Military PPM Move Guide: How a PPM (DITY) Move Works in 2026
Here’s the quick answer: A PPM move (personally procured move, formerly called a DITY move) is a military move you handle yourself instead of using a government-arranged mover. The military pays you 100% of what it would have cost the government to move you, and you can often request up to 60% of that in advance. This guide covers how a PPM works, how much it pays, full vs. partial PPMs, and how to do one with hired movers, a moving container, or a rental truck.
Prefer to have professionals handle the heavy lifting? Compare the best military moving companies before you book.
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What is a PPM (DITY) move?
A personally procured move (PPM) is a permanent change of station (PCS) option where you move some or all of your household goods yourself instead of having the government schedule a mover for you. The Department of Defense (DoD) renamed the program from DITY (“do it yourself”) to PPM, but plenty of service members and older resources still call it a DITY move.
You don’t have to do the physical work yourself. The Personal Property Activity (PPA), the DoD organization that now runs military moves, lists five ways to complete a PPM:
- Rent a moving container: Companies like PODS drop a container at your home, you load it, and they drive it to your new duty station.
- Rent a truck or trailer: You load, drive, and unload a rental truck yourself, which usually leaves the most money in your pocket.
- Use your own vehicle or trailer: This works best for smaller loads, such as the essentials you need right away at your new station.
- Hire a commercial moving company: You book and pay the mover, then get paid back through your PPM incentive.
- Ship by small-package carrier: USPS, FedEx, and UPS shipments count too, but you get back only your actual costs and need receipts for every package.
There are two main types of PPM. A Member-Elected PPM is the standard version you choose yourself, and it pays the full incentive. An Actual Cost Reimbursement PPM applies only when a government mover isn’t available for your dates, requires written pre-approval, and pays back your documented costs rather than an incentive.
If you plan to hire professionals for some or all of your PPM, start with movers that have a proven track record:
How does a PPM move work?
A PPM move works in six steps, and you can’t move first and ask to be paid later. You need PCS orders and transportation office approval before spending anything.
1. Get counseling and approval
Contact your local transportation office, also called the Personal Property Office, as soon as you have PCS orders. A counselor confirms your weight allowance, gives you an estimate of your incentive, and authorizes the PPM. First-time movers, separating service members, and retirees must see the office before booking anything.
2. Create your PPM shipment in DPS
After counseling, you create your move in the Defense Personal Property System (DPS). DPS generates your DD Form 2278, the PPM application and counseling checklist, plus the DD Form 3166 checklist that lists every document you’ll need to get paid.
3. Choose how you’ll move and request an advance if you need one
Decide whether you’re hiring movers, renting a container, renting a truck, or mixing methods. If you need cash up front, most branches let you request an advance of up to 60% of your estimated payment through your transportation office, which is deducted from your final payment. The DoD’s household goods weight estimator can help you size the move before you book a truck or container.
4. Get certified weight tickets
Weigh your empty truck, container, or vehicle on a certified scale, load it, then weigh it again full. The difference between the two tickets is the weight you get paid for.
5. Move and keep every receipt
Save receipts for truck rentals, packing materials, fuel, tolls, hired labor, and weight ticket fees. These are your operating expenses, and they lower the taxable part of your payment.
Hiring a mover for your PPM? Pick one that provides certified weight tickets, like American Van Lines:
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4.9 / 5
6. Submit your claim within 45 days
You have 45 days after your move to submit your PPM claim. If your counselor approved your PPM on or after May 15, 2026, PPA guidance has you upload your documents directly into your DPS shipment and submit the closeout there. Your package typically includes:
- DD Form 1351-2: Your signed travel voucher, the form that actually requests payment.
- DD Form 2278: Your PPM application from counseling, which shows your authorized move and estimate.
- Certified weight tickets: You need an empty and a full ticket for every truck, container, or vehicle you used.
- PCS orders and receipts: Include a copy of your orders, your rental agreement, and receipts for every operating expense you plan to claim.
Pro tip: Ask your transportation office for your estimated payment before you book anything, then check it against the moving cost calculator. It runs on 1,000+ live price points collected every month, so you know whether a PPM will actually leave you money.
What’s the difference between a full and partial PPM?
A full PPM means you move everything yourself. A partial PPM means you move part of your household goods and a government-arranged mover ships the rest, as long as the total stays within your weight allowance.
Partial PPMs are common. Military OneSource notes that most service members on a PCS move within the continental U.S. end up with both a PPM and a government household goods shipment. A typical partial PPM covers the things you need right away or don’t want to hand off, like valuables, important documents, and family heirlooms.
