What Does the Military Pay You for a PCS Move in 2026? DLA, MALT, Per Diem, TLE and PPM, With Numbers
Quick answer
A 2026 move between two bases in the continental United States pays up to five allowances. Dislocation Allowance is a flat amount by grade: $3,548.02 for an E-5 with family, $2,389.42 without. Mileage (MALT) is $0.235 a mile per car. Per diem is a flat $178 a day for every authorized travel day, plus 75% for each family member 12 and older and 50% per child under 12. Temporary Lodging Expense covers up to 21 nights, capped at $290 a day. A Personally Procured Move pays 100% of the government's own cost, and that profit is the only taxable piece.
The five allowances at 2026 rates
Every figure below comes from a primary source checked on September 7, 2026: the Per Diem, Travel, and Transportation Allowance Committee (PDTATAC), the Defense Travel Management Office (DTMO), GSA, DFAS and the Joint Travel Regulations (JTR). The PCS move cost engine carries the same tables and adds them up for your grade, family and distance.
| Allowance | 2026 rate | The rule that sizes it | Taxed? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dislocation Allowance (DLA) | $1,870.58 (E-1 alone) to $6,385.58 (O-7+ with family) | One flat payment per PCS, by grade, with or without dependents. Effective January 1, 2026. | No |
| Mileage (MALT) | $0.235 per mile per car | Official distance, up to two cars when family moves with you. Rose from $0.205 on July 1, 2026. | No |
| Per diem (MALT Plus) | $178 a day ($110 lodging + $68 meals), $181 from October 1, 2026 | Flat standard CONUS rate for each authorized travel day. Family 12+ at 75%, under 12 at 50%. | No |
| Temporary Lodging Expense (TLE) | Up to $290 a day, up to 21 nights | A percentage of the standard rate by family size (65% alone, 100% for two, +35% or +25% per extra person), lodging reimbursed only up to that ceiling. | No |
| Personally Procured Move (PPM) | 100% of the Government Constructed Cost | Paid on actual weight moved, up to your weight allowance. Profit after receipted expenses is taxable; DFAS withholds 22%. | Profit only |
Dislocation Allowance: the biggest single check
DLA exists to partially cover the costs no other allowance touches: deposits, utility hookups, cleaning, the second set of curtains. It is paid once per move, at the rate for your grade on the order's effective date, and it can be paid before you leave.
The 2026 table, from PDTATAC's December 31, 2025 memorandum (a 3.8% increase over 2025):
| Grade | Without dependents | With dependents |
|---|---|---|
| E-1 | $1,870.58 | $3,548.02 |
| E-2 | $2,025.26 | $3,548.02 |
| E-3 | $2,355.48 | $3,548.02 |
| E-4 to E-6 | $2,389.42 | $3,548.02 |
| E-7 | $2,468.19 | $3,551.31 |
| E-8 | $2,888.97 | $3,824.94 |
| E-9 | $3,147.54 | $4,149.51 |
| W-1 | $2,394.55 | $3,151.31 |
| W-2 | $2,860.70 | $3,643.75 |
| W-3 | $3,221.08 | $3,960.78 |
| W-4 | $3,832.45 | $4,323.11 |
| W-5 | $4,315.51 | $4,715.58 |
| O-1 | $2,273.82 | $3,085.23 |
| O-2 | $2,700.31 | $3,451.28 |
| O-3 | $3,404.11 | $4,041.88 |
| O-4 | $4,247.61 | $4,885.43 |
| O-5 | $4,583.51 | $5,542.06 |
| O-6 | $4,758.96 | $5,749.63 |
| O-7 to O-10 | $5,187.33 | $6,385.58 |
| O-1E / O-2E / O-3E | $2,687.09 / $3,124.87 / $3,675.83 | $3,621.10 / $3,919.27 / $4,343.80 |
Two rules cost people the whole check. There is no DLA on the first move from home or training to a first duty station unless dependents move too. And there is no DLA on a separation or retirement move to your home of record or home of selection. A member who moves without dependents gets the without-dependent rate, and a member assigned government quarters at the new base may lose it entirely.
