Orders to Fort Belvoir, Quantico or the Pentagon tend to raise more questions than they answer. Who packs the house, who pays for it, and where do your things go if the new place is not ready yet? This guide covers how a military PCS move works in Northern Virginia, the choices you will make, and where a local mover can help.
Regency has been family owned since 1987, when Cliff Krug Sr. started the company with one truck out of a Fairfax County basement. One note before we start: the official rules come from your orders and your transportation office. Treat this as a plain-English map, not a substitute for your counseling appointment.
How a Military PCS Move Works
PCS stands for permanent change of station. Military OneSource describes it as an assignment to a new location for 20 weeks or more. That should come with a full household goods move, if you want one.
The process usually runs in this order:
- Assignment notification. You learn you are moving, often by email or from a supervisor. This is not the same as having orders, so hold off on big commitments like buying a home.
- Orders in hand. Check every detail, including names, dependents, duty station and report date. Ask your administration to fix any error right away.
- Counseling. Your local transportation office (TO) explains your entitlements and helps you decide how to ship your belongings.
- Scheduling in DPS. The Defense Personal Property System is where you upload orders and create shipments. First-time movers, separating members and retirees need to contact the TO before scheduling.
- Pack-out and pickup. For a government shipment, you choose a seven-day window, and the moving company is required to pick up within it.
Government Shipment, PPM or a Mix of Both
You do not have to pick just one option. Military OneSource notes that most service members moving within the lower 48 states use both a personally procured move and a household goods shipment.
Household goods (HHG) shipment
In an HHG shipment, a government-furnished moving company, called a transportation service provider (TSP), packs your belongings and hauls them to your new home. Your TO reviews the request and submits it to be routed and awarded to a TSP. In other words, the company is assigned to you rather than chosen by you.
Personally procured move (PPM)
A PPM is the do-it-yourself route. You can rent a truck or a portable container, use your own vehicle, or hire a commercial moving company. As an incentive, the government pays 100 percent of what it estimates the move would have cost, called the Government Constructed Cost (GCC). If you spend less, you keep the difference, minus taxes.
Your payment is based on the weight you actually move, confirmed with weight tickets, up to your authorized weight allowance. If you need cash up front, most branches allow an advance of up to 60 percent of the incentive.
Partial PPM
A partial PPM splits the load. The TSP takes the bulk of the house, and you move the rest. Military OneSource recommends a PPM for irreplaceable items like heirlooms, photos and important documents, plus anything you will need right away while the main shipment is on its way.
Your weight allowance depends on your rank and whether you have dependents. The PCS entitlements page has the details. For a rough idea of what your household weighs, try the USTRANSCOM weight estimator.
Hiring Your Own Mover for a PPM
Want to pick your own military movers instead of being assigned a company? Under a PPM, hiring a commercial mover is an approved option. The official PPM fact sheet asks you to discuss it with your TO first and recommends a mover registered with the federal government.
A few habits make this go smoothly:
- Get your TO’s estimate first. Your TO can give you the most accurate incentive estimate. Compare it with written quotes so you know whether you will come out ahead or cover a gap.
- Plan for weight tickets. Your payment depends on empty and full weight tickets from a certified scale. Ask any mover up front how those tickets will be handled.
- Keep every receipt. You need them to file for reimbursement.
- Check registration. The FMCSA Protect Your Move site lists registered movers and explains how to spot moving fraud.
- Watch for red flags. The fact sheet warns about quotes that seem too good to be true and calls from a broker instead of the actual mover. Be wary of anyone demanding cash or a bank deposit before the move.
- Think about coverage. The fact sheet also suggests carrying enough protection for loss or damage, whether you move yourself or hire help.
We are an independent company with our own authority for local, interstate and intrastate moving, and our estimates are free, written and done on site. If you are weighing a PPM, we can quote it so you can line our number up against your TO’s estimate.
One testimonial on our site comes from a retired service member: “I’m retired military with over 12 moves. They gave me a great price and performed beautifully.”
Storage Between Duty Stations
Dates rarely line up perfectly. A lease ends before base housing opens, or a closing slips by a week. Here is how storage usually fits in:
- With a PPM, service members are authorized up to 90 days of temporary storage, not to exceed the GCC. Self-storage or commercial facilities can work, but you will need weight tickets, a storage contract and receipts. Confirm the details with your TO before you sign anything.
- With a government shipment, storage in transit can be part of the plan. Bring it up at counseling if your dates might not match.
- Non-temporary storage (NTS) holds belongings you are not taking to the next duty station, usually near your pickup location. At retirement, NTS may be authorized for one year from your retirement date. At separation, it is 180 days. After that, the cost becomes yours.
Need storage outside your entitlement, or just more control? Our Northern Virginia storage is a climate-controlled warehouse, billed monthly and prorated by the day.
Northern Virginia Details Worth Planning Around
A move near Fort Belvoir, Marine Corps Base Quantico, Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall or the Pentagon comes with a few local wrinkles.
- Building rules. Many apartment and condo buildings in Arlington, Alexandria, Tysons and Reston set move-in rules, such as elevator reservations or a certificate of insurance from the mover. Our guide to certificates of insurance for movers covers what buildings usually ask for.
- Base access. If your pickup or delivery is on an installation, ask your housing or transportation office what a civilian crew needs to get through the gate.
- Truck space. In dense neighborhoods, a moving truck may need a reserved spot or loading zone. Check with your building, HOA or locality about what is allowed.
- Overlapping dates. A seven-day pickup window can collide with a lease end date. Build in a few days of cushion, or line up storage, so you are not stuck between keys.
A Simple PCS Move Checklist
Every move is different, but this order of operations is a good starting point.
When you get notified
- Research your new installation and housing options, but wait for orders before making permanent decisions.
- Start sorting what you will keep, sell or donate. Staying within your weight allowance is easier when you are not moving things you do not want.
When orders arrive
- Verify every detail on your orders.
- Book counseling with your TO and decide on HHG, PPM or both.
- Set up your shipments in DPS.
In the weeks before the move
- If you are hiring a mover for a PPM, get written estimates and confirm how weight tickets will work.
- Reserve elevators, loading docks or parking at both ends.
- Pack a first-week kit with documents, medications, chargers, basic tools and the kids’ favorites.
Moving week and after
- Keep valuables, important papers and anything irreplaceable with you.
- Keep receipts and weight tickets together in one folder.
- Check your belongings against the inventory at delivery. For a government shipment, claims are filed through DPS.
- Submit your PPM paperwork promptly. If you took an advance, your service may set a deadline to settle it.
If part of your move is yours to arrange, such as a PPM, storage or a later move across town, we would be glad to help. Request a free estimate online or call our Northern Virginia office at (703) 497-1515. Let our family move your family.