Here’s how a full PPM, a partial PPM, and a government-arranged move compare:
| Full PPM | Partial PPM | Government-arranged move | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Who books the move | You | You (your portion) and the government (the rest) | The government |
| Incentive payment | 100% of the government’s cost for the weight you move | 100% of the government’s cost for the portion you move | None |
| Control over timing | Full | Full for your portion | Limited to the scheduled pickup window |
| Damage claims | Your responsibility | Your responsibility for your portion | Filed through DPS |
| Best for | Shorter moves or families with help to load | Moving essentials and valuables yourself | Large households with no time to spare |
The bottom line: A full PPM pays the most, a government-arranged move takes the least work, and a partial PPM lets you earn the incentive on your most important belongings while a government mover handles the bulk.
- GPS tracking en route
- Veteran-owned
- Dedicated move coordinator
- Flat-rate pricing
- Donates a portion of moves to charity
Is a PPM move worth it?
A PPM is worth it if you can complete the move for less than your incentive and you’re comfortable owning the paperwork. The PPA’s own guidance weighs the trade-offs this way:
- You keep any money you don’t spend
- You choose your own packing and moving dates
- Your belongings stay in your hands
- Most branches offer an advance of up to 60%
- You handle the labor or pay for it out of your incentive
- You can’t file a government claim for damage
- Missing paperwork can delay or reduce payment
- Your profit is taxable
Plan for the cons before you commit. Hassan, who shared his move through moveBuddha’s Better Moves Project, received Navy PCS orders with less than a month to prepare. He decided to handle the move himself instead of going through the military. He loaded about 4,500 pounds into a moving container for the 2,608-mile trip from South Park, Pennsylvania, to Bremerton, Washington. A 40-day wait for delivery and $590 in unplanned unloading help pushed his cost from a $4,500 quote to $5,090. Looking back, he says:
“If I could do it again I’d let the Navy handle the move, and failing that I’d hire a full-service moving company instead.”
What are your options for a PPM move?
Your three main PPM options are hiring full-service movers, renting a moving container, or renting a truck. The less of the work you do yourself, the more you spend and the less you keep from your incentive. On average, DIY options like moving containers and rental trucks cost about 30% less than full-service movers, according to moveBuddha pricing data.
Here’s who does the work, and who supplies your weight tickets, with each option:
The bottom line: A rental truck leaves the most money from your incentive, a moving container saves your back on the driving, and hired movers cost the most but take the most work off your plate.
Can you hire movers for a PPM?
Yes, you can hire a moving company for a PPM. The PPA explicitly allows it. You pay the mover out of pocket, and the cost counts as an operating expense that lowers the taxable part of your payment. The trade-off is that you’re responsible for vetting the mover, because the government can’t help you resolve a dispute with a company you hired. Check any mover’s registration on the FMCSA’s Protect Your Move site, and make sure the mover will give you empty and full weight tickets. Our guide to PPM movers covers how to vet one.
That dispute gap is where a moveBuddha Certified mover helps. If something goes wrong with a Certified mover, moveBuddha provides dispute mediation and up to $1,000 in additional coverage. moveBuddha ranks movers across 72 data points from 25+ independent sources, and full-service movers like Safeway Moving and American Van Lines handle packing, loading, and transport for you. Both of these movers work with PPM moves. Safeway provides certified weight tickets, and American Van Lines coordinates certified weight tickets at pickup and sends copies directly to you after delivery.
Keep in mind that with a hired mover, you pay up front and get reimbursed after your claim is processed. For example, Safeway “takes a deposit to reserve your date, a payment at pickup, and the final payment at delivery,” says Safeway Senior Certified Moving Consultant James Coleman. “That’s on the service member. Then, individuals are reimbursed using their weight tickets.” A PPM advance can help cover those costs until your claim pays out.
Start with two of moveBuddha’s top-rated Certified movers, both of which handle PPM moves:
Why moveBuddha:
- On average, moveBuddha users save more than 30% by comparing movers before booking.
- When you choose a moveBuddha Certified mover, you get $1,000 in added move coverage, plus dedicated support throughout your move.
- If something goes wrong, moveBuddha provides dispute mediation with Certified movers to help resolve the issue and protect your move.
Can you use a moving container for a PPM?
Yes, a moving container is the middle ground. You pack and load on your own schedule, and the company handles the driving. PODS provides certified weight tickets on request, which the PPA points out in its own PPM guidance, and PODS offers a military discount. Container rentals count as an operating expense.
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4.8 / 5
See the best moving container companies to compare other options.
Can you rent a truck for a PPM?
Yes, and a rental truck usually leaves the most money from your incentive, since you’re doing the packing, loading, and driving. Truck rental, fuel, tolls, and moving equipment rentals all count as operating expenses. Budget, Penske, and U-Haul all rent moving trucks nationwide, and our guide to the best rental trucks compares them side by side.
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4.3 / 5
If you’d rather drive yourself but skip the heavy lifting, book labor-only movers to load and unload. HireAHelper books vetted local crews by the hour for packing, loading, and unloading, at one end of your move or both. The company will give you an itemized receipt for your PPM paperwork. Hired labor counts as an operating expense and typically costs far less than a full-service mover.
