Best PCS move inventory app for military families
On a PCS move the movers write their own inventory. Yours, with photos, serial numbers and values, is what backs up a claim. Here's what to use for it, and the deadlines to know.
The BoxTrack team · Facts checked · We make BoxTrackBoxTrackPCS checklistNAIC Home InventoryAsset Vault
For a PCS move, the best inventory app is one that keeps your own box-by-box list with photos, serial numbers and values, checks boxes off on delivery day, and gives you a report if something is lost or broken. BoxTrack does all of that. If you only want a list of your valuable things, our free PCS inventory checklist has the high-value list in Excel. For the valuables themselves, the free NAIC Home Inventory app or Asset Vault on iPhone can photograph and value them before the packers arrive.
At a glance
What do you need? Tap one or more
- Box by box ✓Yes, with QR labels
- Delivery check-in ✓Yes
- Photos and values ✓Yes, AI fills in
- Report PDF, Excel
- Runs on Any phone's browser
- Box by box ½Only high-value items
- Delivery check-in ½Only by hand
- Photos and values ½Only by hand
- Report Excel
- Runs on Excel or paper
- Box by box ✕No (by room or category)
- Delivery check-in ?Not found
- Photos and values ✓Yes
- Report Export
- Runs on iPhone, Android
- Box by box ?Not found
- Delivery check-in ?Not found
- Photos and values ✓Yes, AI fills in
- Report Insurance PDF
- Runs on iPhone
Tap an app to see the details (report, runs on).
BoxTrack3We picked these rows and we make BoxTrack, so read it with that in mind. Every fact links to its source below.
Pax is an AI. He knows BoxTrack and moving, not other apps, so check them on their own sites.
The details
Why this comparison+
We make BoxTrack. It isn't a moving company, and filing a claim is still yours to do.
Why your own list matters on a PCS+
The movers (the transportation service provider, or TSP) write the official inventory at pickup: a number for each item or box and notes on its condition. It's their list, and "carton, misc." doesn't say what was inside. Your own list says what was in carton 47, what it was worth and what it looked like before the move. See your own moving inventory vs the movers'.
What to have ready+
Before the packers come:
- Snap your valuable things and electronics, with the serial number labels, and note what each is worth.
- Find receipts for the expensive things. They make a full replacement value claim much easier.
- Separate your pro-gear and declare it, so it's listed and weighed apart from your household goods.
- Doing a PPM? Keep every weight ticket.
On pickup day: point out anything valuable before it's packed, so it's listed specifically. Read the TSP's inventory before you sign, and write their inventory number for each box on your own list.
On delivery day: check off each inventory number as it comes off the truck.
The deadlines: you have 180 days from delivery to give notice of loss or damage, on the form the crew hands you or later in DPS. Then file the claim with the TSP to keep full replacement value: within 12 months of delivery for a shipment picked up on or after May 15, 2026, or nine months for one picked up before then. Your transportation or claims office can confirm the details for your move.
The picks+
BoxTrack: best for the whole PCS, pack-out to claim. Snap each box's contents and AI lists them, with values. Add serial numbers, purchase dates, and a field for the TSP's inventory number. Print a QR label for each box, and on delivery day scan each one off the truck: BoxTrack shows which boxes are still missing. Weigh boxes to see roughly where you stand against your allowance before the weigh-in, and tag things Sell or Donate to cut weight early. For anything lost or broken, it makes a PDF report with every photo and value. Weak spots: it's new, it's a web app with no app-store download, it can't import from other apps, and the free plan is 1 box with up to 5 items. A whole household needs a paid plan, with a 72-hour free trial.
Free PCS inventory checklist: best if you just need the list. Our PCS inventory checklist covers pack-out, delivery day and the claim deadlines, with the high-value list in Excel. No sign-up.
NAIC Home Inventory: best free app for your valuables. Free on iPhone and Android, from the state insurance regulators. Photograph and value the things that matter before pickup, and export the list. Reviewers mention export problems on large inventories, so keep it to your valuables and test the export.
Asset Vault: best iPhone app for receipts and a PDF. A photo suggests the name, brand and value, it scans receipts, and it exports an insurance-ready PDF. Handy for the expensive things where receipts help most. iPhone only.
How to choose+
- Short on time before pack-out? Do the valuables first.
- Moving a whole household? Use something that lists boxes and checks them in, not only valuables.
- Keep it online, not on paper in a box going on the truck.
Questions+
Is there a PCS inventory app?
BoxTrack works as one: it keeps every box's contents with photos and values, prints QR labels and checks boxes off on delivery day. Your first box is free.
How long do I have to file a claim after a PCS move?
Give the TSP notice of loss or damage within 180 days of delivery. Then file the claim within 12 months of delivery to keep full replacement value, or nine months if the shipment was picked up before May 15, 2026.
Should I photograph my things before a PCS move?
Yes. Photos of furniture and electronics before pickup show their condition. Snap the serial number labels too, and the inside of any box you pack yourself, before you tape it.
Sources, checked October 10, 2026: NAIC Home Inventory, NAIC on the App Store, Asset Vault on Product Hunt. Military OneSource, moving claims, Military OneSource, claims fact sheet. Features and rules change; check with your transportation office.
About BoxTrack’s plans: the free plan is 1 box with up to 5 items, with every feature to try. On paid plans, Starter has up to 5 boxes and 10 AI photo scans a month; Plus has up to 49 boxes, unlimited AI scans (whole boxes too), the insurance PDF report, Excel and CSV export, sharing and custom fields; Unlimited adds unlimited boxes and Ask Pax, the AI assistant. New accounts get 72 hours free on any paid plan.