Moves are complex elephants, so let’s break this process down into something digestible. When in doubt, give your local personal property office a call. They are a wealth of knowledge and have the most up-to-date information to help you!
Before You Move
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Army
You cannot use DPS if…
- This is your first personal property move.
- This is your last personal property move (you are separating or retiring).
- You are storing or moving personal property AND you have contingency or deployment orders.
- You’re storing or moving personal property AND moving your family to an overseas location.
- You are not the property owner AND you’re using a Power of Attorney.
- You are moving personal property as “next of kin” or Summary Courts Officer.
- You’re still not sure or need more help, contact your local personal property office!
Marine Corps
You cannot use DPS if…
- This is your first personal property move.
- This is your last personal property move (you are separating or retiring).
- You are storing or moving personal property AND you have contingency or deployment orders.
- You’re storing or moving personal property AND moving your family to an overseas location.
- You are not the property owner AND you’re using a Power of Attorney.
- You’re still not sure or need more help, contact your local personal property office!
Navy
You cannot use DPS if…
- You are moving personal property as “next of kin” or Summary Courts Officer.
- You’re still not sure or need more help, contact your local personal property office!
Air Force
You cannot use DPS if…
- This is your first personal property move.
- This is your last personal property move (you are separating or retiring).
- You are not the property owner AND you’re using a Power of Attorney.
- You are moving personal property as “next of kin” or Summary Courts Officer.
- You’re still not sure or need more help, contact your local personal property office!
Coast Guard
You cannot use DPS if…
- This is your first personal property move.
- This is your last personal property move (you are separating or retiring).
- You are not the property owner AND you’re using a Power of Attorney.
- You are moving personal property as “next of kin” or Summary Courts Officer.
- You’re still not sure or need more help, contact your local personal property office!
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There is nothing more constant than change within the military. While you can certainly start some prep work, you will need orders to schedule a move in the system. Your only other option is a Letter-In-Lieu of Orders, which basically states that you are taking responsibility for the costs of your move if your PCS is cancelled or your destination changes before you receive your official orders.
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If you have not moved recently, you will need to register for an account with ETA. Follow the instructions in the "New User Registration" tutorial to register. After that, follow the instructions in the "Schedule a Move" tutorial. Make sure you have a digital copy of your orders ready, and be prepared to answer questions about your weight estimate, delivery address, and any special items that need to be moved. Pro-Tip: Instead of using your work e-mail address in the customer information section, use your personal e-mail address so you can stay up to speed on your move at all times.
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No, you don’t need to know your final delivery address to schedule a move, but you will need to enter a location to continue through scheduling a move. The safest bet is to add your destination (city, state, etc.) in the system and then you can go back and update the final delivery address once you settle on a location.
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You will need to contact your local personal property office if you want to make a change to your pick-up date. There are many factors that go into receiving approval for this type of change (TSP availability, peak season, etc.) to a move.
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A list of items you are allowed to move can be found here. Typically, you are allowed to bring the majority of your household goods but there are restrictions on certain items that include hazardous materials (most cleaning supplies, paint, gasoline, etc.) as well as perishables (frozen food, produce, etc.) that will not be able to travel with you. Additionally, some of your items, such as a lawn mower, will need all the fuel removed before the movers will pack it up. To find how much weight you are allowed, head over to the weight estimator.
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Check out this list of some of the top tips received from members and spouses as you prepare for your move!
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Yes! As you navigate through the online move scheduling system, you will be prompted with questions about these types of special items. Be sure to include as much information as possible and make sure during the pre-move survey you point out these items to the representative.
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If you get into an accident during your move and are not at fault, the government provides up to $50,000 of insurance on your lost property. (If you are unsure about fault or other determinations, it is suggested that you file a claim anyways.) One thing to note: the insurance doesn’t cover any damage to the vehicle—only to your household goods.
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Yes, however, your transportation office will do a cost comparison of the cost to move your property from each location compared to your entitlement and you will receive the lesser of the two costs.
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Yes, but you need to make sure you tell the delivering company to weigh the pod empty before drop-off.
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Origin Destination Origin 90 days 90 days Separatee 180 days 90 days Retiree 365 days 90 days -
There are very limited scenarios where the government will pay the bill to ship a personal vehicle for a CONUS move. Transportation may be authorized for the member/dependent’s use when:
- A change in a ship’s homeport is authorized, or
- An eligible member is ordered to perform a PCS between CONUS duty stations and is physically unable to drive (note: a dependent’s inability to drive does not satisfy this criteria), or there is insufficient time for the member to drive and report to the duty station as ordered.
