TL;DR: The 2026 PCS mileage rate (MALT) is $0.235 per mile, per authorized vehicle, for travel on or after July 1, 2026 — up from $0.205 earlier in the year. This guide shows which rate applies to your move and how to amend a voucher paid at the old one, and a free PCS PLAN© lines up mileage, per diem, and every other entitlement before you drive.
You just got orders, you’re staring down a cross-country drive, and one question keeps circling: how much does the military actually pay you back for driving your own car? You’re in the right place. Below are both 2026 rates, the real math with a worked example, and the small details finance offices assume you already know. Because the rate changed mid-year, plenty of families who moved this summer were paid short and never found out. The fastest way to get your whole move budget straight is a free PCS PLAN©, built around your rank, your family size, and your timeline.
What Is PCS Mileage Reimbursement (MALT)?
When your orders authorize travel by privately owned vehicle (POV), the government pays you a flat rate for every mile driven to your new duty station. That payment is called MALT — the Monetary Allowance in Lieu of Transportation. Instead of tracking gas receipts and oil changes, you get a set amount per mile that covers the drive.
Here’s the part that trips people up: MALT is a payment for the trip, not a full refund of your costs. It is intentionally set below the IRS business rate, because it only accounts for fuel-related costs. As a result, you should treat it as one piece of your PCS budget — not the whole thing.
Below is a snapshot of the numbers that matter for a 2026 drive. Notably, the PCS rate and the TDY rate are two different things. Confusing them is the most common mistake families make.
| 2026 Travel Pay Element | Rate | What it applies to |
|---|---|---|
| PCS mileage (MALT), on/after 1 Jul 2026 | $0.235 / mile | Driving your POV on PCS orders |
| PCS mileage (MALT), 1 Jan – 30 Jun 2026 | $0.205 / mile | PCS travel performed earlier in the year |
| TDY / TAD mileage (car) | $0.76 / mile | Temporary duty travel — not a PCS move |
| Standard CONUS per diem | $178 / day | Lodging ($110) + meals & incidentals ($68) |
Data last verified: August 2026. Confirm current figures at the official DTMO mileage rate page before you file.
What if I’m riding a motorcycle or flying my own plane?
MALT pays one rate regardless of what you drive. Whether you take a car, a truck, or a motorcycle on PCS orders, the rate is $0.235 per mile. Electric and hybrid vehicles earn the same amount too.
TDY travel works differently, and that is where the vehicle type matters. On temporary duty, a car pays $0.76 per mile, a motorcycle $0.74, and a privately owned airplane $1.935. However, none of those figures apply to a PCS move.
The 2026 MALT Rate: $0.235 Per Mile
For travel on or after July 1, 2026, the Defense Travel Management Office set the MALT rate at 23.5 cents per mile. This rate applies across every branch — Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, Coast Guard, and Space Force. Additionally, it covers cars, motorcycles, and, in rare authorized cases, privately owned aircraft.
Three rules about this rate save families the most confusion, so let’s break each one down.
The rate does not go up for passengers
MALT pays per vehicle, not per person. If you, your spouse, and three kids all ride in one car, you still receive $0.235 per mile for that vehicle. Furthermore, the government does not pay more because the car is fuller. Your passengers instead earn their own per diem, which we cover below.
You can claim mileage for two vehicles
Most families own more than one car, and the military accounts for that. If you and your spouse drive two POVs separately, each vehicle earns its own $0.235 per mile. Two vehicles is the cap. Consequently, a two-car household driving 1,000 miles doubles the mileage payment. Both vehicles must be authorized on your orders, so confirm this with your losing installation first.
Why finance uses DTOD, not your odometer
Your reimbursement is not based on the miles your odometer racks up. Instead, it comes from the Defense Table of Official Distances (DTOD) — the point-to-point distance between your old and new installations. Finance offices verify every claim against DTOD before they pay it.
This detail matters more than it sounds. If you take a scenic detour through five national parks, you still get paid the DTOD distance. On the other hand, a shorter back-road route still earns you the full DTOD figure. Moreover, quoting Google Maps miles on your claim can actually shortchange you, because DTOD distances often differ. Always use the number your finance office pulls.
Why There Are Two 2026 PCS Mileage Rates
Most years the PCS mileage rate is set once in January and holds. Twenty twenty-six is different. The IRS raised its moving mileage rate partway through the year, and the Defense Travel Management Office published a matching MALT rate. As a result, two rates are valid in 2026, and which one you get depends entirely on your travel date.
| Travel performed | MALT rate per authorized vehicle |
|---|---|
| 1 January – 30 June 2026 | $0.205 per mile |
| 1 July 2026 onward | $0.235 per mile |
Data last verified: August 2026, from the DoD PDTATAC memo MAP-CAP 46-26(I). Confirm your figure at the official DTMO mileage rate page before you file.
