When you enlist in the US military, you do so with the understanding that you will relocate often throughout your military service. In fact, military families move every one to three years on average after receiving and executing orders for a new duty station.
And it’s estimated that about 400,000 service members make a move annually, impacting many military personnel and their families.
Moves are known as a Permanent Change of Station, or PCS for short, and can be disruptive for all service members, especially those with families.
If you’re new to military life or unfamiliar with the PCS process, here are some important things to know that can make the process as smooth as possible.
When You First Receive Orders
The military will generally issue PCS orders 120 days or more before the report date, but that doesn’t always happen, and you may need to work on a more compressed timeframe in some cases.
One of the first things you’ll need to consider is whether your orders are CONUS, denoting a move inside the United States, or OCONUS, which is a move outside the continental US, including Alaska, Hawaii, and US territories). Your orders will include important authorization and entitlement information, and you must have a copy of them to facilitate your military move.
Married couples who are both on active duty and want a joint assignment to establish a common household or joint domicile can request this type of assignment by enrolling in the Married Army Couples Program (MACP). When a service member enrolled in the MACP is considered for reassignment, the spouse is automatically considered for assignment to the same location or area, except when one is assigned to a dependent-restricted location.
When you pick up a copy of your orders, you can also request a Welcome Aboard package from the base you are moving to ease yourself into the process.
Regardless of where you get the information, methodically organizing your move is critical. Fortunately, the Department of Defense has several resources you can tap into that will provide you with essential information.
A good place to start is the Military Installation Relocation Assistance Program page. This lists more than 260 base locations for all service branches worldwide. Each listing has contact information and a dedicated website link that provides a good overview of each installation.
The other notable resource on this site is the Installation Programs and Services page. It offers a wealth of information based on specific quality of life and daily life issues new residents may want to know about.
For example, there are links to nearby civilian libraries, financial institutions, restaurants, golf courses, gymnasiums, and more. Other listings include military installation services such as commissaries, legal services, military clothing sales, military and family support services, and others.
Another way to ensure a seamless move is to contact your new duty station and request a sponsor to assist you. You’ll be connected with a local expert who can help walk you through many of your questions.
If you live on base, you must notify your base housing office that you have received orders and that you intend to move.
For service memes living off-base, you’ll need to give notice to your landlord. A majority of landlords are reasonable but usually require a written notice to vacate and a copy of your orders.
Most require a 30-day advance notice to protect both parties from misunderstandings under the terms of your lease, which could lead to you being charged additional rent due to short notice.
If you have received orders and you’re having issues with your landlord, contact your base legal office for assistance. You also have certain protections under the Service Members Civil Relief Act (SCRA).
Making the Move: Utilize Services like AHRN
Before you move, you must arrange for housing at your new station. Sometimes, you may require temporary billeting until you can find suitable and more permanent housing for your family.
You’ll also need to consider if you want to live on or off base and whether to rent or buy a home. Making important decisions like these are the most challenging aspects of the PCS process.
You may have a good idea of what you want to do, but there are still lots of questions to answer before making a final decision.
Base installations have several housing resources to assist families moving to a new area, but a better option may be to employ a dedicated service such as the Automated Housing Resource Network (AHRN) that can provide you with high-quality, dedicated resources and guidance to facilitate making the right decisions.
To keep track of everything you’ll need to do as part of your move, the DoD also has a handy Plan My Move custom checklist you can create. You can use this in conjunction with AHRN’s free PDF budget estimator sheets.
If you’re looking for more PCS resources, consider checking out AHRN’s PCS Military Move in 2023: Complete PCS Guide with Tips.
Another big decision you’ll make is whether you’ll utilize existing services as part of a government move, or if you’ll make a do-it-yourself move, commonly known as a DITY move. There are pros and cons to each.
With a government move, you’ll work with your current base’s Travel Management Office (TMO). Each service branch has a slightly different name for TMOs, but they all provide the same basic services (i.e., the Navy and Marine Corps use Personal Property Shipping Offices).
The TMO will visit you and estimate the weight of your household items, determine your moving allowance, and set up a date when the move will occur. Your PCS weight allowance will depend on your rank, dependency status, and type of move.
This number will determine how much the government will pay to move your household goods (HHG) to your new location.
Using a TMO means they are responsible for breaking down and setting up your household goods. When working with a TMO, be sure to request information about travel claims, advance pay, and specifics on insuring your possessions during your move.
A DITY move means you can pocket some of your allowance money by doing much of the work on your own. Some families can handle the rigors of a self-contained move, but it’s not a small project in many instances.
This is also referred to as a personally procured move, or PPM. You are responsible for all aspects of the move, including planning, scheduling, and communication, which the TMO would otherwise handle.
In some cases, you may be able to make a hybrid move, using military moving services for some parts of the move while completing other parts on your own.
As part of your preparations to move, you may need to request and schedule Permissive Temporary Additional Duty (TAD). This is a formal way of requesting 10 days to find housing at your new station.
You can use this time to hunt for a new place to live, decide if you want to live on or off base, or consider buying a home vs. renting.
Before you move, you’ll also need to secure all medical records for you and your family, pick up your Service Record Book and check out of all commands, including medical, supply, armory, education, mail room, and others.
SCRA Protections
The primary purpose of the Service Members Civil Relief Act (SCRA) is to ease legal and financial burdens on military personnel and their families due to active duty demands. Some of these protections include dealing with evictions, terminating leases, and delaying administrative and court proceedings.
Some SCRA protections may apply to service members going through a PCS. You can find details about those protections online at the official Servicemembers Civil Relief Act website or through your base’s legal affairs office.
For More Information
There are many more details than what we’ve covered here and this article is intended only as an introduction to the PCS process. You’re sure to have more questions based on the unique nature of your move.
Tap into the resources we’ve mentioned here, work with appropriate base personnel, and if you’re completely lost or overwhelmed, or if this is your first PCS move, you can also start by calling these numbers.
Army: (800)-762-7186
Marine Corps & Navy: (855)-444-6683
Air Force: (210)-652-3357
Coast Guard: (833)-551-0887
USTRANSCOM: (833)-645-6683
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