During the chaos of a PCS move, most military families feel consoled by the simple fact that the government moves them. The military schedules professional movers to pack up, move, and unload their household goods—so why would anyone opt to do a DITY?
Here’s what you need to know about a Personally Procured Move (PPM), commonly known as a DITY ("do it yourself") move.
The WHY of a DITY Move
Though they involve a lot of work, DITY moves have notable benefits.
The Financial Advantage
You’ve probably heard that you can make a small profit by doing a DITY move, and the rumors are true. The military pays you 100% of what they would pay a moving company for a "member elected PPM." So, if you can move yourself for less than a moving company can, then you’ll likely profit from a DITY.
There are two types of PPMs, per the DoD:The Member Elected PPM
As an incentive for conducting a PPM, you are authorized to receive 100% of the Government Constructed Cost (GCC) to perform a partial or full PPM. The GCC is the cost the government would have paid in the event the move and/or storage was executed by a government procured TSP, including applicable accessorials. This allows you to receive a one-time payment from the government and keep any money not spent minus taxes. The computation is based on your actual household goods (HHG) weight transported and supported with weight tickets not to exceed your authorized weight entitlement. Your local transportation office is THE BEST resource to obtain an estimate of your incentive. Incentive estimates are based on the estimated weight to be moved and the authorized distance from origin to destination.
The Actual Cost Reimbursement PPM
An actual cost reimbursement PPM is when government procured transportation is NOT available and you are approved to conduct a PPM in writing by the transportation office. Reimbursement may be up to the “actual cost,” not to exceed your authorized weight entitlement. Pre-approval is required and mandatory for Actual Cost Reimbursement, in accordance with Service Branch publication.
The margin of gain can fluctuate from move to move depending on variables such as location, the distance between duty stations, the number of dependents, the weight of household goods, and stops.
Downsizing and Organizing
A PCS move is the perfect opportunity to clean your household and shed the extra baggage. Go room by room and sort your stuff to donate, sell, or toss. If your motivation is lacking, remember you’re moving yourself this time—there’s the impending burden of lifting everything you own to make you want less of it.
Photo from Canva
No One Values Your Things as Much as You Do
While everyone likes to believe that movers will be trustworthy and gentle with their items, this is not always true. Often, families spend months negotiating a settlement on their damaged goods claim to recoup the financial loss from broken furniture, dishes, and collectibles.
It doesn't mean your belongings will be damaged or stolen if you use a moving company. But the military gives the job of moving your household goods to the company with the lowest bid (they’re looking to save money, too). And, unfortunately, that doesn’t always equate to quality.
Convenience of Control
How often have you gotten to your new duty station, found a home to move into, and had to wait for the movers to deliver your household goods?
Military movers control your belongings. They wait until they accumulate enough household goods from other moving families to warrant the trip across the country, so your things might not arrive until weeks after you do.
The HOW of a DITY Move
So, how does one go about a DITY move? Every PCS starts the same, right? Endless paperwork and errands lead you from office to office around your current duty station. The difference is in the details.
While it appears that military movers magically transport your household goods to your new home, there are numerous behind-the-scenes tasks they handle. And when you do a DITY, you become painfully aware of these details.
Packing Your Household Goods
Instead of just taking things down from the walls, as you would in a typical military move, you’re responsible for packing everything yourself. This step in the process can become incredibly overwhelming and lead you to question everything you own. You might even circle back for a second purge of your belongings.
Photo from Canva
To help organize, here are a couple of methods to pack up the house.
- Pack by item. Go through your home and pack all the frames. Then, go through and gather all the decor. Using this method allows you to make progress long before the actual moving day without causing you to miss anything you’ve put away.
- Pack by room. This method works better for short-notice moves. Instead of going through your home collecting specific items, pack up the whole room together. Not only will this keep your belongings organized, but it will help disperse the weight and make unpacking a little easier. But do your kitchen last!
For supplies, there are a couple of tricks to save money and make the most from your DITY move.