Mileage and per diem for the drive: the travel-day arithmetic
MALT is simple: official miles times $0.235, per car, with a second car paid only when family relocates with you. A 1,200-mile drive is $282 for one car and $564 for two.
Per diem is where people leave money on the table. The JTR pays it as MALT Plus: the flat standard CONUS rate, currently $178 a day, for every authorized travel day, and it is not cut to 75% on the first and last day the way TDY per diem is. Family members 12 and older add 75% of your rate; children under 12 add 50%. An E-5 with a spouse and one young child earns $178 × 2.25 = $400.50 for every authorized day.
The authorized days come from a fixed rule (JTR par. 050205): one day for 400 miles or less; over 400 miles, divide by 350, and add a day if the remainder is 51 or more.
| Official distance | Authorized travel days | Per diem, member alone | Per diem, spouse + child under 12 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 400 miles | 1 | $178.00 | $400.50 |
| 700 miles | 2 | $356.00 | $801.00 |
| 1,000 miles | 3 | $534.00 | $1,201.50 |
| 1,200 miles | 4 | $712.00 | $1,602.00 |
| 1,500 miles | 5 | $890.00 | $2,002.50 |
You are paid for the lesser of the authorized days and the days you actually take. Driving 1,200 miles in 3 days instead of 4 gives up $400.50 for that family, and travel days are duty days, not leave. That is why "claim every authorized travel day" is usually the first lever the engine shows.
Temporary Lodging Expense: 21 nights, $290 a day, and the percentage table
TLE partially reimburses lodging and meals while you are in temporary quarters at the old and new base. Since November 27, 2024, a CONUS move allows 21 days, up from 14, and certain bases with housing shortages allow up to 60.
The daily amount is built from JTR Table 5-17. Take the standard rate ($110 lodging, $68 meals) and apply a percentage for the people in the room: 65% for one person, 100% for two, plus 35% for each additional dependent 12 and older and 25% for each additional child under 12. Lodging is reimbursed only up to the resulting ceiling, meals are paid at the resulting amount, and the day is capped at $290.
- An O-3 alone: 65%, so a $71.50 lodging ceiling plus $44.20 for meals, $115.70 a day. In a $110 hotel that leaves $38.50 a night unreimbursed, $192.50 over five nights.
- An E-5 with a spouse and a child under 12: 125%, so a $137.50 ceiling plus $85 for meals. In a $110 hotel the day pays $195, and five nights pay $975 with nothing out of pocket.
- A family of five in a $400 hotel hits the $290 cap; everything above the ceiling is theirs.
Base lodging usually sits under the ceiling. A hotel in town often does not, and every night past 21 is entirely yours.
The PPM: 100% of the government's cost, taxed on the profit
If you move your own household goods, the government pays you what it would have paid a contractor for the same weight: 100% of the Government Constructed Cost. Your transportation office produces that number during counseling, on DD Form 2278, and the final payment is based on certified weight tickets up to your weight allowance. In 2025 the rate was temporarily 130% between May 15 and September 30; it is back to 100% for 2026.
The profit is taxable. Take the payment, subtract receipted operating expenses (truck, trailer, boxes, fuel for the truck, tolls, labor, weigh fees), and DFAS withholds 22% federal on what is left, then mails a separate W-2. Your final bill is at your own bracket, so a deployment year or a low-income year is a good year for a PPM.
An E-6 with a spouse and a 14-year-old moves 1,000 miles, gets an $8,000 government estimate and spends $3,500 on the move. The incentive is $8,000, the taxable profit is $4,500, the tax is $990, and the PPM nets $3,510 after tax and spending. Add DLA of $3,548.02, MALT of $235, three days of per diem at $445 ($1,335) and five nights of TLE at $201.80 ($1,009), and the whole move nets $9,637.02. Every $500 not spent on the truck is worth $390 after tax.
