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title: "Caterpillar Relocation Package: What Employees Actually Get" description: "Caterpillar pays for relocation through Cartus: full-service moves, $5K–$10K cash allowance, temp housing, home sale help. Here's what to expect." author: Sam Price keywords:
If you're relocating for Caterpillar, you already know this is a major life decision. The good news: the company does fund relocation for most experienced office roles. The catch: there's no published policy, so what you actually get depends on your level, destination, and what you negotiate upfront.
Caterpillar doesn't have a single public relocation policy. Instead, the company routes everything through Cartus, a third-party relocation management firm, and the scope of your package depends on your role and pay grade.
Once your move gets approved, a Cartus coordinator steps in to handle the logistics end to end: they assign a realtor to help you sell your current place and buy at your destination, book temporary housing, and arrange the household goods shipment. One employee on Reddit described the Cartus experience as smoother than several other corporate moves they'd done.
Here's the realistic part: experienced office hires get the full treatment. New college hires get far less, because the assumption is they're coming out of campus housing. The size of the benefit scales with how senior you are.
One thing to watch: When Cartus inventories your stuff during packing, make sure every single item is marked as delivered before you sign off. One employee reported that missing items weren't covered after the delivery paperwork was already signed. Check your inventory carefully.
In June 2022, Caterpillar announced it was moving its global headquarters from Deerfield, Illinois, to its existing office in Irving, Texas—part of the Dallas-Fort Worth metro area. You can read the official announcement directly from Caterpillar.
That said, Caterpillar relocations don't all point to Texas. The company has major facilities scattered across Illinois (still the biggest cluster), Arizona, Indiana, and the Southeast. Your move could be anywhere.
The thing is: moving costs swing wildly depending on where you're headed. A relocation to Dallas-Fort Worth looks completely different in the budget from a move to Peoria, Illinois, or Tucson, Arizona. Use the cost calculator to price your specific route instead of betting on a standard allowance.
Because Cartus runs the show, you're getting a services-based package, not just a check. You get a managed move plus a smaller cash allowance for extras. Here's what's typically covered.
The backbone is moving your stuff. Cartus hires movers to pack, ship, and unpack your entire household. A few things employees mention: moving crew quality can vary, so watch the packing and delivery closely. If you'd rather unpack at your own pace, you can skip the unpacking service and have Cartus pick up the boxes later.
Most employees get around 45 days of temporary housing while you get settled. Several report you can choose your own rental—an Airbnb, for example—instead of a corporate unit, and Cartus reimburses it. You also get a food per diem during this window. One employee with a family of two said the per diem added up to roughly $2,000 over 45 days.
For homeowners, this is where the real value sits. Cartus assigns a realtor to help you sell your current home and buy at the destination, both at fair market value. That covers realtor commissions, closing costs, and inspections—which pushes the total value of a homeowner's relocation well beyond the cash allowance on paper.
On top of the managed services, you get an upfront check for incidentals: house-hunting flights, hotels, meals, that sort of thing. Experienced hires report getting roughly $5,000 to $10,000, though one employee noted the amount has trended downward over time. New college hires get much less—sometimes around $900.
The package is built around moving you, not furnishing a new place. The upfront cash is meant for transition costs, so plan accordingly.
One more thing: If you're shipping a car, get a separate quote. Don't assume it's automatically covered. Budget for it separately so you don't get blindsided.
Caterpillar doesn't publish its relocation amounts. The figures below come from employee reports and show what people have actually received—not what the company officially guarantees. Your outcome will depend on your salary grade, destination, whether you own a home, and whether you're an experienced hire or a new college graduate.
| Situation | What employees reported | Source |
|---|---|---|
| New college hire (in-state) | About $900 | Reddit employee report |
| Experienced office move | $10,000 upfront; tax gross-up covered | Reddit employee report |
| Experienced office move | $7,500 upfront; ~$6,700 owed in tax | Reddit employee report |
| Recent relocation offer | $5,000 upfront cash allowance | Reddit employee report |
| Homeowner relocation (full Cartus package) | ~$80,000 total value (movers + closing costs + realtor fees); no extra tax after gross-up | Reddit employee report |
A few patterns emerge. The upfront allowance for experienced hires clusters between $5,000 and $10,000, and at least one person said theirs shrank over successive moves. New college hires get considerably less. The biggest dollar amount is usually in the managed services themselves—especially home sale and purchase help for people who own.
Since the 2018 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, relocation benefits for non-military employees count as ordinary taxable income. That's the cash allowance, reimbursed moving costs, and home sale assistance. A big relocation can easily add tens of thousands of dollars to your taxable income that year.
