When you drive yourself and your family to a new duty station, the military pays you for the trip through PCS travel pay. A PCS (Permanent Change of Station, your next set of military move orders) that you complete by privately owned vehicle earns two things: a mileage allowance and a daily per diem. Knowing the 2026 rates and how the math works helps you claim every dollar you are owed. This guide walks through both, with a simple example.
The Two Parts of PCS Travel Pay
Travel pay for a drive to your new base has two pieces. The first is the Monetary Allowance in Lieu of Transportation, called MALT, which pays you per mile for using your own vehicle. The second is per diem, a daily amount for meals and lodging while you travel. Both come from the Joint Travel Regulations and are settled through your travel voucher after you arrive.
These payments are separate from your household goods shipment, your dislocation allowance, and any personally procured move payout. They exist to cover the drive itself.
The 2026 MALT Rate
For 2026, the MALT rate for PCS travel is 20.5 cents per mile, effective January 1, 2026, according to the Defense Travel Management Office. One important detail sets MALT apart from a normal mileage reimbursement: it covers the whole vehicle, not each person. Whether you drive alone or with your entire family in the car, you are paid the same rate for the official distance between your old and new duty stations.
MALT is a flat payment for the drive and is not meant to reimburse every cost of operating your car. It is based on the official distance the military calculates, which may differ slightly from what your map app shows.
The PCS MALT rate by year. It moves with fuel and operating costs. Source: Defense Travel Management Office.
How PCS Per Diem Works
On top of mileage, you and your family receive a daily per diem for the authorized travel days. This is where dependents matter. The service member receives the full daily rate, each dependent age 12 or older receives 75 percent of that rate, and each dependent under age 12 receives 50 percent, per the Joint Travel Regulations.
How PCS per diem splits among travelers, shown against the FY2026 standard CONUS rate of $178 per day. Your rate is set by the JTR. Source: Defense Travel Management Office and GSA.
The number of travel days you are paid for is based on the official distance. As a rule of thumb, the military authorizes about one travel day per 350 miles, with the first day covering the first 400 miles, per the Defense Travel Management Office. If an overnight stay is required at a transportation terminal or processing point, a separate lodging rule may apply instead of the driving per diem for that day.
A Simple Example
Say your family drives 1,100 official miles from your old base to your new one.
Your MALT is 1,100 miles multiplied by 20.5 cents, which comes to $225.50 for the vehicle. That amount is the same whether one person or five make the drive.
On top of that, the military authorizes travel days for the distance and pays a per diem for each one. Using the FY2026 standard rate as an illustration, the member is paid the full daily amount, a 14-year-old is paid 75 percent of it, and a 6-year-old is paid 50 percent. Add the two pieces together, and a cross-country drive can put several hundred dollars back in your pocket. Your finance office computes the exact figure from your orders.
