Military Moving Allowance Calculator

What Is a Military Moving Allowance Calculator?

A military moving allowance calculator helps a service member build a planning estimate for the money associated with a Permanent Change of Station (PCS). A PCS does not usually arrive as one universal “moving allowance.” Instead, several separate entitlements can apply, including Dislocation Allowance (DLA), mileage under Monetary Allowance in Lieu of Transportation (MALT), en-route per diem, Temporary Lodging Expense (TLE), and, when the member performs a Personally Procured Move (PPM), a separate PPM payment.

This calculator combines the parts that can be estimated transparently from current 2026 published rates and lets you manually add official PPM, TLE, pet, or other reimbursement figures. It is intended for budgeting before a move, not for filing a travel voucher or replacing the Joint Travel Regulations, travel orders, Defense Table of Official Distances, DPS, a Transportation Office, or a finance office.

What the 2026 Military Moving Allowance Calculator Includes

The automatic portion of the estimate covers:

• 2026 primary DLA by pay grade and dependency status.
• The 2026 partial DLA flat rate when you intentionally choose that option.
• PCS MALT mileage using an editable 2026 rate.
• Distance-based authorized travel-day planning.
• Member and dependent en-route per diem for dependents traveling with the member.

The calculator also provides manual fields for a PPM/DITY allowance estimate and other authorized reimbursements. Those values are not reverse-engineered from generic assumptions because the actual authorization can depend on orders, shipment data, location, receipts, weight tickets, Government Constructed Cost calculations, and other facts a public calculator cannot know.

2026 Dislocation Allowance (DLA)

DTMO describes DLA as a flat amount that partially reimburses a service member for expenses incurred when moving a household. For primary DLA, the amount depends on the member’s grade and dependency status on the effective date of the PCS travel order. The current table is effective January 1, 2026.

For example, the 2026 primary DLA rate for an E-5 is $2,389.42 without dependents and $3,548.02 with dependents. An O-4 is $4,247.61 without dependents and $4,885.43 with dependents. The highest grades in the table have different amounts. The calculator stores the full published CY2026 table rather than estimating DLA from salary or using a broad rank range.

Partial DLA is different from primary DLA. The published 2026 partial rate is $1,002.71 and only applies to qualifying circumstances. Selecting “Partial DLA” in this tool means you are intentionally modeling that flat rate; it does not certify that your move qualifies.

When DLA May Not Be Authorized

DLA eligibility is not automatic for every move. DFAS lists situations in which DLA is not authorized, including a first PCS when the member has no dependents, certain orders to active duty without dependents, and separation or retirement travel. There are also fiscal-year and exception rules. That is why this calculator includes an “Exclude DLA / not eligible / unsure” option instead of forcing a DLA payment into every estimate.

If you are unsure which DLA treatment applies, check the orders and current JTR guidance or ask the servicing finance office before building your move budget around the payment.

2026 MALT Mileage Rates

MALT is the PCS mileage allowance for authorized travel by personally owned vehicle. DTMO states that it is based on the official distance between authorized locations and is not intended to reimburse every cost of operating the vehicle.

There are two PCS MALT rates during calendar year 2026:

The calculator suggests the correct rate based on the travel start date and keeps the field editable. That is deliberate: if a trip crosses the July 1 change, the official voucher may need mileage allocated to the rate that applied when the travel occurred. DTMO’s 2026 rate-change notice specifically says travel spanning the change can require the mileage expense to be split.

MALT can apply to up to two POVs when they are used and authorized. Enter zero, one, or two vehicles according to the move you are modeling.

How PCS Travel Days Are Estimated

For authorized PCS travel by POV, DTMO summarizes the travel-day rule this way: the first 400 miles allows one travel day. When the official distance exceeds 400 miles, divide the distance by 350. If the remainder is 51 miles or more, add another day.

Examples:

• 400 miles = 1 travel day.
• 401 miles = 2 travel days.
• 700 miles = 2 travel days.
• 800 miles = 3 travel days.
• 1,200 miles = 4 travel days.

The calculator shows both the distance-based result and the number actually used. Leave the override at zero to use the formula. If the orders or finance estimate authorize a different number, enter that number instead.

PCS En-Route Per Diem for Dependents

DFAS states that when dependents travel with the service member, a dependent age 12 or older is authorized 75% of the member’s per diem rate and a dependent under age 12 receives 50%. This calculator therefore converts the household into member-rate equivalents:

Household daily per diem = Member rate × (1 + 0.75 × dependents age 12+ + 0.50 × dependents under 12)

This version assumes the entered dependents are traveling with the member. Dependents traveling separately can have different rules, so do not use the accompanied percentages for a separate itinerary without checking the applicable travel guidance.

Standard CONUS Per Diem and the October 2026 Change

For a simple 2026 CONUS planning case, the calculator suggests a combined member rate of $178 per authorized travel day through September 30, 2026. GSA’s FY2027 bulletin raises the standard CONUS lodging component from $110 to $113 while the standard M&IE amount remains $68, producing a $181 standard combined rate for travel beginning October 1, 2026.

