You Got Orders, Now What?

TL;DR: PCS orders just dropped and the to-do list feels endless — this guide walks you through the first 24 hours, your 2026 entitlements, housing decisions, move types, school transfers, and a week-by-week timeline so nothing falls through the cracks.

The moment your PCS orders hit, something shifts. Relief, dread, excitement, grief — often all four at once. You’ve got a duty station, a report date, and approximately one million things to figure out. Consequently, most families either freeze or start Googling in five different directions at the same time.

Neither approach serves you well. Instead, this guide gives you a clear, ordered path — from the first call you should make in the first 24 hours all the way to what to check off when you pull into your new installation. About 400,000 active-duty service members execute PCS moves every single year. The families who navigate it with the least stress aren’t the ones with the most experience. They’re the ones who start with a plan.

Here’s yours.

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What Is a PCS Move?

PCS stands for Permanent Change of Station — the official military term for a mandatory relocation order that moves a service member and their family to a new duty assignment. Unlike a civilian job transfer, a PCS is non-negotiable: the military assigns it based on mission needs, and you execute it. About 400,000 active-duty service members PCS every year, typically every two to four years depending on branch, rank, and occupational specialty.

PCS moves fall into two broad categories. A CONUS move keeps you within the continental United States. An OCONUS move takes you outside it — to Hawaii, Alaska, Guam, Japan, Germany, South Korea, and dozens of other locations. OCONUS moves carry additional logistics around vehicle shipping, dependent travel, and in some cases restricted tours where families cannot accompany the service member at all.

One distinction that trips up a lot of families early: a PCS is not the same as a TDY (Temporary Duty). A TDY sends the service member to another location temporarily — days, weeks, sometimes months — but the permanent duty station stays the same. A PCS actually changes that permanent assignment. Different entitlements, different timelines, different planning requirements.

If you just received PCS orders, the section below is exactly where to start.

The First 24 Hours: 3 Things to Do Before Anything Else

Before you start a Pinterest board for your new kitchen or spiral into Zillow, these three steps have actual deadlines and affect everything downstream.

1. Make Copies of Your Orders — More Than You Think You Need

Military spouses who have done this more than once will tell you the same thing: you need far more copies of your orders than seems reasonable. Make at least 10–15 physical copies and save a digital version in cloud storage and your email. Specifically, you will need them for your transportation office appointment, housing applications, TRICARE enrollment, school enrollment, lease termination, vehicle shipping, and your travel claim — among others. Run out of copies mid-PCS and you will feel it.

2. Note Your Report Date and Count Backward

Your report date is the pin everything else gets measured from. Write it on a whiteboard, set it in your phone, make it the wallpaper — whatever it takes. Furthermore, most of the PCS timeline milestones below are anchored to how many weeks remain before that date. The earlier you start thinking in terms of “X weeks until report date,” the better positioned you’ll be.

3. Tell Your Chain of Command

Command needs to know your orders exist so they can begin the administrative handoff process at your gaining installation. Additionally, some entitlements — like Dislocation Allowance advances — require command approval, and those requests take time. Don’t delay this step.

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Your 2026 PCS Entitlements: Know What the Government Owes You

One of the most common PCS mistakes is leaving money on the table. These are the entitlements available to most active-duty service members on PCS orders in 2026. Visit your finance office early — specifically, 10–15 days before your move — to set up your claims and request any advances you’re eligible for.

Dislocation Allowance (DLA)

DLA is a flat-rate lump sum designed to partially offset moving costs that aren’t otherwise reimbursed — security deposits, utility setup, cleaning fees, replacing household items. The 2026 DLA rates increased 3.8% from 2025 across all pay grades. Your specific amount depends on your rank and whether you have dependents. E-5 and above with dependents receive the highest rates; junior enlisted without dependents may have limited or no eligibility. You can request an advance of 80% before your move by filing with your current installation’s finance office. Visit the Defense Travel Management Office for current rate tables by pay grade.

Temporary Lodging Expense (TLE)

For CONUS moves, TLE covers lodging and meals while you’re between homes — either before your departure or after arrival. It is authorized for up to 10 days total and is paid at a daily rate based on your family size. For OCONUS moves, Temporary Lodging Allowance (TLA) applies instead, and can be authorized for weeks depending on housing availability at your gaining installation.

Mileage Reimbursement (MALT)

If you drive your personally owned vehicle during your PCS move, you’re reimbursed for mileage at the official distance between duty stations — not your actual route. The 2026 MALT rate is 20.5 cents per mile. For a 1,500-mile move, that’s $307.50 back in your pocket. Keep your receipts and document departure and arrival dates for your travel claim.

