Permanent Change of Station (PCS)

• The Federal Travel Regulations (FTR) provide agencies the ability to pay Permanent Change of Station (PCS) costs for employees under certain conditions. PCS relocation expenses shall be paid when it is determined the move is in the interest of the Government and is not primarily for the personal convenience or benefit of the employee or at the employee’s request.
• PCS relocation expenses and first post of duty allowances may be authorized for permanent positions that are:
  • GS-11 and above or equivalent, and difficult to fill; or
  • GS-7 and above or equivalent, and located in an isolated duty location.
• First post of duty allowances will not be authorized for new appointees who receive a recruitment incentive or a superior qualifications appointment.
• The request for payment of PCS expenses must be submitted in writing, specifically that the position is difficult to fill, and must reflect consideration of the following factors:
  • Position is in a designated hard-to-fill occupational series.
  • For all other positions, document recruitment experience of:
    • Inadequate numbers of qualified applicants in the local commuting area from competitive and non-competitive sources for vacant positions;
    • Repeated advertising efforts of appropriate scope through a variety of recruitment sources with minimal results;
    • Previous history of an inadequate number of qualified applicants for vacant positions;
    • High declination rates; and
    • Significant turnover in similar positions.
• The determination that PSC expenses are authorized must be made by the Command Staff Advisor/Human Resources Specialist or other official in the Civilian Human Resources Office prior to advertising a vacancy.
• To receive authorization for PCS relocation expenses meeting the criteria in COMDTINST 12570.5 (series), all employees will be required to sign a 1 year service agreement or a 2 year service agreement for those employees reporting to positions Outside of the Continental United States (OCONUS).