Allowances and Expenses Calculator for PCS Moves
PCS and NTS Weight Allowances (Pounds) – Table 5-37 in the JTR
| Grade | With Dependents | Without Dependents |
|---|---|---|
| O-10 to O-6 | 18,000 | 18,000 |
| O-5 or W-5 | 17,500 | 16,000 |
| 0-4 or W-4 | 17,000 | 14,000 |
| 0-3 or W-3 | 14,500 | 13,000 |
| 0-2 or W-2 | 13,500 | 12,500 |
| 0-1, W-1, or Service Academy Graduate | 12,000 | 10,000 |
| E-9 | 15,000 | 13,000 |
| E-8 | 14,000 | 12,000 |
| E-7 | 13,000 | 11,000 |
| E-6 | 11,000 | 8,000 |
| E-5 | 9,000 | 7,000 |
| E-4 | 8,000 | 7,000 |
| E-3 to E-1 | 8,000 | 5,000 |
| Aviation Cadet | 8,000 | 7,000 |
| Service Academy Cadet or Midshipman | 350 |
When you do a DITY or Partial DITY move, you will need to weigh your household goods so you can show TMO how much stuff you actually moved.
You can weigh your vehicle, rental truck and/or trailer at many different scales throughout the U.S. to obtain these weight tickets. In my experience, CAT scales are the most convenient and user friendly. There are a ton of them around the U.S. so it should be easy to find one. If you want more options, Penske has made this awesome scale locator that includes most certified public scales.
At the conclusion of your move, you will need to have obtained a weight ticket for each empty vehicle or vehicle/trailer combination and one weight ticket with the vehicle fully loaded. At the TMO at your gaining base, the empty weight ticket will be subtracted from the full weight ticket to obtain the weight of your household goods. For branches other than the Air Force, there may be specific restrictions on how many weight tickets you need and when you should submit them, so check with your local travel office.
There are a couple different ways you can obtain your weight tickets. One way is to weigh your vehicle(s) empty before loading your stuff, then weigh it after it is full, either at your current base, gaining base, or somewhere on the road. The other way is to load your stuff, weigh your vehicle(s) with all of your stuff and then get the empty weight ticket at your destination after you unload everything. Either way works. Again, this is from my experience with the Air Force and other branches may have different regulations.
The weight stations will charge a fee (usually like $10) but you will be reimbursed for them. Be sure to get each of the following on all DITY move weight tickets:
It is also a good idea to have a full tank of gas and be standing outside of the vehicle when being weighed to keep things consistent. If you follow these tips you’re sure to be accurately reimbursed for moving your household goods.
If you are moving all or any of your own stuff (Household Goods aka HHG), whether using your own vehicle or using a rental vehicle, you are entitled to HHG reimbursement. You will get reimbursed at 95% of what it would cost the government to move that stuff for you. What it would cost the government to move that stuff for you is highly dependent on how much a contracted moving company would charge. DITY move weight rates for household goods also change quarterly. For this reason, it’s difficult to get an accurate estimation.
In any case, DPS (Defense Personal Property System) should be used prior to PCS to get an “official” estimate. TMO will help you with the DPS process before you move. Note DPS does not take eligible expenses into account. Another way you can get estimates is by going to moving companies websites, getting a couple quotes and then calculating 95% of that for HHG reimbursement before tax.
For the purposes of this calculator, I used $0.40/lb for the low end of the range and $1/lb for the high end. This number is then multiplied by the weight entered in the “HHG weight” box. The eligible expenses entered in the “Expenses” form are then subtracted to take into account the tax deduction. This remaining amount is then multiplied by 0.75 to take into account a 25% tax rate. This final numbers are what you see in the “Reimbursement for movement of HHG” boxes in the “Allowances” form.