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This is part of the member's weight allowance that is separated from other Household Goods and is shipped via an expedited mode because it's needed immediately or soon after arrival at the destination and prior to the arrival of Household Goods. This typically occurs with an OCONUS move.
Examples: May consist of personal clothing and equipment, essential pots, pans, and light housekeeping items, collapsible items such as cribs, playpens, and baby carriages; and other articles required for the care of dependents. If necessary, you can also ship a small amount of professional books, paper & equipment in your unaccompanied baggage shipment.
Not Allowed: Furniture & major appliances (refrigerators, washing machines, etc.).Reminder: Unaccompanied baggage counts against the member’s total weight allowance.
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Yes. Official orders have specific information personal property offices need to book a move. Your orders will have a funding line, your current and future duty stations, and show whether you have family members or other dependents authorized to move under those orders.
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Quality assurance (QA) inspectors make sure your move is going as smoothly as possible. They can check in with you and your family by telephone or in person on scheduled pack, pickup, and/or delivery days. QA inspectors also help resolve disputes between you and your moving company. They make sure your items are being handled properly, and take corrective actions if your moving company doesn’t perform to government standards. If you have a problem and need a QA inspector’s help, please contact your local personal property office for assistance.
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Your shipment may be one of many CBP picks for an inspection. Many shipments moving back to the U.S. are inspected on the first day of packing. If you or your family are one of the chosen ones for a CBP inspection, please make sure all of your belongings are clean and have no signs of pest infestation. This is especially true for outdoor items such as lawn furniture, garden tools, and other items that are exposed to dirt or insects (e.g., gypsy moths, brown tree snakes, rodents, cockroaches, and other pests.)
You can find other helpful information under the “Tools & Resources” section under “Helpful Links,” or click military members or civilian employees.
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A Personally Procured Move (also known as a Do-It Yourself Move) is when the member decides to personally move their household items instead of using a government provided mover. This is only for a CONUS move! You still need to book this type of move in the system as it will help calculate your estimated incentive payment. Keep in mind, if your move costs go above this amount the government is not obligated to reimburse you for those expenses. A HHG move is when the government schedules a mover to pack/unpack and ship all of your items.
You can do both a Partial PPM and a HHG type move. Typically, this occurs when a member uses their personal vehicle to ship household items as they move from one duty station to the next. This type of move will require full/empty weight tickets of the vehicle. Click here to find some weight scales close to you!
It’s best to contact your local personal property office before you do a full or partial PPM to make sure you understand all your entitlements.
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Yes! Since the entitlements and rules that govern these types of moves are a bit more complex, you must talk with your local personal property office to get this setup. This will ensure it’s a smooth move and you know what to expect.
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Yes. If you are a military member (or a person acting on behalf of the service member) who is making a permanent change of station (PCS) move, you have to prepare an application in the DPS. If this is your first time moving as a military member or family, your local personal property office will want to go over this process with you. Please contact your local personal property office if this situation applies to you.
Civilian employees (or whoever is authorized to represent them) have to use DPS to schedule moves when they make a PCS move or separate from federal service. If you have any questions, it’s always best to contact your local personal property office before you start your application.
Privately Owned Vehicles (POVs)
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You can contact your local Personal Property Officer, PCSmyPOV, or consult Attachment K3 of the Defense Transportation Regulation, Part IV.
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U.S. Code of Federal Regulations (Title 49, Transportation, Carriage By Vessel, Section 176.905, Para A (2) specifically states: “The fuel tank of a motor vehicle or mechanical equipment powered by liquid fuel may not be more than one-fourth full.”
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The exterior of your POV must be washed and clean of all dirt. The interior of your vehicle must be vacuumed clean (dry vacuumed only).
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Please contact the Vehicle Processing Center nearest your present duty station.
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You have twenty-one (21) days from availability date. The destination Vehicle Processing Center will notify you either via email or postcard within twenty-four (24) hours of vehicle availability. You can also track your vehicle’s progress to final destination on PCSmyPOV.
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Please consult your local Personal Property Officer of the PPCIG for detailed information.
