DD Form 2278 is the Application for Personally Procured Move and Counseling Checklist, and you fill it out by entering your identifying information, PCS order details, and acknowledgments in sections 1 through 8, then meeting with a Transportation Office counselor who completes the cost computation in section 9 and signs the certification blocks in sections 10 through 12. The form applies to all service branches, not just the Army, and is available as a fillable PDF from the Department of Defense Executive Services Directorate.1Washington Headquarters Services. DD 2278 – Application for Personally Procured Move (PPM) and Counseling Checklist You cannot finalize it alone. The counselor’s signature is what authorizes the move and unlocks the incentive payment.
The form does three things at once. It records your intent to run the move yourself, documents the counseling you received, and generates the estimated government cost that determines what you get paid. Signing it also binds you to a repayment clause: if you take an advance operating allowance and fail to submit weight tickets within 45 days, the government can pull that money back from your pay.2Defense Finance and Accounting Service. DD Form 2278 – Application for Do It Yourself Move and Counseling Checklist
What to Have in Front of You Before You Start
Several fields pull straight from your PCS orders, so entering the wrong data will stall the process. Gather these first:
- Your PCS orders, including the order number, date, issuing authority, and new duty assignment
- Your Social Security Number
- The mailing address where you want the incentive check sent
- An approximate weight of the household goods you plan to move (a rough rule of thumb is about 1,000 pounds per furnished room)
- Your authorized weight limit, which depends on your pay grade and dependent status and ranges from 5,000 pounds for a junior enlisted member without dependents up to 18,000 pounds for senior officers3U.S. Coast Guard Force Readiness Command. Weight Allowance Table
You will only be paid for the weight you actually move, and never more than your authorized limit. A member “with dependents” means you have a dependent eligible to travel at government expense for this PCS; actual dependent travel is not required.
Section-by-Section: What Goes Where
The form runs twelve sections. You fill in the first eight yourself. Your counselor handles the cost calculations and certifications in sections 9 through 12 during your appointment.2Defense Finance and Accounting Service. DD Form 2278 – Application for Do It Yourself Move and Counseling Checklist
Sections 1 and 2: Date and Shipment Number
Section 1 is the date you prepare the form. Section 2, the shipment number, is typically assigned by the Transportation Office, so you can often leave that for the counselor to fill in.
Section 3: Personal Identification
Enter your name, rank or pay grade, Social Security Number (block 3c), and agency, meaning your branch of service.
Section 4: Orders Information
This is the section most prone to transcription errors. Copy the following from your PCS orders exactly as they appear: the type of orders, the date, the issuing authority, your new duty assignment, the order number, the distance in miles, and the name of the office that prepared the orders.
Section 5: Mailing Address for Payment
The complete address where the government should send your incentive check. Use an address that will still receive mail after your move.
Section 6: State of Legal Residence
Your state of legal residence for tax purposes. This is not necessarily your current duty station or your destination.
Section 7: Entitlements Checklist
Section 7 is a checklist the counselor reviews with you rather than something you complete alone. It covers the option of a government-arranged move versus a PPM, your authorized origin and destination, your maximum authorized weight, prohibited items such as privately owned vehicles and flammable materials, power of attorney requirements if someone is acting on your behalf, and the government’s liability limits for loss or damage. Confirm each box is accurate before you sign.
Section 8: Your Responsibilities
Section 8 is where you acknowledge what you are agreeing to. Block 8a records the operating allowance amount. You confirm your rental vehicle pickup date and acknowledge that you need both empty and full weight tickets from a government, public, or commercial certified scale for each trip. Each ticket must show your name, rank, Social Security Number, and the weighmaster’s signature. Section 8 also puts you on notice that a DD Form 1351-2 travel voucher will be required to close out the move, and that you must submit the completed DD Form 2278 together with your weight tickets to receive payment.
Section 9: Cost Computation (Counselor Completes)
The counselor calculates the estimated government cost of your move using current rate solicitations and your estimated weight, then determines your advance operating allowance in block 9a(4). Block 9e is the 45-day consent clause: you agree to furnish two weight tickets within 45 days, and if you fail to do so, the government can collect the full cost of the move from your pay. Read this block carefully before you sign.
