A Military Family’s Guide to PCS Moving with Scott Air Force Base
A PCS move runs on a timeline nobody outside the military fully appreciates until they are living it. Orders arrive, a report date gets set, and suddenly you are coordinating household goods shipments, temporary lodging, and a hundred smaller logistics decisions, often while still working full time. If you are moving in or out of Scott Air Force Base, here is what to know about how PCS moves actually work, what the government covers, and where a local moving company fits into the picture.
If you are relocating into the area, our guide to what to know before moving to O’Fallon covers the community itself, which sits just a few miles from the base and is home to a large share of Scott AFB’s military and civilian workforce.
Understanding Your PCS Weight Allowance
Your household goods weight allowance is set by your rank and dependency status as of your orders’ effective date, under the Joint Travel Regulations. In general terms, allowances scale up with rank and increase further if you have dependents, ranging from around 5,000 pounds for a junior enlisted service member without dependents up to 18,000 pounds at the most senior levels. Two things matter here: first, this is the maximum the government will move at no cost to you, and second, going over it means paying the excess out of pocket after delivery, so it is worth having a realistic sense of your household’s weight before your move date arrives, not after the truck is already loaded.
Your local transportation office can give you an exact figure based on your specific orders, and can also help you split a shipment across multiple deliveries if that works better for your situation.
Government Move vs. PPM: Understanding Your Options
You generally have two paths for a PCS move:
A government-arranged move (HHG), where the government hires a contractor to pack, ship, and deliver your household goods within your weight allowance at no direct cost to you, aside from anything over your limit.
A Personally Procured Move (PPM), formerly known as a DITY move, where you handle the move yourself, or hire your own movers, and receive reimbursement based on your authorized weight allowance. A PPM can work out favorably if you manage costs carefully, but current guidance reflects that reimbursement rates are based on government contract pricing, which does not always cover the full cost of hiring movers independently. Understanding that gap before choosing a PPM matters, since it directly affects your out-of-pocket cost.
Worth noting: as of 2026, PCS moves for families connected to Scott AFB fall under the newly established Personal Property Activity, a permanent organization headquartered at the base itself that replaced the previous PCS Joint Task Force structure. In practical terms, this means many military families are working more directly with installation transportation offices again on their government-arranged moves, rather than through a single national contractor.
What Else the Government Covers
Beyond your household goods shipment, standard PCS entitlements typically include:
- Dislocation Allowance (DLA), a flat-rate payment intended to help offset costs the move itself does not directly cover, security deposits, utility hookups, and similar setup expenses at your new location
- Temporary Lodging Expense (TLE), generally up to 21 days within the continental US
- Per diem and mileage (MALT) for the drive to your new duty station
- Full-service packing and unpacking as part of a government-arranged household goods move
What is not covered: anything above your weight allowance, most post-arrival setup costs beyond what DLA is intended to offset, and, notably, security deposits and utility connection fees are only partially addressed through DLA rather than reimbursed directly in most cases.
Building Your PCS Timeline
Military moves rarely follow the same relaxed timeline a civilian move might. Once orders are in hand, a few things are worth locking down early:
Confirm your reporting date and any flexibility around it. Even a few weeks of lead time changes how much you can plan versus scramble.
Decide on HHG vs. PPM early, since a PPM requires more advance coordination on your end if you are hiring your own movers rather than relying on a government contractor.
If you are hiring your own movers for a PPM, or for the portion of a move outside standard entitlements, book them as early as your timeline allows. Peak PCS season, generally summer months tied to the school year, is also peak season for civilian movers, and availability tightens fast.
Coordinate housing on both ends before your household goods ship, especially if you are moving into base housing versus off-base, since move-out and move-in timing can affect how your shipment gets scheduled.
Why Local Knowledge Matters for a Scott AFB Move
Scott AFB sits close enough to several communities, O’Fallon, Belleville, Swansea, and the rest of the Metro East, that where you end up living has real implications for your commute, your kids’ schools, and your day-to-day life. A moving company that regularly works with Scott AFB families understands the tighter timelines that come with PCS orders and the base housing move-out schedule, rather than treating your move like any other relocation on the calendar.
We serve O’Fallon and the surrounding Metro East regularly, including our Belleville movers page and our Swansea movers page, both a short drive from the base. Whether your move is local or a long-distance relocation tied to a PCS to a new duty station, our crews plan around military timelines rather than asking you to work around ours.
A Few Practical Tips for Scott AFB Families
- Get your weight estimate early, even a rough one, so you know whether you are comfortably under your allowance or need to make decisions about what to store, sell, or leave behind.
- Keep your paperwork organized in one place, orders, weight tickets, DLA documentation, and any receipts tied to a PPM. This becomes important if there is ever a dispute over entitlements.
- If you are moving into off-base housing, factor in the local rental market timeline; some O’Fallon and Metro East rentals move quickly, and lining up housing before your household goods arrive avoids a gap in storage needs.
- Ask about storage options if there is a gap between your move-out and move-in dates, which is common with PCS timing. Our packing services and storage options can bridge that gap without adding another vendor to coordinate.
Sunrise Moving and Packing is licensed and insured (US DOT #: 4004648, MC#: 1506082), with 3,787 reviews from customers across the O’Fallon and Metro East area, including military families who have moved with us on PCS timelines. If you have questions specific to your orders or your move, our FAQ page covers common questions, or you can request a free quote built around your reporting date.
This article is provided for general informational purposes. Always confirm your specific entitlements and weight allowance with your local transportation office, since these can vary by branch, rank, and current orders.