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Please consult your local Personal Property Officer or the Defense Transportation Regulation, Part IV, Attachment K3 – Shipping Your POV.
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A POV, or privately owned vehicle, is any motor vehicle that provides personal transportation and is owned by, or on a long-term lease (12 or more months) to, a customer or a customer's dependents. A POV can have four or more wheels, like a car or truck. The POV must be:
- Self-propelled;
- Licensed to travel on public highways; and
- Designed to carry passengers or household goods.
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It depends! A motorcycle or moped can be considered a POV if you are not shipping a vehicle at government expense on the same authorization or travel orders. If you have questions, contact your local personal property office.
Moving Day!
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The packers should arrive with plenty of boxes, tape and packing material to get everything loaded up in boxes. The pre-move survey is critical to make sure the packers show up with everything they need to properly pack your items. If there are multiple packers it can be hard to watch everything they pack, so if there are items you don’t want them to move, put them in your vehicle or a separate room/closet and let the packers know.
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You will need to be available from 8:00AM to 5:00PM during your schedule pack and move dates.
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Anything that is on the walls to include pictures, curtains, TVs, clocks, etc. will need to be removed by the member. The movers will not remove anything from the walls. It’s also recommended that after you take down that picture or clock to tape the hardware to the back of the item which will make setting it up easier at the destination.
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The parts box is where the movers store hardware to re-assemble any furniture when they arrive at the destination. As a pro-tip, you may want to take that box with you as you travel to your new destination if possible. There have been limited incidents where the parts box has gone missing, which makes setting up beds, couches, cribs, etc. very difficult without all the proper hardware.
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Check out this list of some of the top tips received from members and spouses for moving day!
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You can check the status of your shipments yourself by logging into DPS. Click the blue icon that states “Shipment Management.” You can also contact your local personal property office for assistance.
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If there’s a problem on site, you can try talking with the movers’ supervisor/lead who is on site, but you can always call your local personal property office or quality control inspector to help intervene.
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Your assigned moving company will contact you before your first pack or pick up day and give you an arrival window. If you haven’t heard from them at least three government business days before your move, please notify your local personal property office.
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If you cannot be present on move day, you will need to appoint your spouse, relative, or friend, to sign off on anything on your behalf. This person must be listed as an agent on your moving application. If they're not listed, they must have either a power of attorney or written authorization that's been notarized or countersigned by a commissioned officer. The appointed person's name must appear on the document as your representative. Remember, this person is acting for you, and you are responsible for that person's decisions!
Travel Tips
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On your copy of your orders, it will tell you how many travel days you are authorized to get to your next duty location. Additionally, you can take additional leave enroute if you choose, but this will increase the chances of your HHG’s going into storage.
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If the moving company arrives prior to you arriving to your destination, they will most likely put your HHG’s into storage. The movers need to get your items off the truck and head to the next scheduled move so unless you plan to arrive maybe a day or so after their arrival your items will most likely go into the warehouse until you are ready to accept your shipment.
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If you run into shipment issues while enroute to your next duty station, you can either call the local personal property office from where you just left OR you can call your personal property office at your destination to get some help quickly.
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If you are conducting a Personally Procured Move, you’ll want to hang on to any toll receipts, weight ticket receipts, moving equipment and packing materials.
Inconvenience Claims
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An inconvenience claim is a request for reimbursement for those unexpected out-of-pocket expenses you or your family may have had when your moving company missed a scheduled pick-up and/or delivery date. It's a good idea to contact your moving company or local personal property office if you plan to file an inconvenience claim.
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First and foremost - it’s important to remember to keep all of your receipts!
Items you can submit includes but is not limited to: lodging, meals, laundry service, as well as furniture, appliance rental, purchase of sheets, towels, pots, pans, paper plates, napkins and disposable cutlery. Rental furniture includes: beds/air mattress, cribs, sofa, chairs, table, appliances and one TV per customer.
When supported by receipts, the maximum liability for lodging and meal expenses will not exceed the daily lodging and meal per diem rate, based on the number of dependents in the customer’s family (e.g., the customer and spouse are expected to share one room in a hotel; additional dependents, based on age and sex may require additional rooms). Additional rooms must be pre-approved and authorized in writing by the TSP.
