Military households may need to manage costs extra carefully when moving to a new duty station in 2026.
Perennially a source of financial pain, a permanent change of station (PCS) move this year could cost troops more money out of pocket than in a typical year, when they’re already prone to lowballing their estimate, said John Osarczuk, executive vice president and national director of advisor operations at First Command Financial Services.
“Generally, the rule of thumb that we use is that it’s 10 to 20 percent more expensive than you think it’s going to be,” said Osarczuk. A recent survey that the company conducted to inform its advisors determined that PCSing represents a big source of financial stress.
“It was a financial stressor when I was active duty 30 years ago, and I’m sure it’s just as stressful today as it was back then,” said Osarczuk, who served 10 years in the Air Force as a helicopter pilot.
This year when undergoing a PCS, service members and their families must factor in steep price increases associated with travel. At the same time, they may experience uncertainty over deployments or duty assignments due to the war with Iran.
In terms of the war: “I couldn’t confidently say what I think is going to happen, and just the fact that nobody can [say] introduces a level of financial stress because of the unexpected nature of that,” Osarczuk said. Families might wonder if a non-active-duty spouse will have to manage a move alone or if a move could come sooner or unexpectedly, when they’re “not quite ready for it.”
Planning ahead is “the No. 1 way” to avoid unnecessary costs that could snowball as debt, Osarczuk said.
Expect Your PCS to Cost More in 2026
“Maybe you started planning for a PCS move two years ago. You got a certain budget set up, and now you’re going to experience 10, 15% greater costs associated with that,” Osarczuk said. Gas prices went up after the start of the Iran war as other prices continued to climb. “So you’re going to suffer under these kinds of relevant, more short-term changes. Inflation, hotel costs: We’ve seen those things go up.”
Read More: 2026 Mileage Rates for Official Travel
Plan for the PCS Itself as Well as Unexpected Costs
Financially, a move from Nebraska, for example, to Hawaii or Washington, D.C., “is going to rock your world,” Osarczuk said. “You’ve got to take time to get yourself oriented, or you’ve got to know somebody who already knows that stuff and can help you prepare for that.” In the military, he said you probably know that person. Members of a given career field “know that they operate on certain bases, and they know their cycle.”
Make a formal plan, and revisit it regularly. Periodically address “the state of where you are, relative to a PCS,” taking your typical PCS behaviors into account, especially those “that caused issues that you wound up having to suffer through, or pay for, that weren’t reimbursed,” Osarczuk said.
“Do you plan your route? Do you have to do unexpected things like eat out because you pack up your household goods early? Do you need exceptional child care when you get to the new duty station or to depart from your current duty station?”
Read More: Military PCS Guide
Beware of Accruing Interest on Credit Cards
You probably won’t be reimbursed for moving expenses within a credit card cycle. “So what happens is, you get charged interest on that,” Osarczuk said.
Add in extra expenses that don’t get reimbursed at all, such as a loosely-budgeted-for vacation mid-move, and what happens? “We carry a balance across a billing cycle. We’ve got interest now. We can’t get back on our budget because we’re still trying to dig out of a hole … so it starts to snowball,” Osarczuk warned.
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