Whatever name your branch uses for a household goods move you run yourself, the paperwork habits are the same. This page covers organizing only. It does not state weights, rates, deadlines or reimbursement amounts, because those depend on your orders and change over time.
Before you start
- Talk to your installation transportation office and write down what they say you must submit, and by when.
- Ask which forms and receipts they require for your type of move.
- Make a folder, paper or digital, that will hold everything for this move and nothing else.
While you move
- Keep every receipt, and write on it what it was for.
- If your move requires weight documentation, ask your office how and where it must be obtained, and keep every copy.
- Photograph the load and the inventory before you go.
- Keep a simple log: date, what you spent, what it was for, which receipt it matches.
After you arrive
- Put paperwork together in one sitting while it is fresh.
- Check each item against what your office asked for.
- Keep copies of everything you submit.
Want this already laid out? The PCS Command Binder is eight printable PDF pages (10 pages in total) plus a CSV expense tracker: timeline, documents, household inventory, contacts log, move-day checklist, expense tracker, family and pets sheet, and arrival checklist. $12, one time, instant download.
Free and general: PCS checklist from orders to your first month.
More PCS guides
- Military PCS checklist PDF: what to print and what to put in it
- PCS household inventory: how to record your belongings before the move
- Military moving expense tracker: keep receipts from day one
- PCS with kids and pets: a practical checklist
- What to put in a PCS binder: a simple setup
Rules, allowances and deadlines depend on your orders and change over time. Confirm them with your transportation office, finance office and official sources such as militaryonesource.mil. This page is general organizing guidance, not legal, financial or tax advice.