No valid weight tickets, no payment — it's that simple. Most people asking what receipts do you need for a PPM move are asking too late: standing at a truck stop with a faded thermal slip and a sinking feeling. Here's the full paper trail, in the order you'll actually need it.
The non-negotiables: certified weight tickets
Your PPM payment is based on net weight, and the only proof of net weight is a certified empty ticket and a certified loaded ticket for every vehicle and every trip. The formula the transportation office uses:
- Empty weight = your vehicle with a full tank of gas, no drivers or passengers inside
- Loaded weight = same vehicle, full tank, nobody inside, all your property loaded
- Loaded minus empty = the net weight you're paid on
Consistency between the two weighings protects your number, so weigh empty first, then loaded, under the same conditions. Each ticket must show: your name and grade, the scale's name and location, vehicle/trailer identification, the date, the weighmaster's signature, and a legible weight. Where to get them: CAT scales at truck stops and travel plazas, moving-truck rental locations, landfills, gravel yards, feed stores. Call ahead and ask specifically for a certified weight ticket — a printed official slip, not a guess.
Then photograph every ticket the moment you get it. Faded thermal-paper slips are the number one cause of PPM payment headaches. The photo is your backup; the original is your claim.
What receipts do you need for a PPM move? The expense stack
Weight tickets get you paid. Expense receipts keep more of it. Your PPM profit is taxable, but authorized expenses are deducted before profit is calculated — so every receipt is effectively a tax receipt. Keep all of them:
- Rental truck or trailer (the rental agreement itself)
- Rental — not purchase — of hand trucks, dollies, and moving equipment
- Furniture pads, tie-downs, boxes, tape, and packing materials
- Hired labor for loading and unloading
- Gas and oil for the move (an oil change doesn't count)
- Highway tolls and the weight ticket fees themselves
Track spending as you go rather than reconstructing it later. Rebuilding a month of fuel stops from memory is how deductions die. (The tax side of all this — including the W-2 surprise — is in Yes, Your PPM Profit Is Taxable.)
The forms packet
Beyond tickets and receipts, your claim needs the paperwork that proves the move was authorized:
- DD Form 2278 — application for move and counseling checklist
- DD Form 1351-2 — the travel voucher
- Your orders and any amendments
- Vehicle/trailer rental contract, if you rented
- Counseling paperwork and any advance operating allowance documents
Exact requirements vary by service branch, so confirm with your transportation office before you roll — not after. If you're still deciding between move types, PPM vs. Government Move walks through the tradeoff honestly.
The 45-day clock
Once the move is done, you generally have 45 days to submit your claim for full payment (Army guidance — confirm your service's window). Keep the originals, keep the photos, and keep a copy of everything you submit. The families who get paid fast are the ones whose packet is complete on the first submission.
What happens if I lose a weight ticket?
Contact your transportation office immediately. You generally can't re-weigh after unloading, which is why photographing every ticket the moment you get it matters so much.
Can I use any scale for my weight tickets?
It must be a certified scale issuing an official weigh slip — CAT scales at truck stops are the common choice. A bathroom scale or an estimate won't count.
Are packing materials reimbursable on a PPM?
Yes. Boxes, tape, and packing materials are authorized expenses, deducted from your allowance before your taxable profit is calculated.
Do I need weight tickets if I move in my own car?
Yes — certified empty and loaded tickets for whatever you move, including a privately owned vehicle. No valid tickets, no payment.