed up.

Salaried employee reports are mixed on the point of how taxes are treated. One account describes a partial gross-up, but this isn’t confirmed consistently across other reports. Ask your recruiter, HR contact, or UAW-GM Relocation Services directly whether your specific benefit is grossed up before you build your moving budget around the stated figure.

When GM does not offer relocation

Relocation assistance is not guaranteed for every salaried GM role. In one recent account, a candidate interviewing for a Manufacturing Group Leader-Production position was told no relocation allowance was available at all. Other commenters on the same thread noted that relocation eligibility can also depend on hiring-cycle timing.

If relocation isn’t included in your initial offer, it’s worth asking. One employee on the same thread reported successfully negotiating relocation support into an offer that didn’t originally include it. If GM won’t budge on relocation specifically, asking about a sign-on or onboarding bonus to offset your moving costs is a reasonable fallback.

How to maximize your GM relocation package

Get moving quotes before you commit to a plan: Whether you’re working with a fixed lump sum or a Relocation Allowance installment, knowing your actual moving cost first tells you how much is left over for house-hunting trips, temporary housing, or other expenses. Compare quotes with the moveBuddha Moving Cost Calculator.

Ask about relocation before you sign: If your offer doesn’t mention relocation, or you’re unsure what tier applies, raise it during negotiation alongside salary. See our guide to negotiating a relocation package for more on how to approach the conversation.

Interview both assigned realtors before you list: Employee accounts note that GM’s assigned realtors vary in quality. Interview both before picking one, since you’re required to use one of them to access the self-sale bonus or buyout program.

Track the listing and buyout timeline closely: If your home might not sell quickly, know the exact date your listing period ends and when the appraisal and buyout process begins, so you aren’t caught off guard by a potential nine-month timeline.

Escalate slow-moving relocation consultants: If your Cartus consultant goes quiet, employee accounts suggest contacting GM’s internal relocation team directly rather than waiting. This resolved a multi-week delay for at least one employee.

Know your repayment number before you spend the lump sum: Calculate your worst-case repayment if you left tomorrow, and hold back enough of the lump sum to cover it until you’re past the repayment window.

Weigh the trade-offs between relocation tiers (UAW): Before choosing Enhanced Relocation, confirm with UAW-GM Relocation Services what you’re giving up in seniority and recall rights. Compare that against the value of Modified Enhanced or Basic Relocation if returning to your former plant someday matters to you.

Moving to a GM hub city?

GM’s relocation activity clusters around a handful of key locations. Moving costs and mover availability vary significantly by market, so get quotes for your specific destination early.

• Detroit (global headquarters, moving to Hudson’s Detroit in 2025): Best movers in Detroit, MI
• Warren, MI (GM Technical Center): Best movers in Warren, MI
• Austin, TX (innovation hub): Best movers in Austin, TX and popular routes to Austin
• Mountain View/Bay Area, CA (software engineering): Best movers in Mountain View, CA

Pros and cons of General Motors’ relocation package for salaried employees

FAQ

Relocation packages by company

Relocation policies vary widely between employers. We’ve researched specific company programs, drawing on public policy documents and employee reports so you can see exactly what to expect before you negotiate.

Ryan Carrigan

Ryan Carrigan is the co-founder of moveBuddha and a leading voice in the moving industry, helping hundreds of thousands of Americans make smarter, safer relocation decisions each year. With more than a decade of experience analyzing moving companies, pricing trends, and industry regulations, Ryan brings hands-on industry knowledge and data-driven insight to every guide and review. His research has been featured in Forbes, Consumer Reports, The New York Times, and NBC News.