PCS Move Checklist: Every Task From Orders to Unpacking
Here’s the quick answer: A PCS checklist covers eight areas: your orders, your household goods shipment, PPM paperwork, housing, money, family, moving day, and arrival.
This permanent change of station (PCS) checklist groups every task by category, and you can download the free printable PCS checklist (PDF) to check off as you go.
Want the same tasks in date order? See our PCS timeline. For the full process, start with our military moving guide, or compare the best military moving companies if you’re hiring help.
Free printable PCS checklist: Get every task on this page in a nine-page PDF, with checkboxes and space for your report date, transportation office phone, and DPS shipment number. Download the PCS checklist (PDF)
Here’s what each part of the checklist covers and when it usually happens:
| Checklist area | Main tasks | When |
|---|---|---|
| Orders & counseling | Verify orders, contact transportation office | Day orders arrive |
| Household goods | Book in DPS, pre-move survey | Right after counseling |
| PPM | Get approval, weight tickets, receipts | Before you move anything |
| Housing | End lease or clear quarters, find housing | 30+ days out |
| Money | Budget, advances, DLA | Before you travel |
| Family & pets | School records, medical records, pets | 30+ days out |
| Moving day | Hand-carry items, inventory, walk-through | Pack & pickup days |
| Arrival | Delivery check, DEERS, claims | First 30 days |
Paying for any part of your move yourself? Start with movers that have a proven track record:
Jump to the PCS checklist you need:
Doing a personally procured move (PPM) with hired movers? Compare two of moveBuddha’s top-rated Certified movers, both of which handle PPM moves:
rating
4.9 / 5
- Best overall value
- Veteran owned
- Portion to charity
rating
4.9 / 5
- Certified crews
- Flat-rate pricing
- Family-owned
What should you do when you get PCS orders?
When you get PCS orders, check them for errors and contact your transportation office right away. Military OneSource warns that an assignment notification isn’t the same as orders, so hold off on permanent decisions like buying a home until your orders are in hand.
- Verify your orders: Confirm the duty station, report date, and dependents listed. Report any errors to your admin or personnel office right away, since every allowance on your move depends on them.
- Make copies: Save digital and paper copies of your orders. You’ll need them for your shipment, your lease, your kids’ schools, and almost every reimbursement.
- Contact your transportation office: First-time movers, separating members, and retirees must contact the office before scheduling a move in DPS. Everyone else can use counseling to get answers on their weight allowance and move options.
- Choose your move type: Decide between a government-arranged move, a full PPM, or a partial PPM move that combines the two. Your choice decides which checklist below applies.
- Find your sponsor: Ask your gaining unit for a sponsor who can answer questions about housing, schools, and the base before you arrive.
- Research your new base: Use MilitaryINSTALLATIONS to find the housing office, school liaison, and relocation assistance program at your new installation.
Use counseling to ask about timing, not just paperwork. Hassan told moveBuddha’s Better Moves Project that when he got Navy PCS orders in April 2022, he had less than a month to plan his move from Pennsylvania to Washington. He was assigned a Navy relocation specialist, then called PODS, PACK-RAT, and a moving company for quotes and compared them in two days. He chose a moving container so he could load on his own schedule. However, his belongings arrived 40 days after pickup. Ask how long delivery usually takes for each move method before you choose one. Read Hassan’s full story.
Weighing a PPM against a government-arranged move? See what a truck, container, or mover costs for your route.
Household goods & DPS checklist
For a government-arranged move, you set up your shipment in DPS and pick your pack and pickup dates. Military OneSource says your dates set a seven-day spread window, and your moving company must pick up your shipment within it.
- Book as early as you can: Request your dates as soon as you have orders. During the summer peak, lead times get long and short-notice pickups are hard to book.
- Avoid the busiest dates: Military OneSource says the worst times to move are the last week of any month and the last week of June through the first week of July.
- Declare pro gear: List professional books, papers, and equipment in DPS so they don’t count against your military weight allowance.
- Plan special items: Boats, guns, and large electronics have special rules, so ask your transportation office how to ship them.
- Complete the pre-move survey: The moving company estimates your weight and notes special items. If you’re within a week of your move date and no survey has happened, call the mover or your transportation office.
- Save the help line: The DPS help desk is 833-MIL-MOVE (833-645-6683). The Personal Property Activity (PPA), which now runs DoD household goods moves, posts move checklists and tips at ppa.mil.
Your weight allowance caps what the government moves for free. Anything over it is yours to pay for, so declutter before the survey, not after.
Moving more than your allowance covers? Price the extra weight with a private mover.
PPM checklist
A PPM, formerly called a DITY move, pays you 100% of what the government would have spent to move you. The PPA says you must have orders and transportation office approval before you start, and you’re paid on the weight you actually move, up to your allowance.
- Get approval first: Your transportation office counselor authorizes the PPM, and the move is then created in DPS. Don’t rent a truck or book movers until it’s approved.