Per Diem

Per diem covers daily meals and incidental expenses during authorized PCS travel days. The rate varies by location and family size. Your finance office will calculate your authorized travel days based on distance and family composition. Notably, per diem is on top of mileage — not instead of it.

Household Goods Weight Allowance

The government ships your household goods up to a specific weight limit based on rank and dependent status. Going over that limit means paying the overage out of pocket, and overages are not cheap. Before your packout, use the move.mil weight estimator to get a rough count, and seriously consider purging anything you don’t actually need at the next installation. For reference, a typical 3-bedroom home runs 8,000–12,000 pounds — tight for many mid-grade families.

For a complete breakdown of all 2026 rates and entitlements, review our PCS Toolkit — it covers DLA tables, per diem rates, and a personalized planning checklist.

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Choose Your Move Type: Government, DITY/PPM, or Partial

How you move your household goods is one of the biggest decisions of your PCS — and it affects both your wallet and your sanity. There are three options, and each involves trade-offs.

Government-Arranged Move (HHG)

The military contracts a Transportation Service Provider (TSP) to pack, load, ship, and deliver your household goods. This is the default option and the lowest-effort choice — but it also gives you the least control. Damage rates on government moves are real. Before your packout, photograph all electronics and valuables, and document their working condition on video. File claims within 75 days of delivery through move.mil if anything arrives damaged. Peak HHG season runs May 15 through July 30 — if you’re moving in this window, schedule your transportation appointment as early as possible.

Personally Procured Move (PPM / DITY)

A PPM lets you arrange your own move and receive a government payment of 100% of what it would have cost them to move you. If you move cheaper than that — which many families do — you keep the difference. This approach works particularly well for families with fewer household goods, those with flexibility on timing, or those who’ve had bad experiences with government packers. However, PPM requires significantly more planning and physical effort on your part. Read our full DITY/PPM move guide before you decide — the financial math matters and the rules around weigh-ins are specific.

Partial PPM

You move some items yourself (usually valuables, vehicles, or overflow) while the government handles the bulk shipment. This is a common hybrid approach for families who want the convenience of a government move but want to personally transport high-value or fragile items.

How to Schedule Your Move: By Branch

Contact your branch’s transportation office as early as possible — ideally within 24–48 hours of receiving orders. Here’s where to go by branch:

Branch	Office Name
Army	Installation Transportation Office (ITO)
Air Force / Space Force	Traffic Management Office (TMO)
Navy / Marine Corps	Personal Property Shipping Office (PPSO)
Coast Guard	Household Goods Shipping Office

After your appointment, set up your account at move.mil — the DoD’s official moving portal — to manage shipments, select TSPs, and track your household goods status.

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Your Current Home: What to Do Before You Leave

How you handle your current residence sets the tone for your financial situation at the next installation. Your situation here falls into one of three categories.

If You Rent Off-Base

The Servicemembers Civil Relief Act (SCRA) gives you the right to terminate a lease early without penalty when you receive PCS orders. To invoke SCRA protection, provide written notice to your landlord along with a copy of your orders. The lease terminates 30 days after the next rent payment due date following your notice. Most landlords in military markets understand this process — but give them as much notice as possible anyway. Additionally, consider sharing your rental opening in your local PCS Pay-It-Forward® Facebook group. Doing so can help your landlord find a vetted military tenant quickly, and it helps an incoming family lock in housing before they arrive.

If You Live in Government Quarters

Notify your installation housing office of your projected move-out date as soon as orders are confirmed. Confirm the exact cleaning standards required for your specific unit — these vary by installation and privatized housing provider, and the requirements are often more detailed than you’d expect. Leave yourself enough time to meet them without rushing.

If You Own a Home

Homeowners face the most complex decision at PCS time: sell, rent, or leave vacant. Each option has real financial implications depending on your equity position, local market, deployment cycle, and tax situation. For help thinking through the numbers, review our guide to PCS tax write-offs — it covers the military home sale exclusion, which gives you a significantly longer capital gains exemption than civilian sellers receive. If you need a military-friendly Realtor referral, your PCS Ambassador can connect you with vetted agents in your current market.

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Research Your New Duty Station Before You Arrive

The families who arrive at a new installation with the least stress are the ones who showed up with local intelligence — not just a Google Maps search. There are right ways and wrong ways to gather that intel.

