Have you ever been suprised by a “no pay due”? Or, imagine this, two years after a military move and you receive a bill for going over your weight allowance.
Yes, you knew you were over the allowance, but you figured even with the painfully slow way things get processed you would have heard about it before the two year mark. But yes, this happens, and it’s legal.
It's one of the terrible things about dealing with the government. When they owe you money, you may never see it. But if you owe them money, they'll get you in the end.
Unfortunately, there is absolutely no time cap on how long after your military move the government has to collect additional charges, according to officials at Surface Deployment and Distribution Command (SDDC), which manages the military move and PCS system.
A previous 10-year limit was removed in 2008 thanks to a law change, they said.
That means they can charge you at any time. And if they can't track you down the old-fashioned and (you might say) polite way by mail, they eventually could simply garnish your tax return. In short, you're going to pay whether you like it or not.
So how much could you owe? It's too late for you now, but others who read this should pay close attention to their weight limits and transportation office during their move.
There's no specific formula for how much going over your military move weight allowance costs, but if you think you'll be going over, SDDC officials strongly recommend you ask for a re-weigh.
"We would highly encourage them to request a re-weigh through their Transportation Service Provider (TSP) or Installation Transportation Office (ITO). This can be done [on Move.mil] or by contacting the TSP or ITO directly," SDDC officials told us. "It's important to note that service members do not incur cost for re-weighs, so if they are close, it's best to err on the side of caution and request a re-weigh."
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