Orders are in. Now there's a new address to find, a house to pack, kids to move between schools, and a stack of paperwork that seems to grow every time you look at it. A PCS (permanent change of station) move is one of the most common things military families do, and one of the most stressful.
This PCS checklist breaks the move into three windows: 60 days, 30 days and 7 days before the move, plus what to do once you arrive. It works for Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, Space Force and Coast Guard families, though every branch and installation has its own process. Treat your installation's transportation office and your unit as the final word on dates and requirements.
If your service member is also heading out on deployment, our military deployment binder checklist covers powers of attorney, the Family Care Plan and running the home while they're away. This article stays focused on the move itself.
First: start a PCS binder
Before anything else, pick one place where every move document lives. A PCS binder (paper, digital or both) saves you from hunting through email for a reference number while a moving crew waits in your driveway. Put these in it from day one:
- Several copies of the orders, plus any amendments
- Move confirmation and shipment numbers
- Contact info for the transportation office, your sponsor at the new duty station and the moving company
- Your household goods inventory and photos
- Every receipt (lodging, fuel, meals, tolls, weigh tickets)
- School, medical and pet records for each family member
Keep it in the car with you, never on the truck.
60 days before the move
Some families get far less notice than this. If your timeline is shorter, start with the items marked as time-sensitive by your transportation office and work down.
- Schedule the move as soon as you have orders. Use the official DoD household goods moving portal and contact your installation's transportation office. Peak season (roughly late spring through summer) books up early.
- Decide on the move type. A government-arranged move, a personally procured move (PPM, which many still call a DITY move) where you move yourself and are reimbursed, or a mix of both. Ask the transportation office how each works for your orders.
- Know your weight allowance. It depends on rank and dependents. Going over can cost you, so this is a good time to sell, donate or toss.
- Request a sponsor at the new installation if your branch offers one, and ask about housing early (on-base waitlists can be long).
- Start school records. Request transcripts, immunization records, IEPs or 504 plans, and recent report cards. The Interstate Compact on Educational Opportunity for Military Children exists to help military kids with transfers; your school liaison officer can explain how it applies.
- Medical and dental. Get copies of records, refill prescriptions for the travel window, and learn how to transfer TRICARE coverage to the new region if that applies.
- Pets. Check entry rules for your destination, especially for an OCONUS move. Some countries and states require specific vaccines, microchips or health certificates with strict timelines.
- Special needs. If a family member is enrolled in EFMP or should be, contact the EFMP office early, since screening may be required for overseas assignments.
- If you rent, read your lease and give notice. Many leases and state laws have military clauses; the legal assistance office can help.
30 days before the move
- Confirm pack and pickup dates in writing, and add them to the binder.
- Do a room-by-room inventory. Walk through with your phone and record video, open drawers, and note serial numbers for electronics and high-value items. This is your evidence if something is damaged or lost.
- Make a "do not pack" zone. Clearly mark a room or closet for documents, the PCS binder, medicines, chargers, a few days of clothes, and anything you're carrying yourself. Movers pack fast.
- Separate pro-gear (professional books, papers and equipment) if your move allows it, so it can be weighed separately.
- Plan travel. Map the route, book lodging, and ask finance about travel and lodging allowances you may be eligible for. Rules change, so confirm rather than assume.
- Use it up. Eat through the freezer and pantry. Movers generally won't pack opened liquids, flammables or perishables.
- Set up mail forwarding and list every address change you'll need: banks, insurance, subscriptions, voter registration, vehicle registration.
- Utilities. Schedule shutoff at the old home and start-up at the new one.
7 days before the move
- Confirm everything one more time with the transportation office and the moving company.
- Take apart anything you want to handle yourself, and put screws and hardware in labeled bags.
- Back up phones and laptops.
- Pack the car essentials: the PCS binder, medicines, snacks, a first aid kit, phone chargers, kids' comfort items, and pet food and leashes.
- Get cash for tips and tolls if you'll need it.
- On pack day, be present. Walk through with the crew lead, ask questions, and review the inventory sheet before you sign. Note pre-existing damage they mark, and write down anything you disagree with.
- Do a final walk-through of the home, take photos for your deposit or housing checkout, and turn in keys.
When you arrive
- Check in where your orders tell you to, and connect with your sponsor and the new family readiness contacts.
- On delivery day, check items off the inventory as they come in. Note missing or damaged items on the paperwork before the crew leaves.
- File any claim within the required timeframe; your transportation office can tell you the current deadlines.
- Submit your travel voucher with receipts as soon as you can.
- Enroll kids in school, find new doctors and dentists, and update your address everywhere on your list.
- Register your vehicle and update your driver's license as required, and ask the legal office which state rules apply to you, since some protections for service members and spouses affect residency.
Helping kids through a PCS
Moves are hard on kids, even when they're excited. Give them a job (packing their own "first night" box, picking the route snack), let them say goodbye to places as well as people, and keep a few routines the same. Look up the new school and a fun spot near the new home together before you go.
Put your PCS binder together
A binder with tabs is enough: your PCS move timeline and household goods inventory, key contacts, a documents and POA tracker, and pages for money, kids and pets.
For the medical part of being prepared, get the free ER-Ready Kit: the one-page Emergency Health Summary, the "Where should I go?" guide and interpreter wallet cards, in English and Spanish.
Short on time? Take the free 2-minute Readiness Score quiz instead.
The Ambos Health team
General information only. Moving entitlements, allowances and claim deadlines change; confirm with your installation's transportation, finance and legal assistance offices.