IMCOM Form 78 is the Reassignment Processing Checklist you carry from office to office on your installation to prove you’ve cleared every agency before a permanent change of station. You get it from your unit S1, not from the Army Publishing Directorate, and you start it as soon as your assignment instructions post in IPPS-A. Every agency block on the form needs a signature or stamp before the installation will clear you to depart.
Where to Get the Form and When to Start
Your unit S1 issues IMCOM Form 78 and walks you through the initial entries.1U.S. Army. U.S. Army Fort Leonard Wood – Reassignments Guidance and IMCOM Form 78 There are separate CONUS and OCONUS versions, so confirm you’ve been given the right one for your move.2U.S. Army Fort Bliss. Online PCS Information The S1 also submits a Personnel Action Request through IPPS-A to formally initiate out-processing.3U.S. Army Fort Hawaii. Out-processing Clearance Briefing
Under AR 600-8-11, you must submit your levy packet within 30 days of your official assignment notification date.4U.S. Army Fort Stewart. Levy Brief (Reassignments) The Personnel Reassignment Work Center then schedules a reassignment briefing covering tour elections, travel entitlements, EFMP, passports, and family travel applications.5AskTOP.net. AR 600-8-11 Reassignment
For a CONUS move, plan to start clearing agencies the day your orders drop. For OCONUS, begin at least 120 days out — passports, vehicle shipment, and country-specific documentation all take time. Keep your original orders and any amendments on hand throughout. Every agency on the checklist will ask to see them.
Information the Form Requires
The top of the checklist captures your identifying information: full legal name, current rank or pay grade, and DoD Identification Number. All three must match your reassignment orders exactly. The orders also supply the gaining unit designation, report date, and authorized travel time. Copy the report date carefully, because the entire clearing timeline works backward from it.
You’ll enter your current unit designation and a point of contact for your losing commander. The form contains personal identifiers protected under the Privacy Act of 1974, so treat it the way you would any document showing your DoD ID or Social Security number.6Defense Logistics Agency. Privacy Act of 1974 Don’t leave copies unattended and don’t route it outside official channels.
Agencies You Have to Clear
The bulk of the form is a grid of installation agencies, each with a signature or stamp block. Visit each one, resolve outstanding obligations, and collect the clearance. A single missing stamp will stop your final out-processing. Your installation’s version may include stops unique to that post, so read the full list on day one rather than discovering a surprise on your last day.
Central Issue Facility
CIF is where you return all Organizational Clothing and Individual Equipment on your hand receipt. Book the appointment as early as possible; the recommended practice is to start clearing CIF on receipt of orders, up to 90 days before your final out date.7U.S. Army Fort Stewart. Central Issue Facility Bring your ID, orders, and installation clearing papers.
Carry-forward memorandums are no longer accepted at CIF per TACOM guidance. Every item marked in the PCS column of your record must be physically turned in, including all woodland, desert, and UCP pattern items. Excess over the current basis of issue also goes back. Wrong-size or damaged items can go through direct exchange, but unserviceable items require a damage statement signed by your commander no later than 30 days before your CIF visit.7U.S. Army Fort Stewart. Central Issue Facility
Anything you can’t account for triggers a Statement of Charges or a Financial Liability Investigation of Property Loss under AR 735-5.8JAGCNet. Financial Liability Investigation of Property Loss As of February 2026, all FLIPLs and Statements of Charges must be initiated by your unit’s supply sergeant within the SEAM platform before CIF can process them.7U.S. Army Fort Stewart. Central Issue Facility You pay the depreciated value of missing gear, so inventory your OCIE well before the appointment.
Transportation and Household Goods
The Transportation Office (ITO or TMO) coordinates shipment of your household goods and privately owned vehicle. Your weight allowance is set by the Joint Travel Regulations based on pay grade and dependency status.9Naval Supply Systems Command. Authorized Weight Allowance Anything over comes out of your pocket, so weigh and cull before the packers arrive. Peak PCS season runs May through August and books up early; a late request can push your entire timeline.
Housing
If you live in government quarters, the housing office schedules a pre-inspection and a final move-out inspection. Damage beyond normal wear and tear can be charged back to you, so walk through with the inspector’s checklist ahead of time and handle basic repairs where you can.
