Last updated: April 25, 2026
TL;DR
- All military household goods (HHG) shipments to or from Camp Pendleton route through DPS at move.mil. Book as early as 90 days out.
- Government-handled (GHC) shipments are scheduled by the Joint Personal Property Shipping Office (JPPSO). You sign over inventory to a TSP at origin.
- Personally Procured Moves (PPM, formerly DITY) reimburse 95 percent of the government’s cost estimate up to your weight allowance. Receipts and weight tickets matter.
- Weight allowance for an E-5 with dependents is 9,000 pounds. O-5 with dependents is 14,500 pounds.
- A civilian mover for a PPM can issue the binding-not-to-exceed estimate, weight tickets, and final paperwork that JPPSO needs for reimbursement.
A military PCS move to Camp Pendleton in 2026 routes through the Defense Personal Property System (DPS) at move.mil, where service members choose between a government-handled HHG shipment scheduled by JPPSO or a Personally Procured Move (PPM) reimbursed at 95 percent of the government’s cost. The right choice depends on weight allowance, schedule flexibility, and how confident the family is managing logistics.
Swift Move SD is Cal-T licensed and USDOT registered, working with active-duty Marines and Navy personnel reporting to or rotating from Camp Pendleton, MCAS Miramar, NAS North Island, and Naval Base San Diego. Two data points to anchor: DPS has been the mandatory booking platform for HHG since 2007, and the FMCSA “Your Rights and Responsibilities When You Move” pamphlet at fmcsa.dot.gov/protect-your-move applies to all interstate PPM shipments.
How does DPS work for a Camp Pendleton PCS?
DPS is the Department of Defense’s online platform where service members register their PCS, declare their preferred move type, upload orders, and track shipments. Every active-duty move starts at move.mil. The system creates a shipment record, routes it to the appropriate JPPSO (for Camp Pendleton, that is the West Coast JPPSO at NAS North Island), and either assigns a TSP (government-handled) or generates the PPM authorization packet.
The booking timeline is real. Peak season at Camp Pendleton runs May through August, when both Marines from Twentynine Palms and Lejeune, and Navy families from East Coast bases, all hit San Diego at once. Booking 90 days out gets a TSP slot. Booking 30 days out during peak season often does not.
If you are reporting to Camp Pendleton from a base outside California, or rotating out to a duty station back east, DPS is the only legal HHG path for government-funded shipping. Skipping DPS means losing reimbursement.
What is the difference between GHC and PPM?
Government-Handled (GHC, sometimes called HHG) means a Transportation Service Provider (TSP) sends a packing crew, a loading crew, and a moving truck to your house at origin, drives the goods to destination, and unloads. You manage zero logistics. You also have very little control over schedule, packing quality, or which TSP you get.
Personally Procured Move (PPM, formerly known as DITY) means you arrange the move yourself with any licensed civilian carrier, get reimbursed 95 percent of what the government would have paid a TSP, and pocket the difference if you came in under cost. You manage all logistics. You also keep all the savings.
A PPM works well when:
- You are moving short-distance (San Diego to Phoenix, Las Vegas, or the Bay Area)
- Your shipment is well under your weight allowance
- You have date flexibility your TSP would not accommodate
- You want a specific civilian moving crew you trust
A GHC works well when:
- You are moving cross-country with a heavy household
- You have no time or energy to coordinate
- You hit your weight allowance and the math on PPM does not save money
What is my weight allowance?
Weight allowance is the maximum poundage the government will pay to ship at PCS. Anything over the allowance is on you. The 2026 table for service members with dependents:
| Rank | With dependents | Without dependents |
|---|---|---|
| E-1 to E-4 | 8,000 lb | 5,000 lb |
| E-5 | 9,000 lb | 7,000 lb |
| E-6 | 11,000 lb | 8,000 lb |
| E-7 | 13,000 lb | 11,000 lb |
| E-8 | 14,000 lb | 12,000 lb |
| O-1 to O-2 | 10,000 lb | 8,000 lb |
| O-3 | 13,000 lb | 11,000 lb |
| O-4 | 14,000 lb | 12,000 lb |
| O-5 | 16,000 lb | 13,500 lb |
| O-6+ | 18,000 lb | 14,500 lb |
To estimate your shipment weight, the rule of thumb is 1,000 to 1,500 pounds per fully furnished room. A three-bedroom home with garage storage typically runs 6,500 to 9,000 pounds. A four-bedroom with extras lands at 10,000 to 13,000.