- Get your estimate: Ask for your estimated incentive at counseling, then compare it with real quotes to see how much a PPM pays after costs.
- Decide on an advance: You can request up to 60% of the estimated incentive through your transportation office. It’s subtracted from your final payment.
- Pick your method: Rent a truck, use a container, drive your own vehicle, or hire movers for a PPM. See how a PPM with a moving container compares.
- Vet any mover: Look up the mover’s USDOT number on the FMCSA’s Protect Your Move site before you book. The government can’t settle disputes with a mover you hire.
- Get weight tickets: You need certified empty and full PPM weight tickets for every trip. If you hire a mover or container company, ask for them before pickup.
- Keep every receipt: Save receipts for fuel, tolls, truck or container rental, and packing supplies. They lower your taxable profit, which matters because PPM payments are taxable.
- File your claim: Submit your claim within 45 days of finishing the move. The PPA says to expect final payment within 45 days of a complete claim.
Expert tip: moveBuddha founder Ryan Carrigan says to tell your mover as your inventory changes, as you pack and as you decide what to sell or donate, because it’s much easier to negotiate before moving day than on it. On a PPM, extra weight also changes your weight tickets, so keep your mover’s estimate current. See the legitimate ways movers can increase your final cost.
Want your weight tickets handled for you? PODS drives your container and gets your PPM weight tickets on request:
rating
4.8 / 5
Housing checklist
Housing has two sides: leaving your current home cleanly and lining up the next one. Start both as soon as your orders arrive, since lease notices and housing waitlists run on their own clocks.
- End an off-base lease: The Servicemembers Civil Relief Act (SCRA) lets you break a lease for PCS orders. Military OneSource says to give written notice with a copy of your orders, and a monthly lease ends 30 days after your next rent payment is due.
- Schedule on-base inspections: If you live in base housing, ask the housing office when to book your pre-inspection and final inspection.
- Contact the new housing office: Ask about waitlists for base housing and get help finding off-base rentals near your new duty station.
- Selling or renting your home: If you own, decide whether to sell or rent it out early. A sale can take longer than your move window.
- Plan temporary lodging: Book lodging for the days between pack-out and moving into your new home, and keep every receipt for your temporary lodging allowance.
- Set up utilities: Schedule shut-off at your old home and service at the new one. Our guide to transferring utilities when moving covers the timing.
Moving off base at your new duty station? Get free estimates from vetted movers.
Money & allowances checklist
The government covers most PCS costs, but many allowances pay out after you’ve already spent the money. Build a budget for the gap and know which advances you can request.
- Know your allowances: The Dislocation Allowance (DLA) helps with moving costs and runs from $1,870.58 to $6,385.58 in 2026, depending on pay grade and dependents, per the 2026 DoD DLA rates memo.
- Plan travel pay: Mileage for PCS travel by car is $0.235 a mile for travel starting on or after July 1, 2026, paid per authorized vehicle, up to two.
- Use temporary lodging: Temporary Lodging Expense (TLE) covers up to 21 days of lodging and meals during a move within the continental U.S., up from 14 days, per a 2025 Marine Corps message.
- Consider advance pay: You may be able to request up to three months of basic pay, usually repaid over 12 months. It’s a loan, so only take what you need.
- Build a PCS fund: Set aside cash for deposits, lodging, meals, and pet costs you’ll pay up front.
- Save every receipt: Keep lodging, fuel, and travel receipts in one folder for your travel voucher and any tax deduction.
Most PCS allowances reimburse you after the fact. Budget for the gap between paying and getting paid back.
Family, school & pets checklist
Family tasks take the longest to untangle if you start late. Request school and medical records at least a month before you move, and carry copies with you.
- Hand-carry school records: Military OneSource says unofficial records are enough to place your child in comparable classes under the Interstate Compact until official records arrive.
- Contact the school liaison: Your current installation’s school liaison can connect you to the one at your new base for school selection and transfer help.
- Request medical records: TRICARE says to request medical and dental records at least one month before your PCS date and refill prescriptions so they last through the move.
- Alert providers for special needs: If a family member is enrolled in the Exceptional Family Member Program, alert the new school and medical providers at least 30 days ahead.
- Plan for pets: The government doesn’t move pets, but you can be reimbursed for one cat or dog, up to $550 within the continental U.S. or $2,000 overseas. Our guide to moving with pets covers the trip itself.
- Arrange spouse employment: If your spouse works, ask about remote work, transfers, or license transfers in the new state early.
Pet travel, a hotel stay, and lost workdays all add up. Estimate your full moving costs.
Moving day checklist
Pack-out days are about protecting what you can’t replace and documenting everything else. On a government-arranged move, Military OneSource says you or a designated agent must be home from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on scheduled pack days.
- Set up a “do not pack” zone: Put your orders, IDs, birth certificates, Social Security cards, medications, keys, and valuables in a marked closet or your car.
