PCS Military Assistant

Your AI-powered PCS expert — ask questions, get move advice, or plan your timeline.

100% free. Unlimited questions. Powered by official JTR, DFAS, and DTMO data.

About this assistant

The Military Toolkit Assistant is an AI chat interface built on Anthropic's Claude. It has direct access to embedded copies of the same official rate tables and entitlement data that power our calculators.

What it can answer from embedded data

  • 2026 basic pay, BAS, BAH (338 MHAs), DLA, MALT, FSA, clothing allowances, special & incentive pays
  • Per-diem rates for CONUS localities and 1,600+ OCONUS locations, weight allowances by rank
  • U.S. military installations, PCS timelines, and entitlement eligibility

Authority sources cited in responses

Joint Travel Regulations (JTR), DoD FMR Vol. 7A, DFAS pay tables, DTMO per-diem and BAH publications, IRS Publication 15-T, U.S. Code, and service-specific regulations (AFI, AR, MCO, OPNAVINST, CIM, DoDI).

Limits and honesty rules

Every response is AI-generated. The assistant is instructed to never fabricate rates, formulas, or statutory citations — if a question falls outside its embedded data, it says so explicitly rather than guess. Citations are extracted and shown beneath each answer as authority badges.

Verify before acting. Military Toolkit is not a DFAS or finance-office system. For final entitlement decisions, voucher submission, or any action tied to a real payment, confirm with your military pay office, TMO, or finance counselor.

Privacy: your question text and recent conversation are sent to our server and to Anthropic to generate a response. We do not retain conversation history after the session ends. See the Privacy Policy for details.

Ask about entitlements, regulations, pay

Try asking

For informational purposes only. Always verify entitlements with your finance office. Powered by Claude AI with FY2026 JTR data.

Reference

What service members ask the Military Toolkit AI Assistant.

The assistant is grounded in the Joint Travel Regulations (JTR), DoD Financial Management Regulation (FMR) Volume 7A, DFAS pay tables, DTMO per-diem and BAH/OHA rate publications, and branch-specific personnel regulations (AFI 36-2671, MCO 5300.16, NAVMC, AR 600-8-101). Below are common questions and the regulation each one comes from. Ask the assistant for the specifics that apply to your situation.

PCS entitlements

  • How is my PPM payment calculated? The Government Constructed Cost (GCC) is what the government would have paid a commercial mover for your authorized weight; the PPM payment is currently 100% of GCC after the 130% MAP 42-25(R) window expired Sep 30, 2025. JTR par. 051502.
  • What is my weight allowance? Set by JTR Table 5-37. With dependents: E-7 = 13,000 lbs, O-3 = 14,500 lbs. Pro-gear (member) is 2,000 lbs and pro-gear (spouse) is 500 lbs, both separate from HHG.
  • How many travel days am I authorized? 1 day if the trip is 400 miles or less. If over 400 miles, divide by 350 and add 1 day if the remainder is 51 miles or more (JTR par. 020303).
  • How is DLA paid? Dislocation Allowance is paid once per PCS based on rank and dependency status (JTR Chapter 5, DTMO 2026 table). With dependents, DLA ranges $3,085–$6,385 in 2026.

Pay & allowances

  • What's my BAH at the new duty station? BAH rates are published annually by DTMO and indexed by ZIP code, rank, and dependency status. The 5% out-of-pocket policy was eliminated in 2024.
  • How does prorated BAH work mid-month? Daily-equivalent BAH (1/30 of monthly) is paid by the losing station through the day before the effective date and by the gaining station beginning on the effective date (DoD FMR Vol 7A).
  • What is BAS in 2026? Enlisted BAS is $476.95/month and officer BAS is $328.48/month. BAS is taxable and tied to subsistence costs, not duty location.
  • How is special pay taxed? Most S&I pays (HDIP, SDAP, FLPB, sea duty, hazardous duty) are taxable wages. Combat Zone Tax Exclusion (CZTE) excludes basic pay and many special pays for designated combat zones (IRS Pub 3).

Separation & retirement

  • How much terminal leave can I take? Terminal leave is ordinary chargeable leave taken immediately before separation; the cap is your accrued leave balance, governed by 10 U.S.C. § 701 and DoD FMR Vol 7A Ch 35.
  • How does selling back leave work? Lifetime cap is 60 days (37 U.S.C. § 501). Sold-back days are paid at current basic pay rate, do not include BAH/BAS, and are taxed as ordinary income.
  • Am I eligible for SkillBridge? Active-duty members in their last 180 days of service may participate in industry training under 10 U.S.C. § 1143(e). Branch-specific rules in AFI 36-2671 and equivalents.
  • What's the Final Pay vs High-3 vs BRS retirement difference? Final Pay applies to members who entered service before Sep 8, 1980; High-3 to members through Dec 31, 2017; Blended Retirement System (BRS) to members entering on or after Jan 1, 2018 (DoD Instruction 1340.27).

VA & transition

  • How does the VA combine ratings? Not by addition: VA disability ratings are combined using "VA math" with the residual-efficiency formula in 38 CFR § 4.25, then rounded to the nearest 10%.
  • What's the VA loan funding fee? First-use no-down-payment funding fee is 2.15% of loan amount (3.3% for subsequent use). Disabled veterans rated 10%+ are exempt.
  • How much GI Bill BAH do I get? Post-9/11 GI Bill MHA equals the active-duty E-5 with-dependents BAH for the school's ZIP code, prorated by rate of pursuit (38 U.S.C. § 3313).
  • Can my spouse use the GI Bill? Transfer-of-Entitlement (TEU) requires 6 years served + 4 years remaining commitment. Once transferred, dependents have 15 years to use it (Post-9/11 statute).

The assistant always cites the specific paragraph or table it pulled an answer from. If a regulation or rate has changed since the cited publication, the assistant will say so. For binding decisions, contact your finance office, transportation office (TMO), or branch personnel office.