Start with Your Base Guide

Use our Find Your Base directory to pull up a detailed guide for your gaining installation. Each guide covers neighborhoods, schools, housing costs, medical facilities, gate hours, and in-processing steps — everything you need to orient yourself before your report date.

Connect with Families Already There

No base guide replaces a real conversation with someone who just did your move. The PCS Pay It Forward® installation Facebook groups are specifically structured for this — they’re Ambassador-led, actively moderated, and focused on giving incoming families accurate, candid information about housing, neighborhoods, and what to actually expect. Find your installation’s group through the base directory.

Know Your BAH Before You Search for Housing

Your Basic Allowance for Housing sets the ceiling for your housing budget. Before you respond to a single listing, look up your 2026 BAH rates for your rank and the gaining installation’s ZIP code. In competitive military markets, BAH often doesn’t fully cover local rents — knowing your gap before you start searching prevents a lot of sticker shock and forces you to set realistic expectations.

Watch for Fake Rental Listings

One warning before you start your off-base search: Army CID has documented scammers copying legitimate rental listings within 20 minutes of them being posted — and PCS families searching remotely are the primary target. Our guide on how to spot fake rental listings near military bases walks you through exactly what to verify before you respond to anything. Read it before you contact a landlord.

Thinking about buying instead of renting? Your VA Home Loan benefit gives you $0 down, no PMI, and competitive interest rates. In many military markets, your monthly mortgage payment comes in at or below what you’d pay in rent — and you build equity instead of paying someone else’s.

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Take Care of Your Family: Kids, TRICARE, Schools, and Pets

The logistics of moving get the most attention, but the human side of a PCS often creates the most lasting stress. Specifically, these items affect your family’s day-to-day stability and deserve early attention.

School Enrollment and Records

Request official school records, immunization records, and IEPs (if applicable) for each child before you leave your current installation. On-base schools fall under DoDEA — the Department of Defense Education Activity — and DoDEA schools have streamlined transfer processes between installations. Off-base public schools follow state and district timelines that vary significantly. Research enrollment windows at your gaining installation early, particularly for specialized programs, magnet schools, or EFMP-related services.

TRICARE Enrollment

TRICARE coverage does not automatically transfer when you PCS. Contact TRICARE before your move to update your enrollment region, identify providers at your new installation, and confirm continuity of care for any ongoing treatment — especially for family members with chronic conditions. Gaps in coverage happen most often when families forget this step during a busy packout week.

Pets

If you’re moving with pets, start early. Research breed and weight restrictions for on-base housing at your gaining installation (many privatized housing providers have specific pet policies). For OCONUS moves, some countries require extended quarantine periods — in some cases, up to six months — and the documentation requirements have hard lead times. Additionally, if you’re flying your pet, confirm airline breed and size restrictions before you book.

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Your PCS Timeline at a Glance

Use this as your master reference. Your personalized PCS Plan© adds items specific to your installation, family size, and report date.

Timeframe	Priority Actions
12+ Weeks Out	Copy orders · Contact transportation office · Start DPS account at move.mil · Notify landlord or housing office · Research BAH and housing at gaining installation · Start your free PCS Plan©
8 Weeks Out	Choose move type (HHG, PPM, partial) · Schedule packout dates · Request DLA advance from finance · Begin purging household goods · Research schools and TRICARE at new installation · Start housing search
4 Weeks Out	Confirm packout dates · Photograph all valuables and electronics · Gather medical, dental, and school records · Update USPS address · Research TRICARE providers at new installation · Visit finance office
Moving Week	Supervise packout · Verify inventory sheet · Keep valuables and documents with you · Photograph home condition before handover · Confirm delivery window in writing
Upon Arrival	In-process immediately · Inspect HHG delivery and document damage · File claims within 75 days · Enroll children in school · Update TRICARE enrollment · File travel claim with finance

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Your PCS Binder: The One Organizational Tool Worth Building

A PCS binder is a physical (or digital) folder that holds every document you’ll need at any point during the move. Build it before chaos hits. At minimum, it should include multiple copies of your orders, all family members’ IDs and birth certificates, medical and immunization records, your lease or mortgage documents, pet records, and receipts for every PCS-related expense. Your finance office needs receipts for reimbursement claims. Your gaining installation will ask for documents you did not expect to need. The binder exists so you’re never scrambling when that happens. For a complete list of what to include, use the PCS Binder Checklist.

