Do It Yourself Move - Whether by choice or no choice, many military families choose a personally purchased move (PPM) when they PCS. They are commonly referred to as the DITY or Do It Yourself movement.
I see and hear a lot of myths and misinformation about PPMs. Generally, the misinformation I hear about PPM is: “You will make so much money. We made $6000 with our last PPM. Now you can make money from PPM, especially if you can keep your costs down. This can include recycled packaging materials and literally do everything yourself. (Also, it helps if you already have a trailer.) But those huge amounts people are quoting often include a lot of benefits you'll get in any military move.
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But money is not the only problem here. PPMs are emotionally and logistically challenging. But it can be rewarding to keep your stuff under control all the time. Having the right information can make it easier to decide what's right for you.
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All service members are entitled to a wide range of travel privileges for their PCS travel. They include:
The only thing different from PPM is that you will be given an allowance based on the weight of the items you are carrying and the distance you have covered. You are paid 100% of what it would cost to use contract carriers for the military. (Note: It used to be 95%. It was raised during the COVID delay, then became "permanent". That payment covers all the expenses you incur: to help you rent, insurance, etc. If you money left over after those expenses are paid, that's your profit, and it's also considered taxable income.
Even PPM must be planned within the Defense personal property system. You should also call or visit your installation's individual property office to make sure you understand the process and refund amounts. You don't want to mess it up.
You are responsible for packing, moving and unpacking your items. You can hire any department you want: packing, loading, driving, unloading, unloading, but you get paid the same regardless of who does the work and how much they charge.
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If you don't have your own trailer, you'll need to rent a truck or use a service like UPack, or hire a full-service moving company. You will get your own packing supplies (often available for free on Facebook) and pack your own items or hire someone to pack for you. If you rent a truck, you will likely drive it yourself, either by towing your other vehicle or by having someone else drive it. You will unload the truck, or you will hire someone to help you, and you will unpack, or you will hire someone to help.
Since you are not reimbursed dollar for dollar for your expenses, it is important to make sure that you keep your expenses as low as possible. This includes finding used packing materials (clean!!), doing as much of the work yourself as you can manage, and finding an economical way to move your items. You also want to reduce maintenance costs along the way.
The military knows how much weight you carried, and therefore how much you should be paid, based on the weight tickets you present for your pay.
Different branches have slightly different requirements for weight tickets and these are subject to change, so be sure to check with your personal property office if you plan to make the PPM move. I list the requirements that are currently published
How To Pack For Long Distance Moves
Forever the Navy and Marine Corps required a 3 weight pass. However, according to the Naval Supply Systems Command website, the Navy now only requires TWO weight tickets; That change has been advertised since 2018, so I feel like it's probably the rule.
This is a good example of why you should check with your personal real estate offices now for accurate guidance. I recommend asking these types of questions by email so you can get answers in writing. Or at least print out that flyer above and put it in your moving binder.
Before Move.mil shut down, there was a great search function for finding scales. I will continue to look for a replacement. In the meantime, the Internet is your friend. Or ask at your personal property office.
PMM transfers require additional documentation and receipts, especially when you file your income tax return. To be reimbursed by the military, you will need weight receipts (requirements may vary by branch). Then, since PPM refunds are taxable income, you'll need receipts for all your expenses to deduct from your income. (Pro tip: Keep an envelope or folder or large bag for your receipts, and take a photo of each receipt and upload it to your email, Google Drive, or OneDrive as soon as possible.)
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You have 45 days from the scheduled start date to file your claim. Contact your personal estate office to find out their procedure for submitting payment. You will need weight tickets, vehicle registration and additional documents which may depend on the details of your particular move.
Weight and distance compensation is a taxable charge and tax must be withheld from your payment. However, you can reduce your deductions by submitting your appropriate receipts for your expenses when you submit your travel claim. You'll also need those receipts when you file your tax return, because active duty military can still deduct qualified transportation expenses.
You must file IRS Form 3903 to calculate your eligible expenses and payments, and any payments that exceed your expenses will be taxable income. This can affect your eligibility for loans such as earned income credit or education loans, or any other tax issue affected by income level.
You get W-2s for your move with MyPay separate from your regular W-2s; make sure you get them all before you file your taxes next year.
Do It Yourself Moving Tips
One of the easiest ways to get some of the benefits of PPM without as much work is to do a personal buy partial move. With partial PPM, you split your walk into two parts. Government officials take care of the stuff you don't want to move, and you get reimbursed for the part you do move. A partial PPM is a good solution if you are not sure you want to do a full PPM or if you have certain items that you want to migrate yourself.
A partial PPM does not need to include trucks or rental help or even boxes. You can use your personal vehicle(s) that you are already moving and get the required weight tickets. Most of us drive around in pretty crowded cars anyway, might as well make some money out of it. And if you happen to drop your safe or a few boxes of books or whatever, you can make a little more money from that partial PPM.
I was really annoyed by the term compensation when applied to PPM steps. I thought (and still think) that it confused people. People think they are going to hand in their receipts and be paid the full amount of their expenses and a magic number for their efforts. And that's just not the case. As we discussed above, you are paid the amount it would take the government to contract for your distance and your weight. In my opinion, this is a monetary allowance, not compensation.
Otherwise, you don't get this payment unless you did something and presumably incurred some costs for it. You must move your items to pay. In that sense, it is absolutely compensation. This can be a partial refund, or it can be a refund that exceeds your actual expenses. But there is some accounting for payment.
Do It Yourself (diy) Moving Vs. Minimoves Comparison
Most benefits do not require a qualifying action or expense to be incurred. Disruption allowance only happens when you PCS - you don't have to spend anything to get it. You don't have to eat to get a basic living allowance. There are now benefits that require spending, such as overseas housing benefit. So how do you decide on that?
But the fact is, the DoD calls it compensation. And after thinking about it more, I don't hate it as much as I used to. But people need to understand that reimbursement does not mean that you are reimbursed for your actual expenses.
An early reader noted that it sounded like I was against PPM. This is not entirely accurate. I strongly oppose this false idea that you are going to make thousands upon thousands of dollars from PPM. And I want everyone to make sure they clearly understand what they're doing. This includes risks, responsibilities and benefits, and especially the tax situation. For some younger military families, any gain was made a
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