Damaged furniture after a move: what a claim pays
Researched and written by Daniel Novak · Reviewed by Brittany Evans · Last reviewed August 2026
On an interstate household goods move, what a damaged item pays out is decided before the truck is loaded, by the valuation level written on the paperwork. Released value is 60 cents per pound per article under 49 CFR 375.701, it costs nothing extra, and it applies by default when no other level is chosen. Full value protection is the alternative the carrier must offer, and it is priced separately.
The arithmetic below is the reason this matters. It is not close.
The arithmetic on a real item
Released value is paid by weight, not by what the item is worth. Take a solid wood dresser that weighs 120 pounds. At 60 cents per pound per article, the whole dresser is covered for 72 dollars, whatever the replacement cost. A flat screen television weighing 40 pounds is covered for 24 dollars. A box of crockery weighing 30 pounds is covered for 18 dollars. The weight of the article is the entire calculation, so light and valuable is the worst combination there is under released value.
Full value protection works differently: the carrier is liable for the replacement value of the shipment and may repair the item, replace it, or pay the cost, and the price of that coverage is quoted to you. Deductible options and declared value minimums vary by carrier and by tariff, so read the figure on your own paperwork rather than a general one.
What a claim is measured against
Two documents decide almost everything. The inventory records the condition of each item as it was loaded, usually in the carrier's own shorthand for scratches, dents and wear. The bill of lading is the contract of carriage and names the valuation level you chose. A claim is assessed against these, so an inventory noting pre-existing damage on an item and a bill of lading recording released value together define the outcome long before anyone examines the item.
The practical consequence is at delivery, not afterwards. Damage noted on the delivery paperwork at the time, with the item photographed, is evidence gathered while the carrier is present. Damage discovered a week later is a harder conversation on the same facts.
Deadlines are set by contract, and this page states none
The time limit for filing a claim, and the time the carrier has to acknowledge and resolve it, are governed by the terms in the bill of lading and the carrier's tariff, and they vary between carriers. BestMovers.info holds no single figure that is true of every interstate move, so it states none. The number that binds you is the one on your own bill of lading, and it is worth reading before loading day rather than after delivery.
Where a dispute goes
Every interstate household goods carrier must offer a neutral arbitration programme for disputes over loss and damage and must describe that programme to you before the move. Complaints about an interstate mover can also be recorded in the federal consumer complaint database, which is a regulatory record rather than a route to compensation. This page does not advise on how to pursue a dispute; it states what the record and the contract contain.
Official sources
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Frequently asked questions
How much does a mover pay for damaged furniture?
What is the difference between released value and full value protection?
How long do I have to file a damage claim?
What evidence does a damage claim rest on?
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