PPM / DITY Settlement Estimator
DITY Move Profit Calculator
Work out what a personally procured move (PPM, still widely called a DITY) actually leaves in your pocket: the incentive, the weight your allowance will pay for, the documented expenses that come off the top, and the federal withholding on what is left. Below is a worked example; enter your own Government Constructed Cost, weights, and expenses in the interactive calculator for your numbers.
You bring the GCC
The Government Constructed Cost is what the government would have paid a contractor for your move. It comes from Global Household Goods Contract rate tables that are not published for public use, so this calculator does not invent one — you enter the figure from your own move.mil / DPS estimate or from your local transportation office. Every calculator that produces a GCC from a ZIP code and a weight is guessing at the single number your whole settlement depends on.
Worked Example: E-5 (Sergeant) with Dependents, 8,000 lb Moved
Assumptions, all stated so you can check them: an E-5 (Sergeant) with dependents, authorized 9,000 lb under JTR Table 5-37, PCS and NTS Weight Allowances (Pounds); a $8,500.00 Government Constructed Cost quoted for 8,000 lb — an illustrative figure, not a government rate, standing in for the member's own move.mil estimate; 8,000 lb on the certified weight tickets; and $2,400.00 of documented out-of-pocket costs for the truck, fuel, packing materials, tolls, and scale fees.
| Settlement Line | Amount |
|---|---|
| Weight paid forCertified weight 8,000 lb, allowance 9,000 lb — the government settles on whichever is less. | 8,000 lb |
| PPM incentive (100% of GCC)$1.0625 per pound × 8,000 lb | $8,500.00 |
| Documented moving expensesReceipts reduce the taxable portion, not the incentive itself. | − $2,400.00 |
| Taxable amountIncentive net of documented expenses — the part reported as income. | $6,100.00 |
| Estimated federal withholding (22%)IRS supplemental-wage flat rate. An estimate, not your final tax bill. | − $1,342.00 |
| Estimated net profit | $4,758.00 |
The 9,000 lb allowance and the 100%-of-GCC rate are current Joint Travel Regulations policy. The $8,500.00 GCC and $2,400.00 of expenses are illustrative inputs — yours will differ, and the withholding figure is an estimate of what is withheld, not of what you will ultimately owe.
How a PPM Payment Is Actually Calculated
When the government has a moving contractor available and you choose to move yourself instead, the Joint Travel Regulations pay you a monetary allowance equal to 100% of the Government Constructed Cost for the weight you actually transport (JTR par. 051502-C). The 130% rate some members remember was a temporary window that ran from May 15 to September 30, 2025 and has expired. There is no separate profit formula: the incentive is the whole payment, and your profit is simply what is left after you pay for the truck and the taxes.
Two limits shape the number. Weight is the first: settlement uses your net weight from certified weight tickets or your authorized allowance, whichever is less (JTR par. 051502-D and 051502-F). Pounds above your allowance are not merely unpaid — they are moved entirely at your own cost, which is how a promising PPM turns into a loss. Tax is the second: the incentive is taxable income reported on a W-2, and the services typically withhold at the 22% federal supplemental-wage flat rate. Documented operating expenses — truck or trailer rental, fuel, packing materials, tolls, weigh-station fees — reduce the taxable portion, so receipts are worth roughly 22% of their face value at settlement.
The one number this page cannot compute for you is the GCC itself. It is derived from Global Household Goods Contract rate tables that the Department does not publish for public use. Get yours from move.mil / DPS when you create your PPM shipment, or from your local transportation office, and enter it above. You can also request an advance of up to 60% of the estimated allowance to cover the truck before you move — that advance is deducted from your final settlement.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much do you get paid for a DITY (PPM) move?
You are paid 100% of the Government Constructed Cost — what the government would have paid a moving company to move the same weight the same distance — for the weight you actually move, up to your authorized weight allowance. You keep whatever you did not spend, minus taxes. A temporary 130% rate existed from May 15 through September 30, 2025 and has expired; the current rate is 100% (JTR par. 051502-C, edition effective July 1, 2026).
What is the Government Constructed Cost and where do I get mine?
The Government Constructed Cost (GCC) is the price the government would have paid a contractor for your move. It is calculated from Global Household Goods Contract rate tables that are not published for public use, so no third-party calculator — including this one — can honestly reproduce it. Get your GCC from your own move.mil / DPS estimate or from your local transportation office, then enter it here. Any tool that produces a GCC from a ZIP code and a weight is guessing.
What is the PCS weight allowance for an E-5 (Sergeant)?
An E-5 with dependents is authorized 9,000 lb; an E-5 without dependents is authorized 7,000 lb. Those figures come from JTR Table 5-37, PCS and NTS Weight Allowances (Pounds) in the JTR, edition effective July 1, 2026. Weight above your allowance is not paid for — the government settles on the lesser of your net weight and your allowance, so the extra pounds move at your own expense.
Is a PPM payment taxable?
The incentive portion is taxable income and is reported on a W-2. Documented moving expenses — truck or trailer rental, fuel, packing materials, tolls, weigh-ticket fees — reduce the taxable portion, which is why keeping every receipt is worth real money. The remainder is typically withheld at the 22% federal supplemental-wage flat rate (IRS Publication 15). That is a withholding rate, not your final tax bill: what you actually owe is settled on your return and depends on your whole tax situation.
What happens if I move more than my weight allowance?
Nothing is paid for the excess. The Joint Travel Regulations settle a PPM on the government's constructed cost of the lesser of your net weight and your authorized allowance (JTR par. 051502-D and 051502-F), so pounds above the line are moved entirely at your own cost. Professional books, papers, and equipment ("pro-gear") and required medical equipment are not counted against your allowance at all, and an empty gun safe is excluded up to 500 lb of net weight (JTR par. 051304).
Can I get money up front for a PPM?
Yes. The JTR authorizes an advance of up to 60% of the PPM monetary allowance (par. 051502-G), which is how most members cover the truck rental and fuel before settlement. An advance is money you have already been paid, so it is deducted from your final settlement — and if your actual weight comes in below your estimate, you can end up owing part of it back.