60 Cents a Pound: What Your Mover Owes You If Something Breaks

If an interstate mover loses or breaks something, what they owe you depends on one choice you make on the paperwork. Full Value Protection is the default: the mover repairs the item, replaces it, or pays you what that costs. If you sign it away in writing for the free option, the mover owes no more than 60 cents per pound per article. A 10-pound item worth $1,000 gets you $6.

That example is the government's own, from the federal consumer booklet movers are required to give you (49 CFR Part 375, Appendix A). The rules below apply to moves across state lines in the US. Moves within one state follow state rules, which vary.

What does 60 cents per pound actually pay?

Released Value, the waiver option, pays by weight, not by what the thing is worth. Light, expensive items fare worst:

The weights and prices besides the first row are typical examples, not quotes. Multiply the weight in pounds by $0.60 to check your own items.

What is Full Value Protection?

It's the coverage you get unless you waive it in writing. If an item is lost, destroyed, or damaged while the mover has it, the mover chooses to either repair it to the condition it was in when they picked it up (or pay for the repair), or replace it with an item of like kind and quality (or pay what replacing it costs).

Three things are worth knowing before you count on it:

• It isn't free. Your estimate has to include it, and the price depends on the mover's tariff. Movers may offer it with different deductibles at different prices.
• High-value items need to be listed. If you don't list an article worth more than $100 a pound on the shipping documents, the mover can cap what it pays for that article at $100 a pound (49 CFR 375.203). The regulation's examples are jewelry, silverware, china, furs, antiques, oriental rugs, and computer software.
• There's a cap. The most the mover pays for the whole shipment is its declared value. The minimum used to price the coverage is $6.00 per pound times the shipment's weight, so a 4,000 lb shipment is valued at $24,000 or more. You can declare a higher value, at a higher price.

Released Value or Full Value Protection: which should you choose?

Released Value makes sense for a shipment of things you wouldn't miss much, like flat-pack furniture and kitchen basics. For anything else, the savings rarely cover a single broken TV. If you do choose it, carry the light, valuable things yourself.

You can also buy separate cargo insurance through the mover. Under the federal rules, a mover can sell you that coverage only if you've released the shipment at 60 cents a pound (49 CFR 375.303). Some homeowners and renters policies cover belongings while they're being moved, often with limits. Ask your insurer before move day, not after.

How do you file a claim against a mover?

1. Note damage at delivery. The mover has to let you check what comes off the truck and write down anything missing or damaged (49 CFR 375.503). Do it on their paperwork before you sign, and keep a copy. Signing for delivery doesn't give up your claim: the receipt can't contain language releasing the mover from liability (49 CFR 375.701), and damage you find later while unpacking can still go in a claim.
2. Photograph the damage and the box. Keep the packing materials until the claim is settled.
3. File in writing within 9 months. The clock starts on the delivery date, or the date delivery should have happened if the whole shipment is lost. Send it to the mover or to its claims insurer.
4. Expect a reply within 30 days. The mover has to acknowledge your claim within 30 days and pay, decline, or make a settlement offer within 120 days. If it needs longer, it has to tell you in writing, and again every 60 days after that (49 CFR 370.5 and 370.9).
5. Use arbitration if you disagree. Interstate movers have to offer neutral arbitration. For a claim of $10,000 or less, if you ask for it, the mover has to agree and the result is binding on both sides. Above $10,000, it's binding only if the mover also agrees.

What should you document before the move?

The claim is only as good as your proof of what the item was and what shape it was in. Before packing, photograph anything you'd claim for, including existing scratches and the serial number plate. Keep a box-by-box list so you can say what was in the box that arrived crushed.

Our free moving inventory template is a printable sheet for exactly this, with a CSV version. If you keep the list in Manifest instead, the photos, serial numbers, and receipts stay attached to each item, and the same record becomes your home inventory once you've unpacked. I build Manifest, so weigh that recommendation accordingly. For what an insurer would pay on the same items, see ACV vs RCV.

FAQ

How much does a mover have to pay for damaged items? Under Full Value Protection, the default for interstate moves, the mover has to repair or replace the item or pay you what that costs, up to the shipment's declared value. If you waived it in writing for Released Value, the mover owes no more than 60 cents per pound per article.

How long do I have to file a claim against a moving company? For an interstate move, you have 9 months from the delivery date to file a written claim. The mover then has 30 days to acknowledge it and 120 days to pay, decline, or offer a settlement.

Is released value protection worth it? Only for things you wouldn't miss much. It costs nothing extra, but it pays by weight: a 10-pound item worth $1,000 gets $6. If you choose it, move light and valuable things like laptops and jewelry yourself.

Do these rules apply to a local move? No. The federal rules cover interstate moves. A move within one state follows that state's rules, so check with your state's consumer protection office or moving regulator.