The Moving Checklist That Starts Eight Weeks Out

Most moving checklists online are organized room by room, which is useful for packing but doesn't tell you when to actually do anything. The items that derail a move are the ones tied to a calendar date that someone else controls: a building management office that needs a certificate of insurance two weeks before move day, a city that requires a parking permit application five business days in advance, a utility company that needs 48 hours' notice to schedule a shutoff. Miss one of those and packing order won't save you. The single biggest caution here is to call your new building's management office and your city's parking or right-of-way department in the first week of planning, not the last, since those two calls tell you which deadlines actually apply to your move.

How soon should I start packing for a move?

Start with a decluttering pass and non-essential rooms around 6 to 8 weeks out, and aim to have everything except daily essentials packed by the week before moving day. Seasonal items, guest room contents, books, and garage or storage area items are the easiest to pack early since you won't need them in the meantime. Save the kitchen, bathroom, and anything you use daily for the final week, and pack a separate essentials bag before that so the last box doesn't have to double as your morning routine.

8 weeks before: lock in the movers and anything with a deposit deadline

1. 1

   Get quotes from multiple moving companies

   Get at least two or three written estimates, and ask each one directly whether it's binding or non-binding. See the compare table below for what else to check line by line.

2. 2

   Book the mover, truck rental, or portable storage container

   Popular moving dates, especially weekends and month-end during late spring through early fall, book up first. A deposit at this stage is normal; a demand for full payment upfront is not.

3. 3

   Start a moving folder

   Physical or digital, this is where every estimate, contract, receipt, and confirmation number lives from here forward. You'll need to produce several of these on short notice later.

4. 4

   Begin decluttering

   Sort by keep, sell, donate, and discard before you pack anything, since packing something you'll just unpack and get rid of later wastes both boxes and money if you're paying by weight.

6 weeks before: file the change of address and schedule utilities

File your USPS change of address using PS Form 3575, either online through the Postal Service's own site or in person at a post office. It can take 7 to 10 business days to take effect, so filing it 6 weeks out gives it time to process before you need mail forwarded. Watch for third-party websites that charge a fee to file this form; the official USPS process itself is free, and a paid site is reselling a free government service, not a required step.

This is also when to schedule utility stop and start dates. Call or go online with your electric, gas, water, and internet providers and set the stop date at your current address and the start date at your new one for moving day itself. A gap of even a day or two can mean no power or water on arrival, and starting service too early at the new place means paying for two addresses at once.

4 weeks before: confirm what your building requires

This is the step room-by-room checklists skip entirely, and it's the one most likely to cause a real problem on moving day. Many apartment buildings, condos, and co-ops require a certificate of insurance from your moving company, naming the building as an additional insured, submitted to management a set number of days before the move, commonly two to four weeks. Ask your moving company for this document by name and confirm directly with your new building's management office what they need and by when.

At the same time, ask both your old and new buildings whether the elevator needs to be reserved for a loading time slot, separate from booking the movers themselves, and whether the city or building requires a parking permit for the moving truck. A truck without a permit can be ticketed or towed in some cities, and an elevator that isn't reserved can mean your movers are sharing it with residents all day, slowing the whole move down.

2 weeks before: the essentials bag and the final walkthrough plan

Pack a bag or box of essentials that travels with you, not on the truck: chargers, toiletries, a change of clothes, medications, and any documents you'll need in the first 48 hours. This is also when to confirm final arrival times and contact details with your moving company directly rather than assuming the original booking still stands, since schedules can shift closer to the date.

What to do two days before moving

• Use up refrigerated and frozen food so nothing has to be thrown out or transported.
• Refill any prescriptions you'll need in the first week and confirm transfer to a pharmacy near your new address if you're moving out of the area.
• Disassemble large furniture that needs it, so it's ready to load rather than holding up the crew.
• Confirm the moving company's arrival window one more time, and confirm parking or elevator reservations are still active for the correct date.

What should I include on my moving day checklist?

What will movers not pack?

Moving companies are barred from transporting hazardous, flammable, or corrosive materials, which commonly includes propane tanks, gasoline, paint and paint thinner, aerosol cans, cleaning chemicals, ammunition, and matches or lighter fluid. The exact list varies by company and by state, so ask your specific mover for their refuse list in writing rather than assuming, since some perishable food, plants, and pets are also commonly excluded and need to be transported separately.

What not to pack when moving?

Beyond what movers won't take, there's a separate list of things you shouldn't hand off to the truck even if they'd technically fit: passports, birth certificates, financial and medical records, jewelry, and anything irreplaceable like family photos or heirlooms. These travel with you, in a bag or box you keep in your own vehicle, not in the moving truck's inventory.

What are common moving mistakes?

• Not confirming a building's certificate of insurance or elevator reservation requirement until the week of the move.
• Booking a non-binding estimate without understanding the price can change once the crew sees the actual inventory.
• Packing valuables and documents in with everything else instead of keeping them separate.
• Scheduling utility stop and start dates too early or too late relative to the actual move date.
• Waiting until the last few days to file the USPS change of address, when it can take over a week to process.

Is $100 a good tip for movers?

There's no fixed national figure for tipping movers, and what counts as generous depends on the size of the crew, the length of the job, and how physically demanding it was. Rather than anchoring to a single dollar amount, think in terms of the job: a short local move with two movers over a few hours is a different tip than a full day, multi-flight-of-stairs job with a four-person crew. If you want a starting point, ask the moving company directly what's typical for a job like yours, since practices can vary by region and company.

What to pack first when moving house?

Pack the rooms and items you use least first: guest rooms, seasonal clothing and decorations, books, garage and storage area contents, and out-of-season sporting goods. Save the kitchen, bathroom essentials, and anything you use every day for last, and separate out your essentials bag before you get to those final boxes.

What items should I get rid of before moving?

There's no single official list, but the categories that come up repeatedly are expired food and medication, half-used cleaning products and toiletries, duplicate kitchen tools, damaged or outgrown furniture, and anything you haven't used in the past year that isn't seasonal. Decluttering before you pack, rather than after you move, saves both boxes and, if you're paying by weight, real money.

How do I change my address with USPS?

File PS Form 3575 online through the Postal Service's own change of address process, or in person at a post office. Filing online generates a confirmation code, and mail forwarding typically takes 7 to 10 business days to begin, which is why filing this around 6 weeks before the move rather than the final week matters. Beyond USPS, update your address separately with your bank, employer, insurance providers, and your state's motor vehicle department, since USPS forwarding is not the same as updating your official records everywhere else.

How do I know if a moving company is legitimate?

This checklist walks the calendar backward from moving day. It doesn't replace comparing what a specific move will cost, since that depends on distance, weight, and season.