What Is a PPM?
Considering a Personally Procured Move? Understand your options, your entitlements, and how to choose a trustworthy mover for your PPM.
A Personally Procured Move (PPM), formerly known as a DITY (do-it-yourself) move, is the U.S. military's option for service members to manage their own household goods move instead of using a government-arranged moving company.
Under a PPM, you're responsible for packing, transporting, or hiring your own commercial mover, using a rental truck, portable container service, or a company you select yourself. In exchange, the government pays you an incentive equal to up to 100% of what it would have cost the government to move your authorized weight allowance professionally. If you complete the move for less than that amount, you keep the difference.
PPMs are approved for both Permanent Change of Station (PCS) and Temporary Duty (TDY) moves within the continental United States (CONUS). This page focuses on CONUS PPMs, since that's where the overwhelming majority of PPM activity happens.
Due to the complexities of overseas shipping and customs, PPM is rarely used or approved for OCONUS (overseas) moves. Service members moving OCONUS should expect to work through a government-arranged HHG move for the bulk of their shipment, and should consult their local Transportation Office for any OCONUS-specific PPM questions.
If you complete the move for less than that amount, you keep the difference.
Where to Find Official Details
Before making a decision, service members should review official guidance directly:
PPM vs. HHG — Which Should You Choose?
There are two main ways to move your household goods on orders. Most service members are eligible to split their weight allowance between the two if needed.
A government-contracted Transportation Service Provider (TSP) is assigned to pack and transport your belongings.
You manage the move yourself, or hire your own commercial mover.
If you're leaning toward a PPM using a commercial mover, rather than doing the entire move yourself, the next section matters most to you.
Why This Matters for Choosing a Mover
If you've been through a military move before, you may be used to someone else handling this decision: a government-contracted Transportation Service Provider (TSP) is assigned to you, and you don't have to find or vet a mover yourself.
A PPM changes that. If you choose to hire a commercial company rather than moving everything yourself, you are the one selecting and vetting that company, nobody does that step on your behalf.
This is the single biggest practical difference between the two move types from a consumer-protection standpoint, and it's the reason this page exists.
The Risk You're Taking On
The Department of Defense itself actively warns service members about this risk. The official PPM fact sheet offers free resources and tools to help protect against a "rogue" mover, and notes that moving companies listed in some official resources are registered with, but not endorsed by, the federal government, an important distinction. Registration is not the same as verification.
Registration is not the same as verification.
How IAMTrusted Helps
Every mover listed in the IAMTrusted directory has been independently verified for current licensing, insurance, and compliance with professional industry standards for their specific scope of service. That verification is ongoing, not a one-time check.
And if something goes wrong, IAMTrusted movers are bound by the IAM Consumer Issue Support System (CISS), a structured, IAM-backed resolution process, not a complaint form. Choosing an IAMTrusted mover for your PPM gives you the same kind of assurance the government already provides for HHG movers, applied to the mover you select yourself.
Verify a Mover →Financial Mechanics — How PPM Payment Works
Your PPM payment is based on the Government Constructed Cost (GCC), what it would have cost the government to move your authorized weight allowance using a professional mover. You're paid up to 100% of that amount, based on the weight you actually move, capped at your authorized weight allowance.
For most service members, PPM works as a monetary allowance set at 100% of the Government Constructed Cost (GCC) for the weight actually moved, this is the standard path under the military's tender of service program, and the one most PPM guidance refers to.
A separate, narrower actual expense reimbursement method exists under limited circumstances defined in the Joint Travel Regulations (JTR), generally used in specific situations your Transportation Office will identify during counseling rather than something most members elect directly. If you're unsure which method applies to your move, your TO counseling session will clarify this.
Your incentive is calculated on the actual weight moved, not your full entitlement. There isn't unused cash sitting on the table, if you use less of your weight allowance, your payment is correspondingly lower.
Reimbursement is capped at your authorized weight allowance, regardless of transportation method. Weight beyond that isn't covered, so underestimating your shipment weight is one of the most common ways the PPM incentive can work against you rather than for you. This cap is firm under current Joint Travel Regulations, with no standard exception process.
An advance of up to 60% of the estimated PPM incentive is generally available before the move, to help cover upfront costs like a rental truck or a commercial mover's deposit. Some services may require settlement of the advance within a specific window after the move, check with your local finance office.
Claims for PPM reimbursement must generally be submitted within 45 days of the completed move. Confirm this deadline with your Transportation Office, as it is a hard cutoff.
PPM incentive payments are taxable income to the extent they exceed your documented, allowable moving expenses. Per IRS guidance, any portion of your PPM payment above your substantiated costs is treated as net profit and reported on your Form W-2. Active-duty members moving under military orders for a permanent change of station may deduct unreimbursed moving expenses or exclude reimbursed ones, so keeping thorough receipts (truck rental, fuel, packing materials, tolls, weighing fees) directly reduces your taxable amount.
Finance offices withhold federal tax on the taxable portion of your PPM settlement at the standard 22% flat rate that applies to supplemental wages generally (the same rate used for bonuses and similar payments), separate from your regular paycheck withholding. This is withheld at payout, before you file your taxes, and reconciles against what you actually owe when you file. Service members should still consult their finance office or a tax professional for guidance specific to their situation, since your actual tax liability depends on your full financial picture, not just this one payment.
of the Government Constructed Cost, the basis for your incentive payment
maximum advance generally available before the move
days to submit your reimbursement claim after the move — a hard cutoff
flat federal withholding on the taxable portion, applied at payout