Itemized receipts must accompany all inconvenience claim requests for lodging, meals/food and furniture rentals. Out of pocket expenses must be reasonable and relate directly to relieving a definite hardship when establishing a household. Example of reasonable are: Wal-Mart, Target and AAFES. If the TSP purchases or reimburses the customer for tangible household items such as towels or pot and pans, the TSP may make arrangements to reclaim those items upon delivery of the customer’s shipment.
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Items that are excluded would be groceries/meals if a customer is in a residence, cleaning supplies, toiletries and cosmetics, snacks, military attire, school supplies, expenses that occur before the delivery date or out of the local area, toys, personal clothing, dry cleaning, and alcohol/drugs.
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When you prepare your inconvenience claim package, please include in your written statement:
1. The hardship or inconvenience you or your family experienced;
2. A list of the items you purchased or rented, and the cost for each one;
3. Any services you had to buy (e.g., hotel costs, food, laundry services, etc.)
Don’t forget to include your receipts!
Delivery
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If you notice damage to your home by the movers, take a photo of the damage and reach out to the local property office’s quality control office to speak with an inspector if possible. You should also notify the lead/supervisor of the move team.
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Before you start moving into the house, ask the movers to accompany you on a survey of the residence. This way you can point out and agree upon pre-existing property damage (if any). This includes stained carpet, damaged walls and more. Once this has been noted, the movers can start to unpack the truck. The movers should also put down mats/plastic to protect the flooring near high traffic areas.
The movers are required to reassemble any furniture that was disassembled at the start of the move and unpack any/all boxes you request. This is often called a “full-unpack”. Most members decide not to ask the movers for a full unpack as they prefer to put items away on their own. Additionally, they will place items at spots you designate once… so you cannot tell the movers to put your bed on the 3rd floor and change your mind a few hours later and request it be put in the basement.
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Check out this list of some of the top tips received from members and spouses at your destination!
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If you notice damage, it’s recommended that you write down the inventory tag, take photos and write down some notes about the damage. This will be very helpful when you go to file your claims online.
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If you or your spouse cannot be present on delivery day, you will need to appoint someone else via a Power of Attorney to sign off on anything on your behalf. This is for your benefit and the moving company!
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In this case, you will file an Inconvenience Claim. This is submitted directly to the Transportation Service Provider (TSP) for missed agreed upon pick-up, delivery or Required Delivery Dates (RDDs), and delivery date out of Storage. Failure to do so may cause a serious inconvenience to the DOD customer and their dependents, which may result in the expenditure of excess funds for out of pocket expenses. As a reminder, this is not an entitlement and you should contact the TSP prior to purchasing items.
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Out-of-pocket expenses are additional costs you may incur because you can’t use certain necessary items from your shipment to set up (or remain in) your household. All out-of-pocket expenses should be reasonable, supported by receipts, and directly related to relieving a hardship while you and your family establish your new home.
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Using the online move system, you will need to request the delivery of your items that are in storage. This can take a few days or if it’s the peak season for the Transportation Service Provider it can take a few weeks. As soon as you know your dates, get with your local personal property office to get this scheduled in the event they are booked up for a few weeks.
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If your moving company denies reimbursement or disputes all or some of the items you claimed, contact your local personal property office for assistance. They will happily review your inconvenience claim and let you know if the mover has to reimburse you for your items.
There may be circumstances when your moving company is not responsible for paying your out-of-pocket expenses. Some examples are natural disasters, acts of the government, or violent strikes that may have caused a delay with your shipment. If you have questions, contact your local personal property office for help.
After The Move
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Simply put… you want to get paid for your move! There are entitlements you are authorized that you will want to receive which may also help offset some of the costs of moving… this includes mileage expenses and dislocation allowance. This will help when you need to go to the local store and purchase some of those household items you couldn’t ship with you.
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This one can get tricky, so make sure you know the difference between the two and the overall process.
A Loss/Damage Report is your way to notify the household goods carrier (Transportation Service Provider - TSP) that some of your items are missing or were damaged during the delivery process. This must be done within 75 days of your delivery date. If the items cannot be found or they cannot fix the damage, you must file a claim to be reimbursed!
A Claim is made when you request reimbursement for lost or damaged items. To qualify for the full replacement value, you must file your claim in the system (DPS) and click the "Submit" button within nine months after your household goods were delivered to you. If you have questions about claims filing deadlines, contact your MCO (Military Claims Office).
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Yes! You must report all loss and damage to the Transportation Service Provider (TSP) within 75 days of the date of delivery to be reimbursed for those missing or damaged items.
