8-Week Moving Checklist: What to Do and When

Eight weeks is the point at which a move stops being a scramble, because it is enough time to do the three things that decide the price: get three written estimates from surveyed movers, compare them on the same inventory, and cut the inventory before the truck arrives. Everything else on this list exists to protect those three decisions, and the weeks are ordered so that nothing depends on something you have not done yet.

The list is written for a household move in the United States, local or long distance, with a mover. If you are loading a container or driving a truck yourself, the mover-specific items drop out and the packing weeks get longer.

Eight and seven weeks out: decide, then get estimates

Eight weeks

1. Set the date, or the window. Movers price by demand; if you can move midweek or mid-month, say so in every quote request, and ask each mover what a date change would cost.
2. Run the calculator so you know what a reasonable quote looks like before the first one arrives. Our moving cost calculator prices a two-bedroom home at $4,500–$6,000 for 1,000 miles with full-service movers, and $475–$775 for a local move with two movers.
3. Walk the home with a notebook. List what is not making the trip: furniture to sell, the garage, the second freezer. Every item cut now is weight the estimates never see.
4. Check the calendar at the other end: lease start, closing date, first day of school. A long-distance delivery is a span of days rather than a date, and the delivery window guide explains why.
5. Start a moving file (a folder or a shared note) for every estimate, receipt and confirmation. The paperwork matters at the end.

Seven weeks

1. Request three estimates, each after a survey. Interstate movers must give a written estimate after a survey, in person or virtual; a mover who quotes over the phone from a room count has not surveyed anything. Give all three the same inventory and the same list of services.
2. Check every mover’s USDOT number in the FMCSA register before the survey, not after; the six checks take about ten minutes per company. Ask each whether it is the carrier or a broker, since brokers must tell you.
3. Decide binding or non-binding. A binding estimate fixes the price for the listed inventory and services; a non-binding one is a guess, and the mover cannot require more than 110% of it at delivery. The binding versus non-binding guide explains when each is better.
4. Ask each mover for its copy of “Your Rights and Responsibilities When You Move.” Interstate movers must provide it, and a mover that has never heard of it is telling you something.

Six and five weeks out: book, declutter, notify

Six weeks

1. Compare the estimates on the same basis: inventory weight, services listed, valuation option, delivery window, and the extra charges for stairs, long carries and shuttles. The lowest headline is not always the lowest bill.
2. Choose the valuation. Released value pays 60 cents per pound per article and costs nothing; full value protection is the default unless you waive it in writing and carries a price on the estimate. The valuation guide shows the arithmetic; a 40 lb TV under released value is worth $24 (40 × $0.60).
3. Book the mover and get the confirmation in writing with the date, the crew size, the estimate and the valuation you chose.
4. Sell, donate or dispose of what is not moving. Donation pickups and municipal bulk-item collection often need two or three weeks’ notice.
5. Order boxes. Our box calculator puts a studio at about 27 boxes, a two-bedroom home at about 61 and a four-bedroom home at about 120; buying everything new runs $100–$150 for a studio and $350–$500 for four bedrooms.

Five weeks

1. Notify the schools. Request records transfers and find out what enrollment paperwork the new school needs, such as proof of address and immunization records.
2. Transfer medical and pharmacy accounts. Ask for copies of records and a refill that covers the move.
3. Give notice to the landlord in the form the lease requires, and confirm the move-out inspection date and what the deposit return depends on.
4. Contact utilities at both ends: stop dates at the old home, start dates at the new one. Internet installation usually has the longest lead time, so book it now.
5. Pack the rooms you are not using: guest room, storage, off-season clothing, books. Label each box with room and contents on two sides.

Four and three weeks out: paperwork and the packing middle

Four weeks

1. File the USPS change of address with the moving date as the start; the change of address checklist covers the fee, how long forwarding lasts and the twenty-odd accounts to update after it.
2. Update banks, cards, insurers and your employer, the accounts that send paper you cannot miss.
3. Arrange the car. If it is being shipped, book it now; if you are driving it, plan the route against the delivery window.
4. Reserve the elevator or loading zone at both buildings if either is an apartment. Buildings set their own lead times and may require a certificate of insurance from the mover.
5. Keep packing: kitchen cabinets you do not use daily, decor, the second bathroom. Dish packs and cell dividers for anything glass.

Three weeks

1. Confirm the inventory with the mover. Anything sold or added since the survey changes the weight and, on a non-binding estimate, the price. Ask for a revised estimate in writing if the list has moved.
2. Plan the essentials box: medications, chargers, documents, a change of clothes, basic tools, toilet paper, coffee. It travels with you, not on the truck.
3. Use up the freezer and pantry. Movers will not take perishables, and the refrigerator needs to be empty and dry a day before loading.
4. Book cleaners for the old home if the lease or sale requires it, for the day after loading.
5. Return what is borrowed: library books, rented equipment, the neighbor’s ladder.

Two weeks and one week out: confirm and finish

Two weeks

1. Call the mover to reconfirm the date, arrival window, crew size, and the phone number of the driver or crew lead.
2. Drain and dispose of hazardous items: propane, paint, fuel in the mower, pool chemicals. The crew will not load them.
3. Disassemble what you can (beds, shelving) and bag the hardware, taped to the piece. On an hourly move, every minute the crew spends with a screwdriver is billed.
4. Photograph valuable items and electronics working, for the claim you hope not to file.
5. Arrange child and pet care for moving day; both are safer elsewhere while doors are propped open and a crew is carrying furniture.

One week

1. Finish packing everything except the essentials box and a last-day kitchen kit. Count the boxes; the number goes on the inventory.
2. Defrost and dry the refrigerator and freezer two days out, and disconnect and drain the washing machine hoses.
3. Confirm the new home is ready: keys, utilities on, parking for the truck, elevator booked.
4. Decide about tips and have cash ready if you plan to tip; the tipping guide covers the norms.
5. Put the moving file by the door with the estimate, the confirmation and the booklet, so it is in hand when the crew arrives.

Moving day

1. Walk the crew through the home before anything moves: what goes, what stays, what is fragile, which boxes are essentials.
2. Read the bill of lading before you sign it. It is the contract. Check the mover’s name and USDOT number, the estimate amount, the valuation option, the delivery window and the payment terms. Never sign a blank or incomplete one.
3. Check the inventory as it is written. Each item gets a number and a condition; if you disagree with a condition note, say so on the sheet, not later.
4. Do the final walk-through after the truck is loaded: every closet, cabinet, the attic, the garage, behind every door. Then photograph each empty room for the deposit.
5. Get a copy of everything before the truck leaves: bill of lading, inventory, and the driver’s contact.

The week after

1. Check the inventory at delivery before signing the delivery receipt, and write any damage on it. A claim starts with that note.
2. Pay the balance on the terms in the bill of lading. On a non-binding estimate the mover can require up to 110% of the estimate at delivery, with any remaining balance due within 30 days.
3. Unpack the kitchen and the beds first. Everything else can wait a day.
4. Work through the change-of-address list as forwarded mail arrives; each envelope is an account still holding the old address.
5. File any claim in writing with the mover, on its form, with the photos. Interstate movers must offer a neutral arbitration program if you cannot agree.