Here’s the wrinkle nobody mentions. The 2025 MALT rate was $0.21 per mile, so 2026 actually opened lower than the year before. Families who moved in the spring took a small pay cut without noticing. Then July reversed it, and the rate landed higher than it has been in three years.
Your travel date decides your rate, not your order date
Finance pays on the date you actually drove. Consequently, orders cut in May but executed in August are paid at the higher rate. Meanwhile, a June move filed in July still pays $0.205, because that was the rate in effect when you traveled. Therefore, the date on your orders is not the date that matters — the drive is.
Already filed? You may be owed the difference
Here is the part that quietly costs families money. If you filed a travel voucher for a drive on or after July 1, your claim may have been calculated at the old rate. Systems and finance clerks do not always catch a mid-year change right away.
The gap is small per mile and meaningful per move. For example, a two-vehicle household driving 1,200 miles is owed an additional $72. Notably, nobody at finance will flag this for you. So if you drove on or after July 1 and your settlement used $0.205, take your voucher back to your finance office and ask about an amended claim.
Want to check their math before you go in? Our Military PCS Calculator runs your mileage, per diem, and travel days together at the current rate.
How to Calculate Your PCS Mileage Reimbursement
The math is simpler than the acronyms make it look. Follow these three steps and you’ll have a solid estimate before you ever pull out of the driveway.
Step 1: Find your DTOD distance
Start with the official distance between your two duty stations, not your planned route. Your transportation office or finance office can pull this for you. Alternatively, a PCS calculator using DTOD-equivalent distances will get you close enough to budget.
Step 2: Multiply distance by your rate — per vehicle
Take your DTOD miles and multiply by the rate that matches your travel date. Then, if you’re driving a second authorized POV, run the same math again and add the two together.
Step 3: Add your travel days of per diem
Mileage is only half the payment. On top of MALT, you earn per diem for each authorized travel day on the road. We break down exactly how travel days work below.
Here’s how it comes together for a realistic example. Consider an E-5 with a spouse and one child under 12, driving two vehicles roughly 1,000 DTOD miles in August.
| Line item | Math | Estimated amount |
|---|---|---|
| MALT — vehicle 1 | 1,000 mi × $0.235 | $235 |
| MALT — vehicle 2 | 1,000 mi × $0.235 | $235 |
| Authorized travel days | 400 mi + 350 mi + 250 mi remainder | 3 days |
| Per diem — member | 3 days × $178 | $534 |
| Per diem — spouse (age 12+) | 3 days × $133.50 | $400.50 |
| Per diem — child (under 12) | 3 days × $89 | $267 |
| Estimated PCS travel total | ~$1,671 |
Illustrative only — your finance office calculates the exact figure from your DTOD distance and dependent ages. Verify your numbers before you budget.
Notice that the mileage alone is $470, while per diem more than doubles the payout. That’s why families who plan for both parts budget far more accurately than those who only think about gas.
That is the arithmetic finance runs. If you’d rather not do it by hand, our Military PCS Calculator applies the travel-day formula, the dependent percentages, and the current rate automatically. It also shows what you have to front before any of it settles.
PCS Per Diem: Lodging and Meals on the Road
Per diem covers your hotels and meals while you drive between duty stations. For 2026, the standard CONUS rate is $178 per day — $110 for lodging plus $68 for meals and incidental expenses (M&IE). Importantly, PCS travel uses this flat standard rate no matter where you overnight, unlike TDY travel, which changes by city.
Three rules shape how much your family actually receives.
MALT Plus pays a flat rate for every travel day
When you drive your POV on a CONUS PCS, your per diem is paid under a method the JTR calls MALT Plus. Here is what that means in practice: you receive the full $178 for each authorized travel day. That includes your departure day, your arrival day, and a one-day trip. No receipts are required, and no proration applies.
This surprises people, because TDY travel works differently. Under TDY and under the JTR’s Lodging Plus method, the first and last days pay only 75% of M&IE. However, that reduction does not apply to a straight POV drive on PCS orders. Lodging Plus instead governs travel by air or ship, and port-of-embarkation days on an overseas move.
Why this matters: if your voucher prorated your first and last travel days, your settlement may be short. Ask finance which method they used, and confirm your own figures against JTR Chapter 5.
