Moving checklist
Researched and written by Ashley Davis · Reviewed by Emily Johnson · Last reviewed August 2026
A move is easier to plan backwards from the date than forwards from today. Eight weeks out is when you book, because that is when good crews still have the date. Four weeks out is paperwork: address changes, utilities, schools, insurance. Two weeks out is packing everything you do not use daily. The last week is the box you will need first, and the morning itself is verification rather than work.
When should you start planning a move?
Eight weeks before the date for a local move and ten to twelve for an interstate one. The constraint is not packing, which can be compressed; it is availability. Movers fill summer weekends and month ends first, and a company with a good federal record will be booked before a company without one. If you are moving between the last week of May and the first week of September, treat eight weeks as the minimum rather than the target.
What do you do eight weeks out?
Three things, all of which get harder later. Decide whether you are hiring a full-service mover, a labour-only crew or moving yourself, because each has a different lead time. Get written estimates from at least three companies and check each one's federal registration before you compare prices. And start disposing of what you do not want to pay to move, since volume is what a mover charges for.
What do you do four weeks out?
This is the paperwork window and none of it is urgent until it is late. File the change of address so mail forwarding starts on time. Contact utilities at both ends with the switch dates. Request school records if you have children. Tell your insurer, because home and auto policies are priced by address. Book any lift, loading bay or parking permit your building or city requires, since those are scheduled by someone else's calendar.
What do you do two weeks out?
Pack everything you will not use in the next fourteen days, which in most homes is more than it feels like: books, out-of-season clothing, decor, spare bedding, the second set of anything. Confirm the move date in writing with the company and confirm what the estimate covers. Arrange care for pets and small children on the day, because a moving day with either is a different and slower day.
What do you do in the last week?
Pack the kitchen except for what you will eat from, empty and defrost the freezer, and set aside the things you will need before the boxes are unpacked. Label that box clearly and load it last so it comes off first. If a mover is packing for you, this is when you separate anything you do not want them to handle: documents, medication, jewellery, keys.
What do you do on moving day?
Walk the property with the crew before they start and again after they finish. Read the inventory before you sign it, because that document is what a claim is measured against. Keep the estimate and the bill of lading with you rather than in a box. Check every cupboard, the loft, the shed and behind every door, since those are where things are left. Then hand over the keys.
What is different about moving to another state?
Two things change. The move becomes interstate and falls under federal authority, so the company needs active operating authority for household goods rather than only a state licence. And the state you are moving to has its own rules on licensing, driving licences, vehicle registration and voter registration, each with its own deadline. Those deadlines start on arrival, not on the day you decided to move. The out of state checklist sets out what changes.
Which checklist do you need?
- What do you need to know about moving out of state?What changes when a move crosses a state line, what an interstate move costs, which deadlines start on arrival, and how to check a mover holds the federal authority it requires.
- Who do you tell when you change address?Who needs your new address, in what order, and why filing too early is as much of a problem as filing too late.
- What do you need when you move out for the first time?What to sort before you move out, what to buy first, and the costs that catch people out on a first move.
- What does an apartment move need from the building?What a building needs from you before moving day, why lift bookings and certificates of insurance are the usual delay, and how access affects the cost.
Common questions
How far in advance should you book movers?
Eight weeks for a local move and ten to twelve for an interstate one. Summer weekends and month ends fill first, so the window is tighter between late May and early September.
What should you not pack for a mover to carry?
Anything hazardous, perishable or irreplaceable. Federal rules bar movers from carrying hazardous materials, and documents, medication and jewellery travel with you rather than on the truck.
When should you file a change of address?
Two to four weeks before the move. Mail forwarding does not start instantly, and filing too early sends mail to the new address before you are there.
What should you do the morning of the move?
Walk the property with the crew before they start, read the inventory before you sign it, and check every cupboard, the loft and the shed after the truck is loaded.