Those are planning defaults, not a guarantee for every PCS itinerary. Non-standard areas, OCONUS travel, air or commercial travel, separate dependent travel, and other circumstances can use different treatment. The daily field is editable so the number from your orders or official travel estimate can replace the default.

Worked 2026 PCS Moving Allowance Example

Assume an E-5 is moving with dependents on September 15, 2026. The official PCS distance is 1,200 miles, two POVs are authorized for MALT, one dependent age 12 or older and one dependent under 12 travel with the member, and there is no travel-day override.

The calculator uses a primary with-dependent DLA of $3,548.02. The September MALT rate is $0.235 per mile, so two POVs over 1,200 official miles produce $564.00 in modeled MALT. The distance formula produces four travel days.

At the $178 member daily planning rate, the household daily per diem is $400.50: $178 for the member, $133.50 for the dependent age 12+, and $89 for the dependent under 12. Over four days, that produces $1,602.00 in modeled en-route per diem.

The DLA + MALT + per diem subtotal is therefore $5,714.02 before any PPM, TLE, pet transportation, or other authorized reimbursement is entered.

Why PPM Is an Input Instead of a Pounds-Times-Miles Formula

A Personally Procured Move is not accurately valued by a universal dollars-per-pound-per-mile formula. The official PPM payment depends on the government’s constructed cost for the authorized move and the documentation accepted for that shipment. Your existing PPM Move Calculator is designed for the detailed PPM settlement side once you have an official GCC/DPS estimate.

This broader PCS calculator therefore asks for an official PPM allowance estimate as an optional input. Enter the figure from DPS or your Transportation Office if you want to include it in the total. Leaving it at zero keeps the estimate focused on travel and DLA.

Why TLE Is Also Entered Manually

Temporary Lodging Expense has separate eligibility, day limits, locality rates, family-percentage rules, receipts, and authorization requirements. A single flat amount can be misleading. DFAS, for example, applies different percentages based on the number and ages of eligible people occupying temporary quarters and requires documentation for a claim.

Use the “TLE / pet / other authorized reimbursements” field only when you have a reasonable figure from official guidance, a travel estimate, or your own receipt-based planning. The calculator does not assume that every PCS receives the same TLE amount.

Military Moving Allowance vs. PPM Profit

These are related but different questions. A military moving allowance calculator should help you understand the broader PCS money picture: DLA, travel mileage, per diem, and other entitlements. A PPM calculator focuses on what happens when you personally move some or all household goods, including the official PPM incentive, qualified operating expenses, withholding, and net economic result.

Keeping the two calculations separate avoids mixing an official travel entitlement with an estimate of moving-business profit or taxable PPM incentive.

Why the Calculator Uses Official Distance

MALT is paid on the official distance between authorized points, not necessarily the mileage shown by Google Maps, Apple Maps, or the route you personally choose to drive. Use the official mileage from the orders, DTOD, or travel system when available. A few miles of difference can affect MALT, and a distance near a travel-day threshold can also affect per diem.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much is the military moving allowance in 2026?

There is no single amount. DLA depends on grade and dependency status, MALT depends on official mileage and authorized POVs, per diem depends on travel days and travelers, and PPM/TLE or other reimbursements depend on separate eligibility and documentation.

What is the 2026 PCS mileage rate?

The PCS MALT rate is $0.205 per mile effective January 1, 2026 and $0.235 per mile effective July 1, 2026. Use the rate applicable to the travel performed and confirm split-date situations on the official voucher.

How many PCS travel days do I get for 1,200 miles?

Using DTMO’s distance rule, 1,200 miles produces four authorized travel days: 1,200 divided by 350 gives three whole days with a 150-mile remainder, and a remainder of at least 51 adds one more day.

How much per diem does a dependent receive?

When traveling with the service member, DFAS states that a dependent age 12 or older receives 75% of the member rate and a dependent under 12 receives 50%. Separate dependent travel can use different percentages.

Does every PCS receive DLA?

No. DFAS lists situations in which DLA is not authorized, including certain first PCS/active-duty accession cases without dependents and separation or retirement travel. Other restrictions and exceptions exist in the JTR.

Does this calculator calculate an official PPM reimbursement?

No. It accepts an official PPM estimate as an optional input. Use DPS, your Transportation Office, and the PPM-specific calculator for the detailed personally procured move settlement.

Methodology and Official Sources

The DLA lookup uses the official CY2026 DTMO/PDTATAC rate table effective January 1, 2026. MALT uses the published PCS mileage rates of $0.205 effective January 1 and $0.235 effective July 1. Travel days follow DTMO’s PCS distance summary. Dependent per diem uses DFAS percentages for dependents traveling with the service member. The standard CONUS planning rate changes from $178 to $181 on October 1, 2026 based on the FY2027 GSA standard lodging and M&IE rates.

Official references: 2026 DLA Rates, Official Partial DLA Rates, DTMO Dislocation Allowance, DTMO Mileage Rates, DFAS PCS En-Route Travel, DFAS DLA Eligibility, and GSA FY2027 Per Diem Bulletin.

This is an independent planning calculator. It is not affiliated with the Department of Defense, DFAS, DTMO, GSA, or any military service. Your orders, JTR, official travel systems, Transportation Office, and finance office control the actual payment.