Dependents earn a percentage of your rate
Your family members don’t get the full member rate, but they do add up quickly. Specifically, dependents age 12 and older receive 75% of your per diem, while dependents under 12 receive 50%. For a family of four, that stacks meaningfully across a multi-day drive.
| Traveler | Per diem rate | Each authorized travel day |
|---|---|---|
| Service member | 100% | $178 |
| Dependent age 12+ | 75% | $133.50 |
| Dependent under 12 | 50% | $89 |
Rates reflect the FY2026 standard CONUS per diem. Verify current figures on the official DTMO per diem page.
How many travel days you actually get
The military doesn’t pay per diem for the whole calendar week. Rather, it pays for authorized travel days based on distance. The rule is straightforward: a trip of 400 miles or fewer earns one travel day. Beyond 400 miles, divide the total by 350. Then add one more day if the remainder is 51 miles or more.
For example, a 1,000-mile drive divides into two full segments with 300 miles left over. Because that remainder clears 51 miles, you earn a third day. Driving faster does not reduce your authorized days, since the formula runs on official distance alone.
Driving and doing a DITY at the same time? Mileage, per diem, and your move reimbursement interact in ways that change your strategy. Our complete DITY/PPM move guide walks through how to stack them — and the PCS Toolkit keeps every form and deadline in one place.
Is PCS Mileage Reimbursement Taxable?
Good news for your budget: MALT for an authorized PCS move is not taxable. It won’t show up as income on your W-2, and you don’t owe payroll or income tax on it. In addition, you don’t need to submit gas or maintenance receipts, because finance pays on the DTOD distance rather than your actual spending.
A few costs sit outside MALT and are reimbursed separately — but only with receipts. Tolls, ferry fees, and bridge charges fall into this bucket, so keep every receipt from the road. Because these are easy to forget, tuck them into your claim folder the moment you pay them.
Worth noting: the tax rules around a military move can work in your favor beyond mileage. Our guide to PCS tax write-offs breaks down what else you may be able to claim. Additionally, the IRS publishes guidance specifically for the Armed Forces if you want the source.
MALT vs. the Other PCS Entitlements
Mileage is one line on a much bigger payment. To budget honestly, you should know how MALT fits alongside the other entitlements your orders unlock. Here’s the short version — and where to go deeper on each.
- DLA (Dislocation Allowance) — a one-time payment covering the “everything else” of moving: deposits, utilities, setup costs. It’s based on your rank and dependent status, not distance. For 2026, rates rose about 3.8% over 2025.
- TLE (Temporary Lodging Expense) — covers hotels and meals at your old or new station while you wait on housing. CONUS moves get up to 21 days, split however you like between stations. Many families forget to claim it, and it can be worth over $1,000.
- PPM/DITY reimbursement — if you move your own household goods, the government pays 100% of what it would have paid a contractor. Anything you move for less, you keep.
- Per diem — the lodging-and-meals payment covered above, paid per authorized travel day.
Because your rank drives most of these numbers, it helps to have your full compensation picture handy. The 2026 military pay charts and the 2026 BAH rates guide round out the money side of your move.
Moving yourself changes the math entirely
MALT and per diem pay you to travel. A Personally Procured Move pays you to move your household goods, and it stacks on top of both. You still collect mileage and per diem for the drive, whether movers handle your shipment or you do it yourself.
Whether a PPM is worth the work depends on your weight allowance, the distance, and what a truck actually costs in your lane. Our PPM / DITY Move Calculator runs those numbers, including the tax set-aside most tools leave out, and compares a full move against a partial one.
How to File Your PCS Mileage Claim
Filing is where good planning pays off. You’ll typically submit your PCS travel claim during in-processing at your gaining installation, using DD Form 1351-2 along with a copy of your orders. Then finance calculates your MALT, per diem, and travel days from the DTOD distance and pays you accordingly.
A few habits make the process smoother and faster:
- Keep several copies of your orders — finance, housing, and TMO will each want one.
- Save every toll, ferry, and lodging receipt in one folder as you go.
- Ask about advance travel pay before you leave, since it can cover fuel and lodging up front.
- Confirm your DTOD distance with finance rather than guessing from a map app.
- Check the rate on your settlement against your travel date, especially for a summer 2026 move.
Staying organized through all of it is half the battle, and our PCS binder and checklist gives you a place to keep every document finance will ask for.
Here’s the honest real talk: reimbursement rarely hits your account the day you arrive. Processing can take a couple of weeks, and you’re responsible for your Government Travel Charge Card balance meanwhile. Therefore, an advance or a small travel cushion keeps the drive from becoming a cash-flow crunch. For more hard-won tips from families who’ve done this, our military moving tips are worth a read before you load the truck.
You can also confirm how MALT settles on the official DFAS travel pay page for your branch.
