PCS PCS damage claim deadlines
Three dates decide how much of a PCS damage claim you get back: 180 days to report each damaged or missing item, 9 or 12 months to file for full replacement value, and a 2-year wall after which there is no claim. All three count from your delivery date — your pickup date decides which filing window you're in.
The short answer
For a household goods move, these are the clocks, in the order they matter:
| What | When | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Notice of loss or damage | 180 days from delivery | Report each damaged or missing item. Miss it and you lose full replacement value on that item. |
| File the claim in DPS (full replacement value) | 9 months from delivery for shipments picked up on or before May 14, 2026 · 12 months for shipments picked up on or after May 15, 2026 | File inside this window to be paid at full replacement value. |
| Filing later | Up to 2 years from delivery | Still possible, but paid at depreciated value instead of replacement value. |
| The hard wall | 2 years from delivery | Non-waivable. After this there is no claim. |
| The mover's response (the TSP's clock, not yours) | 30 days ($1,000 or less) · 60 days (over $1,000) | If they blow past it, escalate. |
The TSP is the transportation service provider — the moving company. DPS is the Defense Personal Property System at move.mil, where household goods claims are filed.
Which date starts which clock
- Your delivery date starts the 180-day notice window, the 9- or 12-month filing window, and the 2-year wall.
- Your pickup date decides whether you get 9 months or 12 for the filing window. The rule changed for shipments picked up on and after May 15, 2026.
That's why two families delivered on the same day can have different deadlines. Here's a worked example — the same delivery day, with pickups one day apart:
| Family A | Family B | |
|---|---|---|
| Picked up | May 14, 2026 | May 15, 2026 |
| Delivered | July 20, 2026 | July 20, 2026 |
| Notice of loss or damage (180 days) | Jan 16, 2027 | Jan 16, 2027 |
| File for full replacement value | 9 months → Apr 20, 2027 | 12 months → Jul 20, 2027 |
| The 2-year wall | Jul 20, 2028 | Jul 20, 2028 |
Days are counted on the calendar, not in business days, and the examples don't adjust for weekends or holidays. Ask your claims office how your own last day is treated.
75 days or 180 days?
If you've read that you only have 75 days to report damage, that was the notice window for shipments picked up before mid-May 2020. For shipments picked up since, it's 180 days.
Plenty of older articles, handouts and forum threads still say 75. Check the date on whatever you're reading, and make sure it was written for a move like yours.
What each deadline protects
The 180-day notice
This is the clock that starts first and gets missed most. You report each damaged or missing item — in DPS this is the Loss & Damage Report — inside 180 days of delivery. Damage that shows up weeks later, as boxes come open, is the normal case; the notice window is built for it. Just don't let it run out while the cartons sit in the garage.
The 9- or 12-month filing window
Filing the claim itself inside this window is what gets you paid at full replacement value — what it costs to replace the item with a comparable one today. See full replacement value vs depreciated value.
The 2-year wall
You can still file after the 9- or 12-month window, but you're paid at depreciated value. After two years from delivery, there's no claim at all, and that can't be waived.
After you file
Once your claim is in, the TSP has a set time to respond: 30 days for claims of $1,000 or less, 60 days for claims over $1,000. That's their clock, not yours.
If the offer comes back low, you're not stuck with it. You can counter it, and you can transfer individual line items to the Military Claims Office — it's done per line, so a fair offer on one item doesn't force you to accept a bad one on another. Your legal assistance or claims office can walk you through a transfer.
What to do now
- Write down both dates. Your pickup date and your delivery date. Everything else follows from them.
- Photograph damage as you find it. One wide shot of the item, one tight on the damage, the sticker in frame if it's still on. What to photograph, and when.
- Report inside 180 days. Don't wait to finish unpacking — the 180 days run from delivery, not from your last box.
- File inside your window. Check which of the two filing windows is yours, put the last day on your calendar, and file with room to spare.
- Keep the evidence together. The mover's inventory pages, your photos, and the delivery paperwork you signed.
How PCS Pal tracks this. PCS Pal tracks these clocks from the dates you enter and surfaces each one in the app as it comes due, keyed to your pickup date for the filing window and counted from your delivery date. That's a convenience, not an authority. See the full Deadlines section of the claims guide.
Quick answers
Is the deadline 75 days or 180 days?
For shipments picked up since mid-May 2020, the notice window is 180 days from delivery. 75 days was the older rule, and it's still repeated on a lot of older pages.
Does the clock start at pickup or at delivery?
Delivery. The 180-day notice, the 9- or 12-month filing window and the 2-year wall all count from your delivery date. Your pickup date only decides whether the filing window is 9 months or 12.
I'm finding damage months after delivery. Is it too late?
Not if you're still inside your notice window — damage that trickles in as you open boxes is the normal case. Photograph it when you find it and report it inside the 180 days. After that window you risk losing full replacement value on the item, so talk to your claims office about what's still possible.
What happens if I miss the 9- or 12-month filing window?
You can still file, up to two years from delivery, but you'd be paid depreciated value rather than full replacement value.
Who can confirm my exact dates?
Your installation's transportation office or claims office, or DPS itself. PCS Pal isn't a law firm, a claims adjuster, or a government agency.
Confirm your own dates in DPS or with your transportation office. PCS Pal isn't a law firm, a claims adjuster, or a government agency, and these rules change. If a deadline is close, ask your local claims office or legal assistance — don't take a web page's word for the last day you can file.