SPC Private RallyPoint Member 4709809 <div class="images-v2-count-0"></div>About to Re-enlist and looking to attend the SFAB Assessment for my next term, in the Army. I have some questions. (I know to ask my retention NCO, but they won&#39;t talk to me until next month.) I&#39;m currently stationed at JBLM. Here&#39;s my multitude of questions. (Please bare with me, as I&#39;m in my first contract.)<br /><br />1. How early am I able to physically depart from my current station and head to my next station? <br /><br />I&#39;ve heard a multitude of different answers as soldier&#39;s have had different experiences, and I&#39;d like to be aware of the different occurrences. I&#39;ve heard some stations supposedly allowed a soldier to leave as early as 90 into their ETS window (as in 12 months left on their contract, that is, assuming this is true and that their ETS window was 15 months). I&#39;ve also been told that you can only leave early if you have the leave days to do so, plus the calculated travel days, which are both alloted. <br /><br />2. When being offered a retention bonus, what types of options will I be able to receive in order to receive the bonus in? (i.e. Lump sum with &quot;no tax&quot;?, one half after one year? or one half day of the next contract start?)<br /><br />3. When driving (I have a larger family and may use two vehicles), will the DFAS reimburse the mileage, gas, etc. for both vehicles? Is there any tips or tricks from experienced SMs that have done this before? <br /><br />Also, looking to buy a house in the area (this is assuming, I&#39;d be stationed in Benning, if I make it into the 1st SFAB). Does anyone know the area and can recommend a safe a decent area with a good commute to the post? I have a decent size family, and my wife and I would prefer a more rural part of the area.<br /><br />In advance, I really appreciate the time, commitment and effort that you fellow SMs offer here. It&#39;s really awesome and motivating to see that we try our best to take care of each other. About to finish my first contract, and I'm looking to re-enlist, but I'd love to learn more about these next steps Please Help? 2019-06-09T21:56:31-04:00 SPC Private RallyPoint Member 4709809 <div class="images-v2-count-0"></div>About to Re-enlist and looking to attend the SFAB Assessment for my next term, in the Army. I have some questions. (I know to ask my retention NCO, but they won&#39;t talk to me until next month.) I&#39;m currently stationed at JBLM. Here&#39;s my multitude of questions. (Please bare with me, as I&#39;m in my first contract.)<br /><br />1. How early am I able to physically depart from my current station and head to my next station? <br /><br />I&#39;ve heard a multitude of different answers as soldier&#39;s have had different experiences, and I&#39;d like to be aware of the different occurrences. I&#39;ve heard some stations supposedly allowed a soldier to leave as early as 90 into their ETS window (as in 12 months left on their contract, that is, assuming this is true and that their ETS window was 15 months). I&#39;ve also been told that you can only leave early if you have the leave days to do so, plus the calculated travel days, which are both alloted. <br /><br />2. When being offered a retention bonus, what types of options will I be able to receive in order to receive the bonus in? (i.e. Lump sum with &quot;no tax&quot;?, one half after one year? or one half day of the next contract start?)<br /><br />3. When driving (I have a larger family and may use two vehicles), will the DFAS reimburse the mileage, gas, etc. for both vehicles? Is there any tips or tricks from experienced SMs that have done this before? <br /><br />Also, looking to buy a house in the area (this is assuming, I&#39;d be stationed in Benning, if I make it into the 1st SFAB). Does anyone know the area and can recommend a safe a decent area with a good commute to the post? I have a decent size family, and my wife and I would prefer a more rural part of the area.<br /><br />In advance, I really appreciate the time, commitment and effort that you fellow SMs offer here. It&#39;s really awesome and motivating to see that we try our best to take care of each other. About to finish my first contract, and I'm looking to re-enlist, but I'd love to learn more about these next steps Please Help? 2019-06-09T21:56:31-04:00 2019-06-09T21:56:31-04:00 SGM Jeff Mccloud 4709839 <div class="images-v2-count-0"></div>1. How early depends on the orders you get for the new assignment. The orders will state if early reporting is authorized and how early is authorized.<br /><br />2. A bonus is only tax free when executed in a tax exclusion zone, it&#39;s not an optional feature in the US. Your bonus could be lump sum or half up front, half at the halfway point, your retention NCO will have to determine that based on the type of bonus.<br /><br />3. Driving a POV for PCS gets you 20 cents a mile. Driving two POVs for PCS gets you 20 cents per mile per POV. If you are traveling together and don&#39;t want to bother with both POVs, DFAS will also reimburse to ship one. Ask questions and take notes at your transportation brief.<br /><br />4. There&#39;s a lot of &quot;rural&quot; outside of Columbus GA. But that wouldn&#39;t be a short commute. Response by SGM Jeff Mccloud made Jun 9 at 2019 10:08 PM 2019-06-09T22:08:31-04:00 2019-06-09T22:08:31-04:00 SFC Private RallyPoint Member 4709979 <div class="images-v2-count-0"></div>I&#39;m stationed at JBLM. I&#39;m the 1-2 Senior Career Counselor. You can give me a call or come in to my office to talk tomorrow. I&#39;ll happily answer all your questions for you. Response by SFC Private RallyPoint Member made Jun 10 at 2019 12:01 AM 2019-06-10T00:01:55-04:00 2019-06-10T00:01:55-04:00 SPC Elijah J. Henry, MBA 4711243 <div class="images-v2-count-0"></div>We lived in a gated apartment complex as close to the gate as you could get, and it was a good area. Yards away from the River Walk. Other neighborhoods were not so good. Pay attention to the crime map. Response by SPC Elijah J. Henry, MBA made Jun 10 at 2019 11:55 AM 2019-06-10T11:55:50-04:00 2019-06-10T11:55:50-04:00 COL David Turk 4712079 <div class="images-v2-count-0"></div>See if you can get recommendations on a “good” local realtor. One that caters to military types. You shouldn’t have to pay to use them since you are a buyer. Also start your research on home loans. Do you need to use a VA loan (small or no down payment)? Since you’re going to be in the house a relatively short time 3-5 years, consider a five year adjustable rate loan. I would suggest checking out Pentagon Federal Credit Union (PFCU); plenty of payment options and great rates. USAA home loans used to be (maybe still is) handled by a third party, which didn’t do a very good job (speaking from personal experience). I’d avoid them on home loans. Response by COL David Turk made Jun 10 at 2019 4:52 PM 2019-06-10T16:52:06-04:00 2019-06-10T16:52:06-04:00 2019-06-09T21:56:31-04:00