If you rent off-post, you’ll need to show that you’ve given your landlord proper notice. The Servicemembers Civil Relief Act lets you terminate a residential lease early on receipt of PCS orders. You provide written notice and a copy of your orders to the landlord; the lease then terminates 30 days after the next rent payment is due following delivery of that notice. The landlord cannot charge an early termination penalty, and any security deposit must be refunded (minus legitimate damages) within 30 days of the termination date.
Medical and Dental
The medical and dental clinics verify that your health records are ready for transfer and that individual readiness requirements — immunizations, dental classification, HIV testing, periodic health assessment — are current. For an OCONUS move, the medical treatment facility also completes DA Form 4036, the Medical and Dental Preparation for Overseas Movement.5AskTOP.net. AR 600-8-11 Reassignment Don’t leave this to the last week. Lab results and specialty referrals take time.
Finance
The finance office stamps the form after confirming that travel advances, BAH adjustments, and final pay entitlements are calculated correctly. Your Dislocation Allowance is processed here as well. Update any allotments, TSP contributions, or garnishments for your gaining station. Catching problems at this stage prevents debt collections or overpayment corrections from following you to the next installation.
Other Installation Agencies
You’ll also clear the installation library, education center, legal assistance office, and unit arms room, along with any other agency on your specific installation’s version of the form. Return all government property — library books, training materials, unit keys — and resolve any open legal matters.
Extra Steps If You Have Dependents
Dependents add mandatory steps that will hold up your clearing if you start them late.
When a dependent is enrolled in the Exceptional Family Member Program, you must complete DA Form 5888 (Family Member Deployment Screening Sheet) on notification of any reassignment where family accompaniment is authorized. The screening identifies treatment facilities at your new duty station and ensures continuity of care.10MyArmyBenefits. Exceptional Family Member Program (EFMP) It routes through the installation medical treatment facility as part of the reassignment file required by AR 600-8-11.5AskTOP.net. AR 600-8-11 Reassignment
Update DEERS with your new duty station, mailing address, phone number, and any family status changes such as a recent marriage or new child. Failing to update DEERS can delay your family’s access to TRICARE at the gaining location.
Extra Steps for an OCONUS Move
An overseas PCS adds layers a CONUS move doesn’t have, which is why 120 days out is realistic.
Official government passports for you and command-sponsored family members are processed through your local DoD Passport Agent. Standard processing takes four to six weeks. Requests for expedited service must be submitted with the initial application; you can’t request expedited processing after the fact.11Passport Matters Public Site. Important Notes Wait at least half the processing window before checking status.
Vehicle shipment goes through PCSmyPOV, and the rules vary by destination. As of 2025, electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids cannot be shipped to Guam at all due to ocean carrier restrictions, and shipment to Hawaii is blocked for EVs with unresolved fire-related recalls.12PCSmyPOV. PCS my POV If your EV can’t ship, you may be entitled to store it at government expense; contact the Transportation Office for details.
AR 600-8-11 requires a mandatory overseas orientation briefing through the Army Community Service Center for all soldiers going OCONUS. Family members are strongly encouraged to attend. The reassignment file for an OCONUS move must include DA Form 4787 (Reassignment Processing) in addition to the medical and EFMP forms.5AskTOP.net. AR 600-8-11 Reassignment
Submitting the Completed Form
Once every agency block has a signature or stamp, bring the checklist to the installation out-processing center for your final clearing appointment. A reassignment counselor reviews the entire form, verifying that every stamp is authentic and every obligation is resolved. The counselor also checks your leave form (DA Form 31) to confirm your departure date aligns with the clearing timeline.
After verification, you receive a final clearance stamp and your out-processing packet: orders, personnel records, and supporting documents the gaining installation will need. This step formally ends your administrative relationship with the losing installation and authorizes your departure.
Shortcutting the clearing process has consequences. Failure to comply with a regulation or lawful order falls under UCMJ Article 92 and can result in anything from nonjudicial punishment under Article 15 to a formal reprimand. The more common outcome for most soldiers is administrative trouble rather than criminal charges. Unresolved CIF shortages, unpaid housing debts, or missing agency stamps will follow you to your next duty station and are much harder to fix from a distance.