Military Storage in Transit (SIT): Extensions, Claims, and Forms

Military Storage in Transit, usually shortened to SIT, lets service members on Permanent Change of Station orders store household goods at government expense for up to 90 days while they line up permanent housing. Extensions can push that window to 180 days, and in narrow circumstances longer. The Joint Travel Regulations and the Defense Transportation Regulation govern the benefit, and your Personal Property Shipping Office administers it.

What the 90-Day Entitlement Covers

The standard SIT window gives you 90 days of government-funded warehouse storage during an authorized move.¹ It applies to members executing PCS orders, retiring, or separating. The government pays for hauling your goods to the warehouse, the monthly storage fees, and the reload and delivery to your new address. The clock starts the day your belongings enter the storage facility.

SIT can happen at your origin, at an in-transit point, or at your destination. Destination SIT is the common use case while house-hunting, but origin SIT helps when you have to vacate base housing before your report date. The government pays only for actual days stored, so if you find a place in six weeks, no one gets billed for the unused time.

Getting an Extension Beyond 90 Days

If 90 days isn’t enough, request an extension through your PPSO. Extensions up to 180 total days are authorized for circumstances beyond your control: serious illness affecting you or a dependent, construction delays on a new home, or a documented shortage of available housing at your duty station. The government keeps paying storage costs through the approved period.

To request an extension, complete DD Form 1857, “Storage In-Transit (SIT) at Government Expense.”² The form asks for your shipment identification number, an explanation of why you can’t take delivery, your current storage location, and an estimated move-out date. Fill out Section II with the reason for your request and sign it, then submit through the Defense Personal Property System or directly to your PPSO with supporting documents such as a builder’s letter or a lease with a future start date.³ A separate DD Form 1857 is required for each extended period.¹

Extensions beyond 180 days are possible in limited situations. If you’re on temporary duty or deployed for more than 90 days, or for an indefinite period while your goods sit in storage, additional SIT time may be authorized. Other circumstances genuinely beyond your control can also justify more time on a case-by-case basis.⁴

What Happens When Your SIT Time Runs Out

Once your authorized SIT period expires without an approved extension, the government stops paying. Your PPSO terminates the government storage account and notifies the transportation provider through DPS. The warehouse then bills you directly at commercial rates, which are almost always higher than the government-negotiated price.⁵

If the PPSO can’t reach you by the expiration date, storage converts and your property becomes subject to the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act and applicable state bailment laws.⁵ The warehouse has legal obligations for your belongings, but you’re on the hook for charges going forward. Your signed DD Form 1299, the Application for Shipment and/or Storage of Personal Property, serves as standing authority for the PPSO to terminate the government account and convert the charges to your name.

Set calendar reminders well before day 90, or day 180 if you have an extension. Even a few weeks of commercial storage at full rates can create a bill the military will not reimburse.

Getting Items Out Before Final Delivery

You don’t have to wait for permanent housing to pull out essentials. The government authorizes one partial withdrawal from SIT. If you need winter coats, kitchen supplies, or a child’s crib before the rest of your shipment lands, you can request those specific items by inventory number.⁴

Identifying these items before your goods go into storage helps. Ask the movers to annotate them on the inventory sheets so they end up accessible in the warehouse. To request the partial delivery, send a written request to your origin or destination PPSO listing the specific inventory numbers you need.

A second partial withdrawal is possible when something genuinely unforeseen comes up, such as an unexpected delay in quarters availability that creates a hardship for your family. Multiple withdrawals can trigger excess costs if the combined delivery charges exceed what a single full delivery would have cost, and that excess comes out of your pocket.⁴

When SIT Isn’t the Right Benefit

SIT is short-term storage tied to transporting your goods during a PCS. Non-Temporary Storage, or NTS, is a separate long-term benefit authorized when you’re ordered somewhere that won’t accommodate your full household.⁶ Confusing the two is an expensive mistake.

You qualify for NTS in specific situations:

Temporary duty without returning to your permanent duty station, or pending further assignment.
An indeterminate temporary duty assignment.
Pending orders overseas or to a vessel, including building, fitting out, or reactivating a ship.

NTS begins on the date your travel authorization is issued and continues as long as the qualifying situation exists. After the TDY or deployment ends, you get up to 90 additional days to arrange delivery of your goods.⁶ If you’re heading to an overseas assignment where you can’t bring your full shipment, ask your transportation office about NTS rather than trying to stretch SIT beyond its intended use.

Filing Claims for Damage After Storage

Storage adds handling steps, and every handling step is another chance for damage. When your goods come out of SIT, inspect everything carefully before signing the final inventory sheets. Note damage or missing items on the delivery paperwork while the movers are still there.

You have 75 days from the delivery date to notify your transportation provider of lost or damaged items through DPS. Missing this window can forfeit your right to file a claim with both the carrier and your service branch.⁷

For claims filed within nine months of delivery, your carrier is liable for Full Replacement Value. Minimum coverage is $10,000 per shipment or $6.00 per pound of your shipment’s weight, whichever is greater, capped at $75,000.⁸ After nine months, liability drops to depreciated value at $1.25 per pound. Carrier liability for goods in SIT ends when the PPSO notifies them the government storage account has been terminated, which is another reason to stay ahead of your SIT timeline.

Forms That Track Your SIT Shipment

A handful of forms move with your shipment through the system:

DD Form 1857 is required for each extension period beyond the initial 90 days. Fill out Section II with your reason, personal information, and signature, and submit through DPS or as a hard copy with supporting justification.¹
DD Form 619, the Statement of Accessorial Services Performed, documents extra services on your shipment such as crating, shuttle service, or additional pickups and deliveries. It functions as a receipt for what the warehouse actually did, and it requires your initials next to each applicable service entry.⁹
DD Form 1299, the Application for Shipment and/or Storage of Personal Property, is the document your signature on which authorizes the PPSO to terminate SIT and convert storage to your expense when your entitlement runs out.⁵

A lease with a future move-in date, a builder’s letter confirming construction delays, or documentation of a housing shortage at your duty station all give the PPSO what they need to approve additional time. Keep copies of everything you submit.

1
Defense Transportation Regulation. Defense Transportation Regulation Part IV – Personal Property
2
Department of Defense. DD Form 1857 – Storage In-Transit at Government Expense
3
Naval Supply Systems Command. Storage Extension
4
Naval Supply Systems Command. Storage In Transit
5
Defense Transportation Regulation. Defense Transportation Regulation Part IV Chapter 406 – Storage
6
Defense Travel Management Office. Joint Travel Regulations
7
U.S. Army. Household Goods Claims – What You Need To Know
8
USTRANSCOM. 2025 DP3 Claims Liability Business Rules
9
Department of Defense. DD Form 619 – Statement of Accessorial Services Performed