DLA and the Money Side of PCS Orders

PCS orders read like a logistics problem, but they are also a funded event: the government owes you specific amounts for the dislocation, the driving, and the days on the road. Families who know the three pieces — DLA, MALT, and per diem — budget the move; families who don't often float it on a credit card and get reimbursed later for less than they spent.

DLA: the flat payment for uprooting a household

Dislocation Allowance is a one-time flat amount per PCS, set by grade and dependency status, meant to partially cover what no receipt line covers — deposits, utility hookups, the first grocery run in an empty kitchen. For 2026, an E-5 with dependents gets $3,548.02 ($2,389.42 without); an O-4 with dependents $4,885.43. Two shape quirks worth knowing: E-1 through E-6 share a single with-dependents rate, and it is one payment per move regardless of family size. You can request DLA in advance so the cash arrives when the deposits are due, not after the voucher settles.

DLA is not payable in every case — the classic miss is a member without dependents assigned to government quarters at the new station. First-term moves to the first duty station and separation moves generally don't qualify either. Confirm against your orders before spending it.

MALT: mileage for driving yourself

Drive your own vehicle and the government pays $0.205 per official mile (CY2026), per authorized vehicle. “Official” is the distance in the DoD table for your route, not your odometer — scenic detours are on you. MALT is modest per mile, but it is paid on top of per diem, and a second authorized POV doubles the mileage payment.

Per diem: paid by the travel day, scaled by family

Authorized travel days follow a formula: up to 400 miles is one day; past that, official distance ÷ 350 miles per day, with a leftover of 51+ miles adding a final day. Each authorized day pays the member $178.00 (the 2026 standard CONUS rate), a dependent 12 or over 75% of that ($133.50), and a dependent under 12 half ($89.00).

Worked example: E-5 family, 1,200 official miles

An E-5 with a spouse and a 6-year-old, driving one POV 1,200 official miles. The travel-day formula authorizes 4 days (1,200 ÷ 350 = 3 full days, remainder 150 miles ≥ 51, so one more day is added):

1. DLA: $3,548.02
2. MALT: 1,200 mi × $0.205 = $246.00
3. Per diem: member $712.00 + spouse $534.00 + child $356.00 = $1,602.00

Total: $5,396.02 — before household-goods shipping (or a DITY/PPM payment if you move yourself), and before situational extras like temporary lodging allowances. The PCS cost tool runs this same computation for your grade, family, and mileage, and lets you set expenses against it to see the net.

Getting all of it, on time

Three habits separate smooth PCS finances from messy ones. Request advance DLA (and advance travel pay if offered) so money moves when you do. Keep every receipt anyway — lodging matters for some situational entitlements, and DITY moves live and die on paperwork. And file the travel voucher promptly at the new station: it is the single document that turns all of the above from entitlements into deposits, and finance offices process clean, fast filings first. What this page covers is the government's side of the move; the PCS checklist covers everything else.