Permanent change of station moves are expensive and, although the Army will reimburse you for some expenses, non-reimbursable, out-of-pocket costs such as shipping your pet, can add up quickly.  Be prepared for the unexpected by saving some money before your move. You will need to have enough money to cover your daily expenses when you arrive in Kaiserslautern. Plan on spending at least $200 to $400 a day for lodging, plus food and transportation expenses. You will also have to continue to make payments to your creditors so try to pay a month in advance of your move to avoid late fees. Ensure that you notify them of your overseas move and provide your forwarding address as soon as possible. Making a list of your creditors and account numbers, along with their addresses and telephone numbers, to ensure that in the event you run into problems, you can easily contact them.

Army Community Service Financial Readiness Program: 314-541-9023 or 0611-143541-9023.

Financial Readiness provides a variety of services from crisis management to wealth building. You can work with Accredited Financial Counselors at your departing location to start financial planning for your PCS and continue to work on your financial goals when you arrive at your new duty station. Financial problems can be addressed with the Army Community Service Financial Readiness Program manager or Army Emergency Relief representative. Our monthly financial classes may include topics such as:  Required Common Military Trainings (CMT) to reach milestone training requirements, Weekly Financial Readiness In-processing with all kinds of need to know information for a successful tour in Rheinland-Pfalz Germany, Budgeting, Debt and Credit Management, Understanding the Thrift Savings Plan, Continuation Pay Bonus, Vesting with the TSP, Retirement, and Budgeting for a new baby.

Set up an individual appointment for help with money management, budget development, debt liquidation assistance, and financial planning for military lifestyle and retirement.  All self-referral financial cases are treated with strict confidence; no information is released without the knowledge and consent of the client.  Units can request financial readiness training, which includes various topics on financial readiness for mission readiness and self-sufficiency.

The cost of living in Kaiserslautern is high in comparison to the United States. With the fluctuating exchange rate, shopping on the local economy can be expensive. Although the Post Exchange and Commissary usually have basic household items in stock that result in an overall savings, there are times when items of high demand are purchased on the economy, including clothing or shoes of a particular size or food items found in specialty stores.

Permanent Change of Station Allowances and Entitlements

A permanent change of station may entitle you and your family certain benefits.  Upon arrival check with the Military Pay and Finance Office about the following entitlements that may be authorized to you:

• Overseas Housing Allowance
• Moving-In Housing Allowance
• Cost of Living Allowance
• Advance Pay
• Advance Travel Pay
• Privately Owned Vehicle shipment
• Temporary Lodging Allowance (Reimbursement)
• Family Separation Allowance
• Advanced Overseas Housing Allowance

Army Community Service Financial Readiness Program provides free financial planning services, education, support and coaching and Accredited Financial Counselors.  For more info: 314-531-2867/314-541-9023.

Army Emergency Relief can help you meet unforeseen extraordinary travel and related expenses resulting from transportation, lodging or food incurred with permanent change of station moves.  More info: 314-541-9012

Army Emergency Relief has a Memorandum of Agreement to provide support through the American Red Cross after normal duty hours and during closures to military communities worldwide. Services provided include information, emergency messages, processing AER applications for financial assistance and referral to organizations and resources in the community that can help you.

Newly arrived personnel may be entitled to draw advance pay when relocating; but remember that repayments are automatically withdrawn from your monthly pay and can reduce your monthly income in some cases drastically.

Keep a detailed record of your permanent change of station travel; include all stops including leave en route and arrival and departure dates and times to complete your Travel Voucher DD Form 1351-2 within 5 days of arrival. It is also important to keep receipts and/or records of expenses associated with your move. It is a requirement to turn in a copy of any military travel accounts and/or travel records with your travel settlement voucher; therefore, you must print and keep all airline tickets. Finally, pick up your military pay and travel pay records before you leave your present duty station. Without a record, payment must be held pending confirmation of the advances. If you received advance travel pay, ask for a copy of the voucher to file with your PCS settlement claim.

Your payment for travel will be a direct deposit into your checking account or another account, so remember to pay off your Government Travel Card (GTC) in full before spending that money. Some charges may be delayed in posting to your GTC, so check to make sure you’ve paid off the full balance as required.

It is advised that you visit the Financial Readiness Program Manager at your current installation to check into budgeting for your upcoming move. A little financial planning before your move can save a lot of headaches later.

Temporary Housing

Before you settle into a home, you will probably stay in billeting or lodging off post. In the Kaiserslautern Military Community, all military identification cardholders are eligible to stay in billeting. It is advised that as soon as you get your orders, you call the Ramstein Central Reservations to reserve your room. Call 011-49-6371-45-4920 or DSN 314-480-4920 or email ramstein.lodging@us.af.mil

Check out the topic on Temporary Housing for room rates. Arriving personnel have up to 30 days in billeting while departing personnel have 10 days. Civilians may stay longer than 30 days but requires supervisor approval and you should check with civilian personnel as rates are reduced.

Average Costs for Housing

Settling in can be expensive in the KMC. It is important to plan ahead because housing rentals on the economy can cost from 1,000 Euro per month and more, depending on size, condition of the property, location and amenities. A two- to three-month rent deposit maybe required. Personnel are advised that their Overseas Housing Allowance should cover the cost of rent and utilities. Otherwise, any excess amount will be paid from your own funds.

