PCS Checklist: A Printable Run-Book for the Whole Move

A good PCS checklist runs on a countdown: at orders-in-hand you schedule the move and start the paperwork binder; at 60 days out you attack records, school enrollment, and the purge; at 30 you confirm logistics and build the “don’t-pack” pile; moving week you defend that pile with your life; and arrival has its own list nobody writes down. Print the version below, tape it inside a cabinet, and cross things off in pen — a PCS is won by boring administration done early. Dates and entitlements vary by branch and situation, so treat official sources as the authority: your orders, your transportation office, and Military OneSource.

Orders in hand (as early as possible)

• Read the actual orders, twice. Report dates, authorizations, and anything that contradicts what the rumor mill promised.
• Schedule the move through the current official household-goods system your branch directs you to — dates go fast in summer, and booking early is the single highest-leverage move on this list.
• Decide: full move, partial DIY, or full DIY. Rules and reimbursements shift, so get current guidance from your transportation office instead of a forum post from three years ago.
• Start the binder. One physical binder: orders copies, birth certificates, marriage certificate, medical and dental records, school records, pet records, insurance, vehicle titles. The binder travels with a parent, never with the movers. Ever. This rule has no exceptions and several cautionary tales.
• Tell the kids once plans are real — the how-to is its own operation, covered in PCS with kids.

60 days out

• Records roundup: request school records and transcripts, transfer or copy medical/dental files, refill prescriptions long enough to bridge the gap (ask your provider what’s allowed).
• School and childcare recon at the destination: enrollment windows, waitlists for on-base childcare (start that one immediately — waitlists are famously not short), and sports/activity registration dates that won’t wait for your arrival.
• The purge. Every pound you don’t own is a pound that can’t be lost, weighed, or unpacked. Sell, donate, toss — and let kids purge their own gear with veto power over treasures, which prevents the Great Missing Toy Inquiry of arrival week.
• Housing decisions: on-base wait times versus renting versus buying, scouted now, not at 14 days.
• Notify the landlord per your lease if renting — check the lease’s military clause and get current guidance on your rights from the legal assistance office.

30 days out

• Confirm pack and pickup dates with the movers; put them on the wall calendar where the kids can see the countdown.
• Build the “don’t-pack” zone: one closet or the car trunk, taped off and labeled, holding the binder, valuables, electronics you can’t lose, kid comfort items, and a first-week kit per person. Movers are fast and thorough — anything not quarantined will be boxed, including, in one legendary local case, a full kitchen trash bag and a set of car keys.
• Address changes: mail forwarding, banks, subscriptions, vehicle registration and insurance plans for the new state or country.
• Medical wrap-up: last appointments, copies of anything new, and enrollment-transfer questions answered by the official channels (your clinic and the current TRICARE guidance) rather than guesswork.
• Pets and vehicles: vet records and any required certificates, shipping or driving plans, and — for an overseas move — start pet paperwork the day you learn you’re going; some destinations need months of lead time.

Moving week

• Photograph everything valuable and the general state of each room before pack-day; note serial numbers for electronics.
• Kids and pets off-site on pack day if you can arrange it — a sitter, a friend, anywhere. Packing day with a toddler helping is packing day at half speed with double the mystery boxes.
• Walk the house with the crew lead, flag the don’t-pack zone again, and stay reachable.
• Sleep gear ships last, sets up first. If a baby’s in the picture, the whole sleep-protection playbook is in PCS move with a baby.
• Final walkthrough: every cabinet, the dishwasher, the attic, behind every door. Empty houses hide things with the commitment of a magician.

Arrival: the checklist nobody writes

• Check in per your orders and knock out the reporting admin first.
• Beds before boxes. First night: beds assembled, sheets on, sound machine plugged in, one familiar item per kid visible. Everything else can be cardboard for a week.
• Restart the routines — same bedtime sequence, same weekend anchors — because routine is what makes the new house register as home to a kid.
• Register and enroll: school, childcare, new clinic, new dentist; update DEERS and address records per current guidance.
• Learn the new ground: playground recon, library cards, one family “first traditions” outing. The settling-in campaign gets a fuller treatment in PCS with kids.

FAQ: PCS checklist

How far in advance should you start a PCS checklist?

The day orders are in hand — and the scheduling and purge items benefit from every extra week you give them. If you’re inside 60 days, don’t panic: run the list top to bottom and compress; the sequence matters more than the spacing.

What should never go with the movers?

The document binder, passports and IDs, medications, valuables and irreplaceables, electronics you can’t lose, each kid’s comfort item, and a first-week kit per person. Quarantine them in a taped-off don’t-pack zone and guard it on pack day.

What’s the biggest PCS mistake families make?

Booking the move late and purging never. Late booking costs you your preferred dates in peak season; skipping the purge means paying in weight, chaos, and unpacking time for stuff you didn’t want. Both are solved in the first two weeks after orders drop.

Where do you find the official rules for your specific PCS?

Your orders, your installation’s transportation office, and Military OneSource are the authoritative trio; entitlements, weight allowances, and reimbursement rules change and vary by situation, so confirm current specifics there rather than relying on any blog checklist — including this one.