PCS Advance Pay: How to Get Money Before Your Move

Every PCS has the same cash-flow problem. The deposits, the rental truck, the hotel nights, the tank of gas across three states, the pet fees, the new set of curtains that fit nothing in the old house. All of it comes out of your account first. The reimbursements come later.

PCS advance pay exists to close that gap. There are actually two different tools with similar names, they work differently, and mixing them up is how families end up surprised. This guide covers both, plus the deadlines and the repayment side that nobody mentions until it shows up on your leave and earnings statement.

Two Different Kinds of PCS Advance

The first is advance pay, which is an advance on your basic pay. You are borrowing your own future paychecks.

The second is advance travel payments, which are advances on specific PCS entitlements you have already earned, such as dislocation allowance or a personally procured move payment. You are getting paid earlier, not borrowing.

Both put money in your account before the move. Only one of them shrinks your future paychecks. Knowing which is which changes how you plan.

Advance Pay: Borrowing Your Own Paychecks

According to the Defense Finance and Accounting Service, any active duty member with PCS orders in hand who is within 30 days of making a PCS move, or 0 to 60 days after making one, may be authorized an advance of pay of one month of basic pay less deductions. It may be up to three months of basic pay less deductions if justified.

The approval is not automatic. You need approval from your commanding or recruiting officer, and the justification for anything above one month has to hold up.

A few other categories qualify. Reserve Forces members ordered to active duty for 140 days or more, or on extended active duty, may be authorized an advance of pay. Members of the Armed Forces Health Professions Scholarship Program on active duty reporting for the annual 45-day tour may receive an advance not to exceed one month of basic pay. Senior Reserve Officer Training Corps cadets and midshipmen ordered to field training or practice cruises may receive an advance limited to one month of the entitlement or the amount they will accrue, whichever is less.

The full set of rules governing advance payments lives in the DoD Financial Management Regulation, Volume 7A, Chapter 32.

Here is the part to sit with. Advance pay is a debt. It comes back out of your paychecks over a repayment period, which means the months after your move are leaner than normal at exactly the time you are absorbing new costs at a new duty station. Ask your finance office for the specific repayment schedule and the monthly deduction amount before you sign, and then subtract that number from your budget for every month it applies.

Advance Travel Payments: Getting Paid Early

This is the other tool, and for most families it is the better one, because you are not creating a debt.

The Defense Finance and Accounting Service publishes the advance travel payment rules, including how much of each entitlement can be advanced and how early you can ask.

How much of each PCS entitlement can be paid in advance. Source: Defense Finance and Accounting Service, advance travel payments.

Two conditions govern whether you can request these at all. Advance travel payments may be authorized if you are not a Government Travel Charge Card holder, or if an advance is not specifically prohibited in your orders. For Army members who hold the card, an advance travel payment may only be authorized for dislocation allowance.

That is a meaningful restriction. If you carry the travel card, the expectation is that you use it for travel costs and settle up on the voucher. Dislocation allowance is the exception, and it is worth requesting, because it is a lump sum paid at 100 percent up to 30 days ahead of your sign-out date. Our dislocation allowance guide breaks down what you are entitled to by rank and dependent status.

The Paperwork and the Deadlines

Advances are paid by electronic funds transfer, so you need to submit a copy of a voided check or a completed SF 1199A with your advance request.

Then there is the deadline that creates most of the problems. You must submit your travel claim within five days of arriving at your new duty location. All advance payments must be annotated in block 9 on DD Form 1351-2. The Defense Finance and Accounting Service is direct about the consequence: failure to do so may result in a debt to the government and possibly payroll deductions.

Five days is short. You have just driven across the country, you are living out of suitcases, and you are in-processing. Put the claim deadline in your phone before you leave the old duty station, and keep every receipt in one envelope rather than four pockets.

How Advances Fit a Home Purchase

This is where advances and homebuying intersect, and where a little planning saves real money.

If you are buying at the new duty station, an advance can look like a convenient source of earnest money or closing funds. Be careful. Advance pay is a debt, and a lender underwriting your loan will see the reduced net pay it creates. It can move your debt-to-income picture at the worst possible moment.

Advance travel payments are cleaner, because they are entitlements you earned rather than borrowed money. Even so, talk to your lender before you move money around. A deposit that appears in your account without a clear paper trail turns into an underwriting question, and underwriting questions cost days you may not have.

The better play for most military buyers is to keep the advance for move costs and let the loan structure handle the house. A VA loan requires no down payment for eligible borrowers, which is the whole point of the benefit. Our guide to how a zero-down VA loan works covers the mechanics, and what military buyers actually pay in VA loan closing costs covers the cash you still need at the table.

Not sure how the whole entitlement stack fits together? Start with understanding your PCS entitlements and benefits, and if you are doing your own move, maximizing your PPM incentive covers the reimbursement side of that 60 percent advance.

A VeteranPCS agent has helped other military families time a closing around a PCS report date and knows which lenders handle military pay documentation well. Connect with an agent at no cost.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much advance pay can I get for a PCS?

Active duty members with PCS orders in hand, within 30 days before or 0 to 60 days after the move, may be authorized one month of basic pay less deductions, and up to three months if justified. Commanding or recruiting officer approval is required.

Do I have to pay back advance pay?

Yes. Advance pay is an advance against your future basic pay and is recovered through payroll deductions. Ask your finance office for the exact repayment schedule and monthly amount before you accept it.

Do I have to pay back an advance travel payment?

No, provided you file your travel claim correctly. Advance travel payments are early payments of entitlements you have earned. They are reconciled against your final travel voucher, so you must annotate them in block 9 on DD Form 1351-2 and file within five days of arrival.

Can I get an advance if I have a government travel card?

Usually not for travel costs. Advance travel payments may be authorized if you are not a Government Travel Charge Card holder or if an advance is not prohibited in your orders. For Army card holders, only a dislocation allowance advance may be authorized.

How early can I request a dislocation allowance advance?

No sooner than 30 days before the sign-out date listed in box 6 on DFAS Form 9114. Dislocation allowance can be advanced at 100 percent.

This content is for informational purposes. Consult a professional for personal financial decisions.

Share this with someone who just got orders and has not built a moving budget yet.