PCS checklist for military spouses

By a Navy veteran. Updated November 2026.

Page 1 of the printable PCS checklist PDF

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Get all 33 steps, the forms and every deadline

A clean 3-page PDF for your move binder: the full checklist, forms with official links, claim deadlines and space for your dates.

Moving in the next 90 days? Start with the first 5 steps today.

Made by Curtis Pavlik, Navy veteran. Questions about your move? Reply to the email and I’ll answer.

Short answer: Book the move in DPS as soon as you have orders, get a special power of attorney if your service member may be away, keep important papers with you, read the inventory before you sign, and report any damage within 180 days. Check items off below. Your progress stays on this phone or computer, and you can get the printable PDF by email.

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Put your move on your calendar

Enter your dates and get reminders for each step, plus the damage-claim deadlines after delivery. Works with Apple (iPhone and Mac), Outlook and Google calendars.

Pack dayDelivery day (if you know it)

Your dates stay on this device. Nothing is sent to us.

About 90 days out

As soon as you have orders

Get 10 or more copies of the ordersMovers, housing, schools, your employer and the bank will all ask for them.
Book counseling with the transportation officeThey explain your weight allowance and move options. Find yours with MilitaryINSTALLATIONS on Military OneSource.
Set up the move in DPS and add the spouseThe Defense Personal Property System (dps.move.mil) is where the move is booked and tracked. Use a personal email, and add the spouse so you both get updates.
Pick the move typeGovernment movers, a personally procured move (you move it and get paid back), or a mix of both.
Get a special power of attorney for the moveNeeded if the service member may be away on pack or delivery day. The base legal office does it free.
Start Plan My Move on Military OneSourceA free checklist and base guide for the new duty station.
Housing: on base, off base or a waitlistContact the new base housing office early. Waitlists can be long.
Tell schools and request recordsAsk for transcripts, IEP or 504 plans, and shot records to hand-carry.
Enrolled in EFMP? Coordinate the move with themThe Exceptional Family Member Program helps line up care and services at the new base.

About 60 days out

Pre-move surveyThe moving company estimates weight and notes special items. If no one has called within a week of the move, call the transportation office.
Photo or video every room and your valuablesWrite down make, model and serial numbers. It makes any claim much easier.
Spouse job: plan the license transferContact the licensing board in the new state. Many services repay relicensing fees after a PCS to a new state. Ask Fleet and Family Support (or your branch’s family center) for the current amount.
Line up child care at the new baseRequest care early through MilitaryChildCare.com.
Vet visit and pet recordsMoving overseas? Ask the vet about health certificates and entry rules early. Some take months.
Refill prescriptions and get medical and dental recordsTRICARE coverage can change region with the move. Update it after you arrive.
Vehicle registration, insurance and inspectionCheck the new state’s rules and give your insurer the new address.

About 30 days out

Confirm pack, load and delivery dates in DPS
Set aside a "Do not pack" areaLaptops, medicine, documents, chargers, keys and anything you need on the road.
Use up food, cleaners and liquidsMovers won’t pack many of these.
Cancel or move utilities, internet and subscriptions
Book lodging for the trip and the first nightsKeep every receipt. Many lodging and travel costs are paid back.
Schedule the housing move-out inspection

Move week

Read the inventory before you signWrite any disagreement in the remarks. Don’t sign a blank or incomplete inventory.
Personally procured move? Get weight ticketsYou need an empty weight and a full weight for every trip.
Keep receipts for fuel, lodging and meals
Hand-carry the important papersOrders, IDs, passports, birth and marriage certificates, Social Security cards, medical and school records, vehicle titles, the power of attorney and pet records.

After you arrive

At delivery, list missing or damaged items before the crew leavesUse the loss and damage form at delivery (DD Form 1840).
Report later damage within 180 daysThen file the full claim in DPS within 12 months of delivery (9 months if picked up before May 15, 2026). File on time to keep full replacement value.
File the travel voucherDD Form 1351-2, with your receipts, through your finance or travel office.
Update DEERS, TRICARE, USPS, banks and your employer
New driver’s licenses, vehicle registration and voter registrationMilitary spouses can often keep their legal home state. Ask the legal office before you switch.
Apply for spouse relicensing reimbursementAfter the new license is issued. There’s a deadline, so don’t wait.
Fill out the move survey in DPSIt’s how moving companies are rated.

The forms you will see

Form	What it is
PCS orders	Everything starts here. Keep many copies.
DPS application	The online move booking. It replaced the old paper application.
Special POA	Lets the spouse sign for the move. Free at the base legal office.
Weight tickets	Empty and full weights for a personally procured move. Needed to get paid back.
DD Form 1840	Lists loss or damage at delivery. Fill it out before the crew leaves. Later damage is reported in DPS.
DD Form 1351-2	Travel voucher to claim travel pay, mileage and lodging costs. Ask your finance office if they want it on paper or in their online system.
DD Form 214	Only for the final move when you retire or separate. Keep certified copies. Lost it? Get a copy through milConnect or the National Archives.

Tap a form name to open the official government page. Forms and steps can differ by branch. Your transportation office has the final word.

Get these forms and all 33 steps as a PDF

Retiring or separating? Your final move

Retirees (and members separating with 8 or more years who get separation pay) generally have 3 years from the end of active duty to ship household goods. This changed from 1 year for active duty that ended on or after June 24, 2022.
Extensions are possible for medical care, school or training, or events beyond your control, but not past 6 years.
Most other separating members have 180 days.
Storage at the old location usually ends 1 year after retirement, and storage at the new home is limited to 90 days. Plan the timing so you don’t pay for it yourself.

Confirm your own dates with your transportation office before you plan around them.

Moving out of the military for good?

The free Runway planner shows your retired pay, VA pay and taxes, plus the month money runs lowest, over your first 24 months, including the moving costs and the wait for your first retired paycheck.

Open the planner

Questions

Who books a military PCS move?

The service member books the move in the Defense Personal Property System (DPS) after getting orders. They can add the spouse so both of you get updates, and a special power of attorney lets the spouse handle pack and delivery days.

How long do I have to file a moving damage claim?

Report loss or damage within 180 days of delivery, then file the full claim in DPS within 12 months of delivery (9 months if your shipment was picked up before May 15, 2026). File on time to keep full replacement value.

How long do retirees have for their final military move?

Retirees, and members separating with 8 or more years who get separation pay, generally have 3 years from the end of active duty to ship household goods. Most members separating with less service have 180 days. Confirm with your transportation office.

Sources

I’m a Navy veteran, not a transportation officer. Checked November 2026. Rules change, so confirm with your transportation office.

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