- Pack a first-day box: Include toilet paper, soap, cleaning supplies, snacks, chargers, sheets, and towels. Our moving essentials box list covers the rest.
- Make your own inventory: Photograph or video each room, high-value items, and serial numbers before the packers arrive, then store a copy online.
- Prep the house: Take down wall-mounted items, empty trash cans, and bag small loose items like silverware and toy bin contents.
- Set aside prohibited items: Movers won’t take hazardous materials such as flammables. Ask your transportation office for the full prohibited items list before pack day.
- Check the mover’s inventory: Make sure high-value items are listed before the truck leaves, and note any existing damage.
- Do a final walk-through: Check closets, cabinets, the attic, and the garage before you sign anything.
Not sure whether you need to stay for the whole pack-out? See our guide on being present during your move.
Need movers for part of the job? Compare movers for your route.
After you arrive checklist
Your PCS isn’t finished when the truck shows up. Damage reports, enrollment changes, and PPM claims all have deadlines after you arrive.
- Check every item at delivery: Compare items against the inventory as they come off the truck, and note damage or missing items on the delivery paperwork before the crew leaves.
- Report loss or damage: Report it in DPS within 180 days of delivery. For shipments picked up on or after May 15, 2026, you have 12 months to file with the mover. Our guide to filing a moving damage claim walks through it.
- Update DEERS and TRICARE: TRICARE says once you update your address in DEERS, you have 90 days from the move to change your enrollment.
- Enroll your kids in school: Bring unofficial records, proof of residency, and immunization records. New required shots can be completed within 30 days of enrollment.
- File your travel voucher: Submit lodging, mileage, and travel receipts to your finance office.
- Submit your PPM claim: File within 45 days of finishing your move, with weight tickets and receipts.
- Update your address: Change it with USPS, your bank, insurance, and voter registration. Our change of address guide has the full list.
- Handle your car: Check your new state’s rules for registration and your driver’s license, and update your car insurance.
Settling in off base and need local movers or storage? Get local moving quotes.
Overseas PCS checklist
An overseas (OCONUS) PCS adds passports, overseas screening, and separate shipments to everything above. Start these steps first, since they take the longest.
- Apply for no-fee passports: Family members need no-fee passports, and an Army reassignment brief says processing can take four to six weeks.
- Complete overseas screening: Family members traveling with you usually need medical and educational screening before family travel is approved. The Army calls this Family Member Travel Screening.
- Plan unaccompanied baggage: A small, faster shipment carries essentials like kitchen basics and clothes. It counts against your weight allowance.
- Ship or store your car: The government may ship or store one vehicle through PCSmyPOV. See our guide to car shipping for military moves for a second car.
- Check pet entry rules: Many countries require microchips, vaccines, and quarantine, and the government flight may be mandatory if available.
Storing goods stateside during an overseas tour? Compare storage and moving costs.
Printable PCS checklist (free PDF)
Print the checklist, put it in your PCS binder, and check off each task as you go. Each category gets its own page, so you can hand the housing or family pages to your spouse.
Download the free PCS checklist (PDF)
More about military moves
- Military moving guide: Learn how a PCS works, from orders to delivery.
- PCS timeline: See every task on this checklist in date order, from orders to arrival.
- Military weight allowance by rank: Find your allowance and what counts toward it.
- Military PPM move guide: Learn how a PPM works, from counseling to filing your claim.
- Best military moving companies: Compare top movers for a PPM or a move after service.
FAQ
What is the first step in a PCS move?
The first step in a PCS move is checking your orders for errors and contacting your transportation office. Then set up your shipment in DPS or get your PPM approved.
How early should you start a PCS checklist?
Start your PCS checklist the day your orders arrive. Booking dates, ending a lease, and getting passports all take weeks, especially during the summer peak.
What documents should you hand-carry on a PCS?
Hand-carry your orders, IDs, birth certificates, Social Security cards, medical and school records, and lease or mortgage papers. Keep them in a “do not pack” area so they don’t end up on the truck.
Can you break a lease for PCS orders?
Yes, the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act lets you break a residential lease for PCS orders. Give your landlord written notice and a copy of your orders, and a monthly lease ends 30 days after your next rent payment is due.
Does the military pay to move pets on a PCS?
The military doesn’t move pets, but it reimburses some pet costs for one cat or dog. The limit is $550 for a move within the continental U.S. and $2,000 for an overseas move.
What do you need for a PPM checklist?
For a PPM, you need transportation office approval, certified empty and full weight tickets, receipts, and your orders. File your claim within 45 days of finishing the move.
How long do you have to report PCS move damage?
You have 180 days from delivery to report loss or damage in DPS. For shipments picked up on or after May 15, 2026, you have 12 months to file the claim with the mover.
Ready to plan your PCS? Compare truck, container, and mover costs for your route before you book:
Not what you were looking for?
Check out other categories that can help you find the information you need!