Three worked moves, side by side
| E-5, spouse + child under 12, 1,200 miles | O-3 alone, 400 miles | E-6, spouse + teen, 1,000 miles, PPM | |
|---|---|---|---|
| DLA | $3,548.02 | $3,404.11 | $3,548.02 |
| MALT | $282.00 | $94.00 | $235.00 |
| Per diem | $1,201.50 (3 of 4 days) | $178.00 (1 day) | $1,335.00 (3 days) |
| TLE (5 nights at $110) | $975.00 | $578.50 | $1,009.00 |
| PPM incentive | – | – | $8,000.00 |
| Allowances | $6,006.52 | $4,254.61 | $14,127.02 |
| Tax on PPM profit | – | – | $990.00 |
| Out of pocket | $1,500 deposits and fees | $192.50 lodging above ceiling | $3,500 PPM spending |
| Net | +$4,506.52 | +$4,062.11 | +$9,637.02 |
The E-5 family adds $400.50 by taking the fourth travel day and $282 by driving a second car. The O-3 recovers $192.50 by booking lodging at or under the $71.50 ceiling. The E-6 keeps $390 for every $500 shaved off the rental bill. You can run your own move with your grade, family and distance, then flip the move type to "first move" or "separation" to see which allowances disappear.
Cash before the move, and what is left out
Three advances are available. DLA can be paid ahead of the move on request. Advance basic pay is one month of basic pay less deductions, up to three months with your commander's approval and written justification, repaid in twelve monthly installments starting the month after payment (24 with hardship approval). A PPM advance of 60% of the estimated allowance is also available. None of these change the net; they change when the money arrives.
Pets are a separate allowance since January 1, 2024: up to $550 on a CONUS move for one cat or dog, including hotel pet fees, with itemized receipts.
None of this applies overseas. An OCONUS move uses Temporary Lodging Allowance instead of TLE, per diem at each location, and the shipment of one vehicle. And the allowances are designed to partially reimburse: fuel and meals are what MALT and per diem are for, so the "net" above is before food and gas, not after.
Once the move settles, the money that is left is worth more in your Thrift Savings Plan than in a checking account; the TSP contribution engine shows what the full 5% match is worth by your retirement age. Veterans planning a final move can size the tax-free check that follows with the VA disability rating engine.
FAQ
Q: Is DLA taxable?
No. DLA, MALT, per diem and TLE are travel allowances and are not taxed. DFAS taxes a military move only when you take a PPM incentive, and then only the profit after receipted expenses, reported on a separate W-2.
Q: How much is DLA for an E-5 in 2026?
$3,548.02 with dependents and $2,389.42 without, effective January 1, 2026. E-4 and E-6 have the same figures; E-7 with dependents is $3,551.31.
Q: How many travel days do I get for a PCS?
One day for 400 miles or less. Over 400 miles, divide by 350 and add a day if the remainder is 51 or more, so 1,000 miles is 3 days, 1,200 is 4 and 1,500 is 5. You are paid for the lesser of that and the days you actually take, at the flat $178 standard rate ($181 from October 1, 2026).
Q: Do I get DLA on my first PCS or when I separate?
Not on a first move from home or training to a first duty station unless dependents move with you, and never on a separation or retirement move. Mileage and per diem are still paid on both; TLE is paid on a first move but not when leaving active duty.
Q: How is the PPM payment taxed?
The incentive is 100% of the government's constructed cost. Subtract your receipted moving expenses to get the profit; DFAS withholds 22% federal on that profit and issues a W-2. The rest of the move's allowances stay untaxed.
Q: How long does TLE last and how much is it?
Up to 21 nights on a CONUS move (60 at bases with an approved extension), capped at $290 a day. The daily amount is a percentage of the $110 lodging and $68 meal rates: 65% for one person, 100% for two, plus 35% per extra person 12 and older and 25% per extra child under 12.
Sources
- PDTATAC — CY2026 Dislocation Allowance rates (UTD for MAP 72-25(I), December 31, 2025)
- DTMO — Mileage rates (MALT $0.235 from July 1, 2026) and the PCS travel-day rule
- PDTATAC — Temporary Lodging Expense computation examples (JTR par. 050601-B, September 4, 2025)
- DFAS — Personally Procured Moves: operating expenses and the 22% withholding