PPM (DITY) move calculator 2026: incentive, profit, advance and DLA

How a PPM pays: for a member-elected Personally Procured Move (the old "DITY move"), the government pays you 100% of the Government Constructed Cost (GCC), meaning what it would have paid a government-arranged mover. It's based on your actual weight (from certified weight tickets), up to your authorized weight allowance, and your move distance. You keep what you don't spend, but the profit is taxable (PPA, Military OneSource).

Why we don't make up a dollar estimate: the GCC comes from government mover pricing that isn't published as a simple public rate table. Websites that give you a dollar amount without your counseling data are guessing. Get your official estimate from the transportation office or the move system (below), then use this calculator to see your profit, advance and DLA.

Step 1: get your official incentive estimate

1. Get orders first. No orders, no reimbursement (JTR par. 010206, per NAVSUP).
2. Get counseling and create your move. PPA says to contact your personal property office for counseling, then create your move in the Defense Personal Property System (DPS). If your move is in MilMove (the system used with the Global Household Goods Contract), USTRANSCOM's fact sheet says you can get a pre-move incentive estimate there. Pre-approval is mandatory.
3. Write down the estimated incentive (GCC). It's based on your estimated weight (not over your allowance) and the authorized distance. Your transportation office is the best source for this number.
4. Need cash up front? PPA says you may be authorized an advance of up to 60% of your estimated GCC. It's deducted from your final payment, and if the advance ends up larger than your final incentive, you repay the difference (USTRANSCOM).

Step 2: PPM profit calculator

Step 3: weigh it right (this is where people lose money)

1. Get an empty weight ticket on a certified scale before loading.
2. Load, then get a full weight ticket on a certified scale.
3. Using PODS-type containers? PPA says the container company provides the empty and full tickets.
4. Keep receipts for operating expenses: rental trucks or trailers, packing materials, equipment rentals, hired labor, fuel for a rental truck, tolls and weight-ticket fees (PPA).

Step 4: file within 45 days

PPA says you have 45 days after the move to submit your claim, with your DD Form 2278, both weight tickets, your PCS orders and expense receipts, and you should expect final payment within 45 days of a complete claim. MilMove users upload weight tickets and documents in MilMove.

Taxes on PPM profit

PPA says any profit (payment minus actual expenses) is taxable income and you'll get a W-2 for it. Keep every receipt.

Actual-cost PPM (a different animal)

If government movers aren't available or can't meet your needs and the transportation office approves it in writing, an actual cost reimbursement PPM pays your actual costs, not to exceed your weight allowance (NAVSUP fact sheet). No profit on this kind.

Don't get scammed by a "mover"

PPA warns about rogue operators: big cash deposits, phone-only quotes, generic rental trucks, no local address. Check any mover on the FMCSA mover search first.

DLA 2026: the other PCS money

Dislocation allowance (DLA) partially reimburses household moving expenses. It's a flat amount set by your grade and dependency status on the orders' effective date, and generally only one DLA is paid per fiscal year (DTMO, JTR par. 050501).

Primary DLA rates effective January 1, 2026 (DTMO). Secondary DLA (when orders are amended, modified, canceled or revoked; JTR par. 050507) and partial DLA (JTR par. 050508) use different rates on DTMO's site. IRS Publication 3 lists dislocation allowance as excluded from income.

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