Moving Insurance & Valuation, Explained

One of the most misunderstood parts of a move is coverage, and the confusion is costly when something is damaged or lost. The key thing to know up front: the 'valuation' a mover offers is not the same as insurance, and the free option covers far less than most people assume.

Valuation is not insurance

Valuation is the mover's level of liability for your belongings, set by federal rules for interstate moves. Insurance is a separate product from a third-party insurer. Interstate movers are required to offer two valuation options, and you should know which one you're getting before you sign.

The 60-cents-per-pound trap

Released value sounds fine until you do the math. Coverage is by weight, not worth, so the heaviest items (appliances) are 'best' covered and the valuable-but-light items (electronics, art, a laptop, jewelry) are barely covered at all. A $15,000 grand piano weighs a few hundred pounds; released value wouldn't cover a fraction of it. If you own anything valuable, released value is a trap.

How to actually protect your belongings

1. Choose full-value protection for a whole-home or high-value move, and read the deductible and terms.
2. Ask whether high-value items must be listed separately to be covered.
3. Consider separate moving insurance or a rider on your homeowner's/renter's policy for especially valuable items.
4. Confirm coverage during any storage-in-transit, it doesn't always carry over.
5. Get the valuation choice in writing on the estimate and bill of lading.

Carrier claim or FMCSA complaint?

For interstate household-goods moves, these are different next steps with different recipients. If your move stays within one state, check your state regulator's process rather than assuming the federal process applies; start with our state licensing guide.

For missing or damaged belongings, submit a written claim to the transporting mover. Ask for its claim instructions and submission address, describe each missing or damaged item, and keep proof of what you sent. Check the filing deadline promptly in FMCSA's claim guidance. Do not wait for a regulator's complaint response before making the carrier claim.

For suspected violations by an interstate mover or broker, use the FMCSA complaint process. FMCSA uses complaints and other information to decide which companies to investigate. A complaint does not replace your written carrier claim: FMCSA cannot settle that individual claim or require the mover to pay it. Keep the two submissions and their reference numbers separate, even when they describe the same move.

Keep one record packet

• Company identity: the carrier's and any broker's legal names, roles and contact details; USDOT and MC numbers if available; your move's origin and destination.
• Move documents: the written estimate, bill of lading, inventory, valuation selection, and payment receipts. Keep any written changes alongside the original documents.
• Loss or damage: a list of missing or damaged items, before-and-after photos where available, and information supporting replacement cost. Match items to the inventory where possible.
• Event record: delivery date, when each problem was noticed, requested extra charges, and dated copies of messages and responses. Separate what you observed from what someone told you.
• Filing record: the recipient, date and reference number for each carrier claim and regulator complaint, copies of the attachments, and proof that each submission was sent. Add later responses to the same packet.

This packet is a way to organize your records, not a promise that a claim will be accepted. Compare it with FMCSA's loss-and-damage checklist and the documents requested in its complaint process. The mover's liability depends on the valuation you selected and the applicable terms.

Confirming active insurance and the valuation options is part of the Union standard, see how we vet movers, and it matters most for specialty items like a piano. For a fair price to compare quotes against, our partner tool estimates what a move should cost.