Don’t run the numbers alone. A free PCS PLAN© connects you with people who’ve moved to your exact base and know how that finance office actually operates. Build your plan, and you’ll walk into in-processing already knowing what to expect.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the 2026 PCS mileage reimbursement rate?
The 2026 MALT rate is $0.235 per mile, per authorized vehicle, for travel on or after July 1, 2026. Travel between January 1 and June 30, 2026 is paid at the earlier rate of $0.205 per mile. Finance pays on the date you drove, not the date your orders were cut.
Did the PCS mileage rate change in 2026?
Yes. The MALT rate was $0.205 per mile from January 1, 2026, then rose to $0.235 per mile for travel on or after July 1, 2026. If you already filed a voucher for a drive on or after that date and it paid the old rate, ask your finance office about amending the claim.
What is MALT and how is it different from the TDY mileage rate?
MALT stands for Monetary Allowance in Lieu of Transportation, and it is the PCS driving rate of $0.235 per mile as of July 1, 2026. The TDY mileage rate is much higher at $0.76 per mile, but it only applies to temporary duty travel — not a PCS move. Using the TDY rate for a PCS claim is a common and costly mistake.
How do I calculate my PCS mileage reimbursement?
Multiply the official DTOD distance between your duty stations by $0.235 for travel on or after July 1, 2026. If you drive a second authorized vehicle, run the same math for that car and add the totals. Then add per diem for your authorized travel days to see your full travel payment.
Can I claim mileage for two vehicles during a PCS?
Yes. If you and your spouse drive two POVs separately, each authorized vehicle earns $0.235 per mile, up to two vehicles total. Both cars must be authorized on your orders, so confirm this with your losing installation first.
Is PCS mileage reimbursement taxable?
No. MALT for an authorized PCS move is non-taxable and does not appear on your W-2. You also don’t need receipts for MALT itself, since it is paid on the official DTOD distance rather than your actual fuel spending.
How many travel days do I get for a PCS drive?
A trip of 400 miles or fewer earns one travel day. Beyond 400 miles, divide the total distance by 350, then add one more day if the remainder is 51 miles or more. For example, a 1,000-mile drive works out to three authorized travel days.
What is the 2026 PCS per diem rate?
The 2026 standard CONUS per diem is $178 per day — $110 for lodging plus $68 for meals and incidental expenses. On a CONUS POV move, the JTR’s MALT Plus method pays that full rate for every authorized travel day, including your departure and arrival days. Dependents age 12 and over earn 75% of your rate, and those under 12 earn 50%.
Are my first and last PCS travel days paid at 75%?
Not when you drive your own vehicle on a CONUS PCS. MALT Plus pays the flat standard CONUS rate for every authorized travel day, with no partial-day reduction. The 75% first-and-last-day rule belongs to the JTR’s Lodging Plus method, which covers travel by air or ship and port-of-embarkation days.
Do I use my odometer or Google Maps for PCS mileage?
Neither. Finance pays MALT on the Defense Table of Official Distances (DTOD), the point-to-point distance between installations. A detour won’t earn you extra miles, and quoting map-app distances can actually shortchange your claim.
How do I file my PCS mileage claim?
You’ll usually file DD Form 1351-2 during in-processing at your gaining base, along with a copy of your orders. Finance then calculates your MALT, per diem, and travel days from the DTOD distance. Keep toll and lodging receipts, since some costs are reimbursed separately.
Can I get PCS travel money before I move?
Often, yes. Many members qualify for advance travel pay to cover fuel and lodging up front, so you’re not floating the entire trip on a credit card. If you’re doing a Personally Procured Move, you can also request an advance operating allowance of up to 60% of your government constructed cost. Ask your finance office what you qualify for well before your move date.
Key Takeaways
- The 2026 PCS mileage rate is $0.235 per mile (MALT) for travel on or after July 1, paid per authorized vehicle — not per person. Travel before that date pays $0.205. Don’t confuse either with the $0.76 TDY rate.
- Your travel date sets your rate. Orders cut in spring but driven in August still earn the higher rate.
- Check an already-filed voucher. If you drove after July 1 and were paid $0.205, ask finance to amend it.
- You can claim two vehicles. If you and your spouse drive separately, each car earns its own mileage.
- Distance comes from DTOD, not your odometer or Google Maps. Confirm the figure with finance.
- Per diem pays a flat $178 a day on a CONUS POV move, every authorized travel day, with dependents at 75% or 50% by age.
- MALT is tax-free and needs no receipts — but save your tolls, ferries, and lodging receipts, which are claimed separately.
- Build the whole picture first. Start your free PCS PLAN© so mileage, per diem, and every entitlement line up before you hit the road.