Sections 10 Through 12: Signature Blocks
Section 10 is your signature. Section 11 is the counselor’s. Section 12 is the Transportation Office certifying official. All three must be in place before you begin the move.
The Counseling Appointment
You cannot skip the counseling session, and you cannot submit DD Form 2278 without it. The counselor walks through every checkbox, verifies your entitlements against your orders, and signs section 10c (in the counseling block) to confirm you understand the program’s rules and financial risks. This is also when the cost computation goes into section 9 and the decision on an advance operating allowance is made.4Defense Personal Property Management Office. Personally Procured Move Fact Sheet
Bring your PCS orders, a government-issued ID, and your weight estimate. Truck rental quotes help the counselor assess your operating allowance. If you plan to claim accessorial services such as temporary storage or hired labor for loading, raise it during counseling; the counselor must review and approve those in advance. Approval from your Transportation Office is required before you move anything, whether you are doing a full or partial PPM.5Military OneSource. Personally Procured Moves
The Department of Defense has been transitioning from the legacy Defense Personal Property System to the Global Household Goods Contract administered by HomeSafe Alliance.6U.S. Marine Corps. 2025 Peak Moving Season Preparations Check with your local Transportation Office for the current submission portal, since procedures vary by installation and may have changed since the transition began.
Full or Partial PPM: Same Form
The application is identical whether you move everything yourself or only some of your belongings. A partial PPM lets you transport part of your household goods personally while the government ships the rest through a contracted mover. The incentive rate is the same, calculated on the actual weight you moved yourself and verified by weight tickets.7Army.mil. Move Yourself, Make Some Money Too! If you use a small-package shipping service for part of the move, the shipping company’s weight receipts substitute for scale tickets, and reimbursement in that scenario is limited to actual cost rather than the standard incentive calculation.
Advance Operating Allowance
If the counselor authorizes an advance in block 9a(4), the money is intended to cover upfront costs like truck rental, fuel, and packing materials before your final payment arrives. Accepting the advance means accepting the section 9e recoupment clause. If you can cover the out-of-pocket costs without help, declining the advance simplifies your final settlement because there is no balance to reconcile. For a long-distance move, the advance keeps you from dipping into savings while you wait for the incentive check.
Submitting the Form and Closing Out the Move
After the move, the signed DD Form 2278 is one piece of a larger settlement packet. Gather these together and submit them to your Transportation Office:
- The original signed DD Form 2278 from your counseling session
- DD Form 1351-2, the travel voucher that serves as your formal reimbursement request
- Empty and full weight tickets for every vehicle or trip
- All receipts for eligible operating expenses (truck rental, packing materials, fuel, tolls, scale fees)
The Transportation Office reviews the packet and forwards it electronically to the Defense Finance and Accounting Service via a Smart Voucher.8Army Resilience Directorate. Preparing for Your Move Resources Facts As of mid-2026, DFAS processing times for Army PCS vouchers average roughly eight business days, with up to three additional business days for the deposit to reach your bank.9Defense Finance and Accounting Service. Army PCS 2
Your final payment is based on the actual weight you moved, not your estimate. If the actual weight comes in lower, the payment drops. If it exceeds your authorized limit, you are only paid up to the limit. Any advance operating allowance you received is deducted from the final amount.5Military OneSource. Personally Procured Moves
The 45-Day Deadline
The single most important date on the form is the 45-day weight ticket deadline in block 9e. You have 45 days from the start of the move to submit two certified weight tickets (empty and full) for each trip. Missing that deadline triggers automatic pay collection under the consent language you signed.2Defense Finance and Accounting Service. DD Form 2278 – Application for Do It Yourself Move and Counseling Checklist
Tickets must come from a certified weigh station, be signed by the weighmaster, and show your name, rank, and Social Security Number. No passengers in the vehicle during either weighing. Fuel tanks should be full at both weighings, or, alternatively, no fuel added between the two if the empty weigh happens first. If you are towing a privately owned vehicle behind a rental truck, detach it before stepping on the scale.10NAVSUP. Conducting a Navy Personally Procured Move (PPM)
Losing a weight ticket is a serious problem. Weigh stations do not always keep records, so retrieving a duplicate may not be possible, and constructive weight estimates based on an inventory are generally no longer accepted as a substitute. Photograph every ticket the moment you get it and store copies separately from the originals.