2026 Military PCS Rates

Every rate the PCS calculator computes with, published as tables: Dislocation Allowance by pay grade, the MALT mileage rate and the date it changed, standard CONUS per diem with the dependent percentages, the PPM incentive rate, how many travel days the JTR authorizes for a given distance, and household goods weight allowances with and without dependents.

Rates last verified August 2026 against the published source tables.

MALT is $0.235 a mile from 1 July 2026, paid per authorized vehicle on the official distance between duty stations. Dislocation Allowance runs $1,871 to $5,750 depending on pay grade and whether dependents relocate — an E-5 with dependents draws $3,548, and $2,389 without. Standard CONUS per diem is $178 a day for the member, 75% of it for a dependent 12 or older and 50% for one under 12. A PPM pays 100% of the Government Constructed Cost.

JTR §050205-A authorizes 1 day for 400 miles or fewer; beyond that, the distance is divided by 350, with one more day when the remainder is 51 miles or more Travel days are what per diem is paid against, so the count is what turns a distance into money.

Two dates matter and they are not the same date. The MALT rate that applies is the one in effect on the day you travel, not the day your orders were cut, which is why the superseded rate stays in the table below. The per diem figure is a fiscal-year rate: it is correct through 30 September 2026 and is republished by GSA for the year that follows. DLA rates are effective 1 January 2026, and a partial DLA of $1,003 applies to the narrower cases the JTR lists, such as a move into government quarters with no household goods shipped. The PPM incentive is taxable — finance withholds 22% as federal supplemental wages before you see it.

Dislocation Allowance by pay grade — effective 1 January 2026

Pay gradeWith dependentsWithout dependents
Service Academy Cadet or Midshipman$3,548$1,871
Aviation Cadet$3,548$1,871
E-1$3,548$1,871
E-2$3,548$2,025
E-3$3,548$2,355
E-4$3,548$2,389
E-5$3,548$2,389
E-6$3,548$2,389
E-7$3,551$2,468
E-8$3,825$2,889
E-9$4,150$3,148
W-1$3,151$2,395
W-2$3,644$2,861
W-3$3,961$3,221
W-4$4,323$3,832
W-5$4,716$4,316
Service Academy Graduate$3,085$2,274
O-1$3,085$2,274
O-1E (Prior Enlisted)$3,621$2,687
O-2$3,451$2,700
O-2E (Prior Enlisted)$3,919$3,125
O-3$4,042$3,404
O-3E (Prior Enlisted)$4,344$3,676
O-4$4,885$4,248
O-5$5,542$4,584
O-6$5,750$4,759

MALT — mileage allowance in lieu of transportation

Effective fromRate per mile
1 July 2026$0.235
1 January 2026$0.205

Standard CONUS per diem — fiscal year 2026

TravelerRate per day
Service member$178
Dependent aged 12 or older$133.50 (75%)
Dependent under 12$89 (50%)

PPM/DITY incentive

FigureRate
Incentive paid on the Government Constructed Cost100%
Federal supplemental withholding on the incentive22%
Accuracy of a constructed-cost estimategive or take 25%
Vehicles MALT is payable on2

Authorized travel days by distance

Official distanceTravel days
350 miles1
400 miles1
401 miles2
800 miles3
1,682 miles5

Common questions

What is the MALT rate for 2026?

MALT — Mileage Allowance in Lieu of Transportation — is $0.235 a mile for PCS travel, up from $0.205. It is paid per authorized vehicle, up to 2, on the official distance between your old and new duty stations rather than the route you actually drive. The rate that applies is the one in effect on the day you travel, not the day your orders were cut. A move that straddles a rate change is paid at the rate for each day's travel.

How much is DLA for an E-5 with dependents?

Dislocation Allowance for an E-5 with dependents is $3,548, and $2,389 without. Across the whole table DLA runs $1,871 to $5,750 depending on pay grade and whether your dependents relocate with you. Rates are effective 1 January 2026. DLA is a lump sum meant to offset the costs of setting up a household that nothing else reimburses. It is paid on top of MALT, per diem and any PPM incentive, not instead of them. A partial DLA of $1,003 is payable in the narrower cases the JTR lists, such as an ordered move between government quarters.

What is the per diem rate for a PCS move?

The standard CONUS per diem is $178 a day for the service member in fiscal year 2026. Dependents draw a share of it: 75% for a dependent aged 12 or older ($133.50 a day), and 50% for a dependent under 12 ($89 a day). This is the standard rate. High-cost localities have their own per diem, published by GSA, and OCONUS locations are set by the Defense Travel Management Office.

How many travel days do I get for a 1,000-mile PCS?

A 1,000-mile move is authorized 3 travel days. JTR §050205-A authorizes 1 day for 400 miles or fewer; beyond that, the distance is divided by 350, with one more day when the remainder is 51 miles or more Travel days are what per diem is paid against, so the count drives the money: a move of 400 miles or less is a single day, and beyond that the JTR allows one day per 350 miles.

What does a PPM or DITY move pay?

A PPM pays 100% of what the government would have spent moving the same weight itself — the Government Constructed Cost. Move it for less than that and the difference is yours; the incentive does not depend on your receipts, only on the weight you actually shipped and the distance. The incentive is taxable income. Finance withholds 22% as federal supplemental wages before you see it, so budget against the net rather than the gross. Reimbursed expenses like the truck rental are separate and are not taxed the same way.

Is DLA paid on every PCS?

No. The JTR lists three cases where a PCS generates no DLA: a first duty station move for an unaccompanied member, a final move for separation or retirement, and a move between housing on the same installation without a change of duty station. The first of those turns on the dependents rather than on having them. A single member reporting to a first duty station draws no DLA; a member whose dependents relocate with them draws the full with-dependents rate. JTR par. 050501 and 050509.

Do these rates apply to my move?

These are the 2026 standard CONUS figures published in the Joint Travel Regulations, and they are what this site's calculators compute with. They apply to a CONUS PCS on current-year orders. An OCONUS move, a high-cost locality, or orders written under a prior year's rates will differ. Every figure here is an estimate for planning; your installation's Transportation or Finance Office settles the entitlement.

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