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4.5 / 5
Not sure which option fits your budget? Compare your estimated incentive against real moving prices before you book.
How much does a PPM move pay?
A PPM pays 100% of the Government Constructed Cost (GCC), which is what it would have cost the government to move the same weight the same distance with a contracted mover. The GCC is based on the actual weight on your certified weight tickets and the distance of your move, capped at your weight allowance.
The PPA gives the example of a service member with a 10,000-pound allowance who moves 8,000 pounds and is paid on 8,000 pounds only. If the government would have paid $8,000 to move that weight and the member spends $5,000, the member keeps a $3,000 profit. If costs run higher than the GCC, the member takes a loss.
A PPM pays 100% of what the government would have spent to move you. Every dollar you save on the move is yours to keep, minus taxes.
Your exact payment isn’t published as a rate card. Your transportation office calculates your estimate during counseling, so ask for it before you commit to a method.
Pro tip: A PPM only pays off if your costs come in under your estimate, so get a range from the moving cost calculator, which weighs distance, home size, move date, and service level together, and compare it with your counselor’s number before you decide.
Is PPM money taxable?
Yes, the profit is taxable. DFAS taxes incentive pay at 22% and mails you a separate W-2 for it, which won’t show up in myPay. Documented operating expenses reduce the taxable amount, which is why every receipt matters.
What expenses can you claim on a PPM?
You can claim the operating expenses you need to physically move your belongings, as long as you have receipts. DFAS and the PPA list these as authorized and unauthorized:
- Authorized expenses: Truck and trailer rentals, portable storage containers like PODS, hired labor, packing materials, furniture pads, dolly rentals, fuel, tolls, and weight ticket fees all count.
- Unauthorized expenses: Meals, lodging, buying a dolly, extra drivers, oil changes, and routine vehicle maintenance don’t count toward your PPM expenses.
Keep the rental agreement and every receipt, since each one has to be in your claim package to count.
Doing a DIY PPM?
Truck and container rentals both count as claimable expenses.
How do weight tickets work for a PPM?
Weight tickets are the single most important document in a PPM, because they decide how much you’re paid. You need two certified tickets for every vehicle or container you use, one empty and one full.
- Use a certified public scale: Truck stops and moving and storage facilities often have certified scales, and the ticket fee counts as an operating expense.
- Weigh every trip: If you make more than one trip, you need a separate empty and full ticket for each one.
- Let your container company handle it: If you use PODS or another container company, the company provides the empty and full tickets.
- Get tickets from hired movers: Commercial movers must provide weight tickets too, so confirm this before you sign.
Weight tickets are the piece of paperwork most likely to trip you up. When we asked Hassan which document was hardest to produce for his PCS, his answer was short:
“Weight ticket.”
If a ticket is lost, you’ll need to submit a written justification, such as an accident report, with your claim.
When do you get paid for a PPM move?
Expect your final payment within 45 days of submitting a complete claim, according to the PPA. Missing documents are the most common reason for delays. If you took an advance, the advance is subtracted from your final payment, and some branches require you to settle it within a set number of days.
Keep in mind that in a PPM, you’re responsible for loss or damage. You can’t file a claim with the government for items you moved yourself, so consider moving insurance for valuable belongings.
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4.9 / 5
FAQ
Is a PPM the same as a DITY move?
Yes. A personally procured move (PPM) is the current name for what the military used to call a DITY, or do-it-yourself, move. The rules and the 100% incentive apply no matter which name you use.
Can I hire movers for a PPM?
Yes. You can hire a commercial moving company for a PPM. You pay the mover out of your incentive, and the cost counts as an operating expense that lowers the taxable part of your payment. Make sure the mover is registered with the FMCSA and will provide certified empty and full weight tickets.
What is a partial DITY move?
A partial DITY move, or partial PPM, is when you move part of your household goods yourself and a government-arranged mover ships the rest. You’re paid the incentive only on the weight you move yourself.
How long do I have to submit a PPM claim?
You have 45 days after completing your move to submit your PPM claim. Expect payment within 45 days of submitting a complete claim.
Can I get an advance for a PPM?
Yes. Most branches let you request an advance of up to 60% of your estimated payment through your transportation office. The advance is deducted from your final payment.
Can I do a PPM when I separate or retire?
Yes. A PPM is allowed on a separation or retirement move, and reimbursement is capped at what the government would have paid. Retirees have up to three years after their retirement date to ship household goods.
More about military moves
- PPM movers: Find out how to hire and vet movers for your PPM, from full-service crews to labor-only help.
- Best military moving companies: Compare top-rated movers for PCS and PPM moves, with pricing and reviews.
- Military moving guide: Plan your full PCS move, from orders to unpacking at your new duty station.
- Car shipping for military moves: Find out when the military ships your car and how to ship an extra vehicle yourself.
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