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Visit Your Finance Office Early — Not After the Move

The single most financially costly PCS mistake is visiting the finance office too late. Most families do this during packing week as an afterthought. However, the correct sequence is to visit 10–15 days before your move date, when you can still request an advance on DLA, set up your travel claim, confirm your entitlements, and flag any pay issues before your records transfer to your gaining installation. After the move, unresolved pay issues take significantly longer to resolve. Additionally, keep every receipt — lodging, meals, mileage — for your travel claim filing at your new installation.

For a full breakdown of what’s deductible on your federal taxes, review our PCS tax write-offs guide. Military members retain the moving expense deduction that civilians lost in 2018 — and the 2026 mileage rate of 20.5 cents per mile may add up to a real return if you’re driving a long-distance move.

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Key Takeaways

• Make copies of your orders immediately — more than you think you’ll need. You will use them for transportation, housing, school enrollment, TRICARE, lease termination, and your travel claim.
• Contact your transportation office within 24–48 hours of receiving orders. Peak HHG season runs May 15 through July 30 — the earlier you schedule, the better your packout window.
• Visit your finance office 10–15 days before your move, not after. That’s when you can still request a DLA advance and set up your claims properly.
• Know your BAH before you search for housing. Check 2026 BAH rates for your rank and gaining ZIP code before you respond to a single listing.
• Invoke SCRA to terminate your lease without penalty. Provide written notice with a copy of your orders and your lease ends 30 days after the next rent due date.
• Read up on fake rental listings before you start your housing search. PCS families searching remotely are the primary target — our fake rental listings guide covers exactly what to verify before you contact a landlord.
• Connect with families at your gaining installation before you arrive. Your free PCS Plan© connects you with a vetted Ambassador who knows the local market from the inside.

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Frequently Asked Questions

What is the very first thing to do when you get PCS orders?

Make multiple copies of your orders — at least 10–15 physical copies plus a digital version. Then contact your branch’s transportation office to schedule your move appointment as early as possible. For Army, that’s the Installation Transportation Office; for Air Force and Space Force, the Traffic Management Office; for Navy and Marines, the Personal Property Shipping Office; and for Coast Guard, the Household Goods Shipping Office.

How much money do you get for a PCS move in 2026?

Your PCS entitlements include Dislocation Allowance (a flat-rate lump sum based on rank and dependent status, increased 3.8% in 2026), per diem for authorized travel days, mileage reimbursement at 20.5 cents per mile, Temporary Lodging Expense for up to 10 days, and household goods shipping up to your weight allowance. Additionally, if you choose a PPM/DITY move, you can keep the difference between the government’s cost and what you actually spend.

Can you break your lease when you get PCS orders?

Yes. The Servicemembers Civil Relief Act (SCRA) allows active-duty members to terminate a lease early without penalty when PCS orders are received. Provide your landlord with written notice and a copy of your orders. The lease terminates 30 days after the next rent payment due date following your notice — regardless of what your lease terms say.

What is the difference between a government move and a PPM/DITY move?

A government-arranged move uses a military-contracted TSP to pack, ship, and deliver your household goods. A PPM (Personally Procured Move, formerly DITY) lets you arrange your own move and receive a government payment — and you keep any money left over. Many families with fewer household goods or flexibility on timing save money with a PPM. Our full DITY/PPM guide walks through the math and logistics.

How do I find housing at my new duty station before I arrive?

Start with the PCS Pay It Forward® base guide for your gaining installation — it covers neighborhoods, housing costs, and school districts. Then connect with families already stationed there through the installation’s PCS Pay It Forward® Facebook group, or start a free PCS Plan© to get a vetted local Ambassador who knows the housing market firsthand. Before responding to any listing, check your 2026 BAH rates for your rank and ZIP code so you know your realistic budget.

When should I visit the finance office for my PCS?

Visit your installation’s finance office 10–15 days before your move date — not during packing week and not after you’ve already moved. That window is when you can request a DLA advance, set up your travel claim, and confirm your full entitlements. Waiting until after the move makes everything harder to resolve.

What should I do about my kids’ schools during a PCS?

Request official school records and immunization records before you leave your current installation. If your children are enrolled in DoDEA on-base schools, the transfer process between installations is streamlined. For off-base public schools, research enrollment windows and any specialized program waitlists at your gaining installation as early as possible — some programs have limited spots that fill before PCS season peaks.

Does TRICARE automatically transfer when I PCS?

No. TRICARE coverage does not transfer automatically. Before your move, contact TRICARE to update your enrollment region, confirm provider networks at your new installation, and arrange continuity of care for any ongoing treatment. Families with members receiving specialty care or with chronic conditions should prioritize this step early, as finding in-network providers can take time at some installations.