Rent for unfurnished single homes with three or four bedrooms can range from 1,500 Euro to 2,500 Euro. These houses should offer amenities such as built-in kitchens with refrigerator and stove and a German washer and dryer. Smaller apartments with two or three bedrooms can range from 1,000-1,200 Euro. With approximately 11,000 rental units scattered throughout the 300 villages within a 20-mile radius of Ramstein Air Base and Kaiserslautern, there is a wide variety of off-post housing to choose from.  Contact Housing Office before entering into verbal or contractual agreements.

Utility Payments

Telephone charges are expensive and will be based on the calling plan you choose.

There are telephone plans that include your house phone, cellphones and internet. With this plan, you may be able to call anywhere in Germany to anyone within the same telephone company for a flat rate; however, if the person you are calling has a different telephone company, you will be charged an extra fee. Also, the cost of phone usage will be based on frequency of use. A monthly charge of 100 Euro or more is not unusual.

Be aware that use of the telephone can cause financial problems for families in Germany. Unlike American phone service, there is a charge for local calls. Whenever you place a call, you will pay for the call. The longer you talk, the more it will cost. Calling long distance is even more expensive. There are several alternatives to using the German phone system for making long distance calls to the United States, including calling cards, as well as five-digit prefixes. Some people buy the adapter to connect to apps from the internet. Once connected, for a flat fee, you can call anywhere in the United States. Be sure to check out all options available.  Some US cell phone carriers have international plans that last longer than 10 days.  Other customers use a German cell phone plan and use Apps to communicate long distance but some have limitations.

A tax-exempt program for utilities, gas and home heating is required and provided through the Morale, Welfare and Recreation’s Tax Relief Office. All Utility Tax Avoidance Program customers must make an appointment with the UTAP office on Kleber Kaserne Building 3245. Call 011-49-611-143-541-9086/9091 from the U.S., 0611-143-541-9086/9091 from Germany or DSN 314-541-9086/9091. There is a $99 enrollment fee for this program. Depending on the company that services the area where you live, you may need to receive your first month’s utility bill before you can enroll. No deposit or activation fee should be charged when utilities are installed. The cost of gas, water and electricity depends on monthly usage. It is not surprising to have higher utility bills during the winter when you increase heating in your house.

Car Insurance

Personnel who ship their car from the U.S. have to inform their bank (if the car is not fully paid for) and insurance company of their overseas move. Those who buy cars in Germany can purchase insurance locally but recommend comparing with U.S. companies that underwrite Germany policies. Comprehensive insurance coverage is required if you have a lien on the car. If the car is fully paid for, liability insurance is all that is required; however, it is advised to have comprehensive insurance to ensure full coverage if you cannot easily replace your vehicle and to reduce financial risk. Car insurance in Europe normally is more expensive than in the U.S.

Banking

Your money is your responsibility, but living overseas requires a little extra attention, especially while PCSing. The monetary unit in Germany is the Euro; exchange rates between the dollar and the Euro change daily. Just as the dollar is divided into 100 cents, the Euro is divided into 100 cents. The current rate is given over American Forces Radio and on television broadcasts.

Community Bank and Service Federal Credit Union are full-service financial institutions on installations within the KMC. They offer checking and saving accounts, foreign currency exchanges, personal loans, certificates of deposit, bill-paying services and most European currency denominations.

Limited transactions can be handled at area Army and Air Force Exchange Service and officer and enlisted clubs. Each bank has a 24-hour ATM, which affords customers ready access to their accounts. ATMs in Germany provide the option to make withdrawals in dollars or Euros. Customers who make Euro withdrawals buy them at the day's going rate. The ATMs also accept government-issued cards for cash advances for travelers. While visiting on temporary duty in the U.S., credit union members may have free access to their accounts using the credit union's VIP telephone line.

Value Added Tax

When shopping on the German economy, be sure to take along a Value Added Tax form. Almost everything sold in Germany is subject to a 7 to 19% VAT or Mehrwertsteus. In general, if an item exceeds 50 Euro after the tax, U.S. forces personnel may, if the merchant agrees, obtain tax relief by providing a VAT removal form. When you shop at large stores, you can register with customer service at the beginning of the month then keep all of your receipts for the month and then bring your VAT form at one time to obtain tax relief. The forms can be purchased at the Tax Relief offices below at a cost of $7 each.  You can save some money by registering with MWR’s Value Added Tax Office to save on taxes.

They have locations at Baumholder, Landstuhl, Vogelweh, and Kleber Kaserne.

• Kleber Kaserne:  Bldg. 3245, DSN:  314-541-9120,  0611-143-541-9120 
• Landstuhl:  Bldg. 3810, DSN:  314-486-1780, 06371-86-1780
• Smith Barracks (Baumholder):  Bldg. 8661, DSN:  314-531-2896, 0611-143-531-2896 (Servicing UTAP & VAT)
• Vogelweh Housing:  Bldg. 1036, DSN: 314-541-9118, 0611-143-541-9118