The real question: does Caterpillar gross you up—meaning they cover the extra tax bill so it doesn't come out of your pocket?
The answer here is messy. Some employees report Caterpillar grossed up their relocation and they owed little or no extra tax, including one person with an $80,000 move. Others report getting hit with several thousand dollars at tax time—one employee owed about $6,700 after a $7,500 upfront payment.
Since experiences vary, get it in writing before you move: does your specific package include a gross-up, and how is it calculated? If Caterpillar won't commit to that in writing, think about consulting a tax professional beforehand so a relocation doesn't blow up into a surprise bill in April.
Caterpillar relocation agreements have a payback requirement. Employees report the standard window is roughly two years, measured from your start date. If you leave voluntarily before that window closes, Caterpillar will typically try to recover all or part of what they paid for your move.
The exact terms—including whether the amount is prorated over time—are in the relocation contract you sign. You can ask your recruiter or hiring manager to have HR send you the standard repayment terms before you accept the offer. Read that document carefully. If there's any real chance you might leave within the first two years, you need to understand the repayment exposure.
The core Cartus services are pretty standardized, so they're harder to move. But the cash allowance and some details are worth talking about. Here's what employee accounts suggest works.
Get the contract before you commit. Ask your recruiter or hiring manager to have HR send the full relocation contract—the cash allowance, gross-up policy, and repayment window. Employees say this is standard stuff they can share on request before you sign anything.
Make a specific, cost-based case. If the standard allowance won't cover your real incidentals, list them out: house-hunting flights, hotels, meals, a moving truck if you're doing any of it yourself. A documented gap between what they're offering and what your move actually costs is way more persuasive than a round-number ask.
Get a real moving quote first. Use the cost calculator to price your specific route before you talk numbers with HR. A quote from a vetted long-distance mover carries more weight than a guess.
Don't leave money on the table. Employees report that the food per diem and the option to choose your own temporary rental are real benefits. Use them fully. They're part of your package.
What works:
What doesn't:
Caterpillar's footprint spans several states. The global headquarters is moving to Irving, Texas, in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, but Illinois still has the largest employee base. Major facilities also sit in Arizona, Indiana, and the Southeast. The relocation process is the same regardless of where you're going, but moving costs differ significantly by route and distance.
MoveFinders has researched local and long-distance movers for the cities where most Caterpillar relocations land. Compare your options before you lock in a budget:
Yes, for most experienced office roles. Caterpillar runs relocation through a third-party provider called Cartus, and employees report a full-service package that can include household goods shipping, temporary housing, a food per diem, and home sale and purchase assistance, plus an upfront cash allowance for miscellaneous expenses. New college hires report a much smaller benefit because that program assumes student housing. Whether you qualify, and how much you get, depends on your role, salary grade, and the distance of your move.
Caterpillar doesn't publish a specific dollar figure. Based on employee reports, the upfront cash allowance for experienced hires has ranged from roughly $5,000 to $10,000, while some new college hires reported around $900. The bigger value is usually in the services themselves—Cartus manages the household goods move, temporary housing, and home sale and purchase. One employee described a relocation valued at roughly $80,000 once movers, closing costs, and realtor fees were included.
Caterpillar uses Cartus, a third-party relocation management company. Employees report that a Cartus coordinator manages the move end to end, assigns a realtor to help you sell your current home and buy at your destination at fair market value, and arranges temporary housing and the household goods shipment.
Under the 2018 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, relocation benefits paid to non-military employees are treated as ordinary taxable income. Many Caterpillar employees report that their relocation benefits were grossed up, meaning Caterpillar covered the tax. But experiences vary. Some employees report owing several thousand dollars at tax time. Confirm in writing whether your specific package is grossed up before you move.
Caterpillar relocation agreements include a repayment clause. Employees report a window of roughly two years measured from your start date. If you leave voluntarily before that window closes, Caterpillar will typically try to recover all or part of the relocation costs. The exact dates and terms are spelled out in the relocation contract you sign.
The core Cartus benefits are fairly standardized and harder to change, but the upfront cash allowance and some details are worth discussing. The most effective approach is to get the relocation terms in writing before you accept and make a specific, cost-based case if the standard package won't cover your move. Use the cost calculator to price your route first so your request is grounded in real numbers.
Caterpillar announced in June 2022 that it would move its global headquarters from Deerfield, Illinois, to its existing office in Irving, Texas, in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. The company has had a Texas presence since the 1960s, and Illinois still holds the largest concentration of Caterpillar employees.
