Plan your move without the guesswork
A PCS is a lot of small decisions on a fixed deadline. This page is the checklist, your legal protections, and the guides for the specific moves that need extra planning — starting with Hawaii and other OCONUS orders.
PCS checklist, start to finish
The order matters — each step below assumes you’ve done the one before it.
- 1
Confirm your report date and timeline
Everything else on this list works backward from that date — lock it down first.
- 2
Research your gaining installation
Compare neighborhoods, commute, and schools before you're house-hunting under time pressure.
- 3
Estimate your BAH at the new duty station
Know your number before you start looking at homes or rentals, not after.
- 4
Decide buy vs. rent before you house-hunt
Run your actual numbers on your actual timeline — a rule of thumb isn't a plan.
- 5
Schedule your household goods shipment
Book as early as your move dates allow; peak PCS season (summer) fills transportation office slots fast.
- 6
Know your SCRA protections
Lease termination rights and interest rate caps can save real money if you're breaking a lease or have loans from before your orders.
- 7
Set up utilities, internet, and security at your new place
Line these up before you arrive rather than after — check your installation's Local Intelligence section for local providers, or have Homebird coordinate all of it as part of your move.
SCRA Protections During a PCS
6 min read · Reviewed by Legal review panel
The Servicemembers Civil Relief Act (SCRA) gives service members specific legal protections that kick in around a PCS or deployment — most importantly, the right to terminate a residential lease early with proper written notice once you receive qualifying orders, without the penalties a civilian tenant would face for breaking a lease.
SCRA also caps interest rates at 6% on debts you took on before entering active duty (loans, credit cards, some mortgages) for the duration of your service, if the debt is materially affecting your ability to pay because of your military service — you generally have to request this in writing from the lender, it isn’t automatic.
None of this is a substitute for talking to your installation’s legal assistance office before you act — SCRA has specific notice requirements and exceptions, and getting the paperwork right the first time avoids a dispute with a landlord or lender later.
OCONUS move guides
Overseas moves have longer lead times and extra steps most CONUS PCS checklists don’t cover.
OCONUS Moves: What Changes Beyond Hawaii
Command sponsorship, passports, and the OHA/COLA/MIHA allowances that replace BAH overseas.
9 min read · Reviewed by PCS relocation panel
PCS to Hawaii: The Complete Checklist
Shipping timelines, vehicle rules, and housing math for an OCONUS move.
11 min read · Reviewed by PCS relocation panel
Moves that need extra planning
Some situations don’t fit the standard checklist, no matter where you’re headed.
Shipping Your Pet and Vehicle During a PCS
What the military covers, what you pay for, and the quarantine paperwork that trips people up.
7 min read · Reviewed by PCS relocation panel
Dual-Military PCS: Getting Stationed Together
Join-spouse programs improve your odds of co-location — they don't guarantee it.
7 min read · Reviewed by PCS relocation panel
EFMP and PCS: Why These Moves Take Longer
Your gaining installation has to be able to support your family member's needs before orders are final.
8 min read · Reviewed by PCS relocation panel
Not PCSing — leaving the military
Separating or retiring is a different move entirely: no gaining installation, no BAH after your last day, and a home search built around a town instead of a base.
Common questions
As soon as you have orders in hand, ideally 60–90 days before your report date for a CONUS move, and even earlier for OCONUS moves like Hawaii or overseas — household goods shipments, vehicle shipping, and (for OCONUS) pet quarantine paperwork all have longer lead times than people expect.
Homebird
A PCS often means selling at your losing base and buying — or renting — at your gaining one, on a fixed timeline. Homebird runs the whole thing as one coordinated move: sourcing your listing agent and purchasing agent, a right-fit lender, movers, insurance, and getting your new place actually livable — utilities, internet, and home security — whether or not you have an employer relocation benefit.
- 1.Sell your current home — Listing agent sourced and managed for you.
- 2.Buy or rent at your next base — A purchasing agent who knows the area.
- 3.Move in and get connected — Movers, insurance, utilities, internet, and home security — coordinated on your timeline, not pieced together after you arrive.
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General educational information, not legal advice. Confirm your specific SCRA rights and PCS entitlements with your installation’s legal assistance office and transportation office before making a decision.