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Yes, you can submit your “Notification of Loss/Damage after Delivery” form to your TSP by mail, fax, or by attaching the form to an email and emailing it to your TSP. The TSP should have given you this form when they delivered your household goods to your new home. Whichever way you choose to get the Loss/Damage Report form to your TSP, make sure the TSP receives it before the 75th day following delivery of your household goods to your new home. It’s a good idea to keep your proof of dispatch, i.e., a return mail or certified letter receipt, fax confirmation sheet, email delivery confirmation, or email “read” receipt.
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If you had good cause to exceed the 75-day notice period, such as an officially recognized absence or hospitalization during all or a portion of that 75-day window, please pass that information to your TSP for their consideration. When incidents like this happen, your TSP is required to contact your Military Claims Office (MCO) for a determination.
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In order to file a claim and qualify for full replacement value (FRV) protection, you will need to submit it using the online system you used to book your move to kick start this process. It’s located under the Claims tab.
If you did not submit a Loss/Damage Report, you will need to submit your claim within 75 days of delivery.
If you submitted a Loss/Damage Report within the 75 day window, you will have up to 9 months to submit a claim for the Full Replacement Value of the item you are claiming. If the claim is submitted more than 9 months from the delivery date, you will only be eligible for depreciated value up to two years from delivery.
Any claims submission after 2 years could result in the denial of your entire claim. Limited exceptions apply to these timelines.
Your mover must provide an acknowledgement of receipt of your submitted claim within 15 calendar days of receipt of your claim. If you do not receive this acknowledgment, it is recommended you reach out to your TSP to ensure they are aware of your submission. Please contact your Military Claims Office (MCO) if you have any questions.
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When filing a claim, it’s recommended that you have before and after pictures of the item that you’re claiming. Additionally, any receipts, quotes for repair, or other documentation that show the value of the item is very helpful. This can usually be accomplished by locating a replacement cost clipping in your local newspaper or online. Repair estimates are also useful to the claims team when determining how much you will get back. The mover is responsible for paying for repair estimates so you should request a copy of this estimate before accepting settlement on your claim. For high value items, you may receive a request for proof of value. This can usually be accomplished by providing a copy of the original receipt, credit card statement, or cancelled check. If you’ve had the item appraised, this too would assist with substantiating value. Also make sure when you sign off on the inventory sheet prior to your items being loaded up on the truck that you take the time to review and ensure all your items are listed (including high value items on a high value inventory).
One final tip: be sure the remarks the movers indicated for each item are correct… your brand new, undamaged dining room table should not have a remark that says it’s full of scratches, etc.
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If you and the transportation provider go back and forth and you cannot come to an agreement on the offer they are providing you then you’ll need to contact your Military Claims Office. They will help advocate on your behalf, but be prepared to re-submit all your documentation through their system.
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If you receive notification from the shipping system (DPS) or the personal property office that you went over your authorized weight limit, there are a few things you can do. First, check to see if the weight of all professional gear (yours and your spouse’s) listed on your inventory form was subtracted from the total net weight you shipped. Second, subtract the weight of the “packing material” (usually 10% of the net weight) from that total net weight. If you’re still over your authorized weight and your shipment has not been delivered to you yet, you can request a reweigh before your household goods are brought to your new home. If the reweigh shows you’re still over your allowance, expect to pay back the excess shipping costs. You can also contact your local personal property office for assistance.
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At the end of your move, you are required to fill out the customer satisfaction survey. This provides the Personal Property offices with direct feedback on your moving company. Be honest and leave comments – if they were a great mover we want to make sure they get the chance to work with members and their families in the future. If they were not so great… we want to make sure they don’t receive future opportunities.
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You will need to “close-out” your Personally Procured Move in the online system. If possible, visit or call your local personal property office as they will need copies of your weight tickets, vehicle registration, moving receipts and a few other documents to ensure you are properly reimbursed.
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After you’ve entered all of the required information and listed the loss and damage per item, you must click on the Submit button to process the loss and damage report! Also, note that each separate shipment will have its own Government Bill of Lading or GBL number. Be sure to choose the right GBL number for that shipment when submitting your Loss/Damage Report (and when submitting your claim—when you’re ready for that step.)
For help submitting a Loss & Damage Report, follow this step-by-step tutorial.