If you are over allowance, the government bills you the per-hundredweight rate (CWT) on the overage at TSP cost. That can add $2,000 to $5,000 to a heavy cross-country move, so an honest weight estimate up front matters.
How does PPM reimbursement actually work?
A PPM reimburses you 95 percent of what the government would have paid a TSP for the same shipment, up to your weight allowance.
The math the government runs:
- JPPSO calculates the GHC cost: distance times CWT rate times shipment weight (capped at allowance)
- You get 95 percent of that figure as reimbursement
- Your actual moving expenses (truck, fuel, mover labor, packing materials, lodging during transit, weight tickets) are deducted from reimbursement only as taxable income offsets, not from the gross
- Anything left after expenses is profit, taxed at your normal rate
For a Camp Pendleton to Norfolk move with a 9,000-pound shipment, the GHC cost runs roughly $9,000 to $12,000 in 2026. The 95 percent reimbursement is $8,550 to $11,400. If you spent $4,500 on a PPM with a civilian long-distance mover, the gross profit is $4,000 to $6,900.
What you need to claim PPM reimbursement:
- Empty weight ticket (truck before loading, certified scale)
- Loaded weight ticket (truck after loading, certified scale)
- All receipts (mover invoice, fuel, lodging during transit, packing supplies, scales, tolls)
- Bill of lading from your civilian mover
- Final move-completion paperwork submitted in DPS within 45 days of delivery
Why does the moving company matter for PPM?
A civilian mover handling a PPM has to issue paperwork that JPPSO’s reviewers will accept. That means:
- Cal-T or USDOT licensed (not a guy with a U-Haul)
- Binding-not-to-exceed written estimate before the move
- Itemized invoice at delivery showing labor, materials, fuel, and tolls separately
- Certified weight tickets (origin and destination), some movers will run scales for you, others expect you to handle weigh stations
- Properly executed bill of lading
Working with a mover who has done PCS work before saves time on the back end. JPPSO rejects PPM claims for missing weight tickets, vague invoices, or estimates dated after the move. None of those are hard to get right; they just have to be done in the right order.
What about the HHG packing window at Camp Pendleton?
Active-duty Marines reporting to or rotating from Camp Pendleton typically get 2 to 5 days of pack-out and a 1- to 2-day load. The TSP arrives, packs everything in cardboard boxes, inventories every item with a numbered sticker, and loads the truck. You sign the inventory at the end of the load.
A PPM compresses this. Most PPM moves to or from San Diego are loaded in a single day with a 2- or 3-mover crew on a 26-foot truck or a labor-only crew loading a rental U-Haul. If you are doing a PPM and need help with packing fragile kitchen items, see our packing fragiles guide.
For local PCS support across San Diego County, see our San Diego moving page.
Frequently asked questions
Can I do a partial PPM?
Yes. You can ship some weight via GHC and the rest as a PPM. This is common when families want the heavy items handled by the government and ship vehicles or specialty items themselves. DPS supports the split.
What if my orders are short-notice?
JPPSO has a “short fuse” process for orders received less than 30 days out. PPM is often easier in these cases because you can book a civilian mover faster than a TSP slot opens.
Does the government cover storage during the PCS?
Yes. Up to 90 days of non-temporary storage is authorized at no cost on a GHC move. PPM has a similar storage allowance reimbursed at the government rate. See storage services for civilian options when government storage is full.
How long does PPM reimbursement take?
Typical timeline is 30 to 90 days after submitting the completed packet to your finance office. Direct deposit. Submit the packet within 45 days of delivery to avoid losing eligibility.
About the author
The Swift Move SD team — Cal-T licensed San Diego movers serving all 47 cities in San Diego County. Combined 50+ years of moving experience across local, long-distance, and military PCS relocations. (858) 808-6055.