Ask around for gently used boxes from newly relocated PCS'ers. Peruse the local Facebook pages to find a family giving away moving boxes. No one wants to see all those boxes go to waste, and you’ll find most people are willing to share.
Start saving newspapers and your Amazon packaging. Every little bit counts, so if you can start collecting packing material now, do it. However, Lowe's and Home Depot are fantastic options for buying rolls of bubble wrap and large saran wrap for furniture and larger items—plus they offer a military discount!
Rent a Truck
Negotiate with the rental truck company. Find a couple of reputable truck companies with decent rates.
U-Haul and Budget often flex their rates to win your business. Call each of them to get the lowest rates they’ll offer. If there’s a company that you prefer to work with, then use the lowest quote from the other company and ask the one you want to do business with to match their low price.
Pods and U-Pack offer hybrid options and can transport your packed household goods across the country for you, easing the travel stress. You may also find it worthwhile to let them help load the pod, depending on how much money you want to save.
Get the Weight Tickets
You need a weight ticket for your vehicles, both empty and fully loaded, at your current duty station and your new one. Both tickets, before and after loading, must be made from the same weigh station.
Weight tickets are crucial, as they are the basis for your PPM payment. To calculate your weight, follow this formula:
- Loaded Weight = Your vehicle with a full tank of gas + all of your property loaded + no drivers or passengers inside.
- Empty Weight = Your vehicle with a full tank of gas + no drivers or passengers inside.
- Loaded Weight - Empty Weight = Net Weight of Property
Each weight ticket should have the following information:
- Name, grade, Social Security number
- Name/location of scales
- Vehicle/trailer identification
- Weight measurements
- Date of weighing
- Weigh Master's signature
Photo from Canva
Load up the Truck
The worst thing you can do is start loading the truck and then realize you don’t have enough space for all your household goods. So, don’t rush the process. Take your time loading your boxes, plastic tubs, and furniture. Pack it high and use tie-downs to ensure things don't move when you turn and hit bumps on the road.
Tip: Load strategically. Load your bathroom, bedroom, and kitchen stuff last, as you’ll be looking to unpack these areas of your new home first.
Hit the Road
The military gives you a timeframe to make your PCS move. Some people take extra time to make fun stops along the way. But, if you’re hoping to make the most out of your per diem, you’ll want to stop at friend’s houses and eat budget-friendly meals on your journey to minimize expenses.
You should also expect to move slower than you would on your average road trip. Though their speedometers read high enough to reach the speed limit, not all moving trucks can function at 70 mph for hours. You may start trailing behind the semis (especially if you tow a car behind).
Collect Receipts
Operating expenses, or OPE, are items needed to execute a PPM. They lower a service member’s taxable income but are usually single-purpose items. For example, boxes are on the list, but multi-purpose totes are not.
Authorized expenses include:
- Payment for rental vehicles/trailer
- Packing materials
- Moving equipment (including hand trucks and dollies)
- Gas and oil expenses
- Highway tolls, weight tickets, and any other transportation expenses directly related to the PPM move
Submit the Paperwork for Reimbursement
You have 45 days after your PCS to submit a claim for your move expenses. According to the DFAS, you’ll need to include:
- DD1351-2 completed and signed by reviewing official
- PCS Travel Orders
- DD2278- calculated by the Transportation Office
- Copies of Certified Weight tickets including Gross (full) weight and one for Tare (empty) weight
- Operating Expense (OPE) worksheet- if attempting to reduce your taxable income
- Copy of Paid Rental Agreement
- Copy of vehicle registration when utilizing POV and/or boat/trailer move (See JTR for details)
Visit the Defense Financing and Accounting Service (DFAS) for a list of PPM requirements, common expenses, and incentive pay for authorized reimbursement. Note that military moves are not taxable unless they receive incentive pay taxable at 22%. For this, service members receive a W-2 that's not in MyPay.
There’s no denying that DITY moves are a lot of work. But once you get the hang of them, you’ll soon understand why more and more military families are choosing them over a traditional military move.
Have you ever tried a DITY move? Would you do it again, or will you forever use movers? Share your experience!
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