MOVING CHECKLIST
Free moving checklist — eight weeks out to moving day, ready to print
What to do and when, from booking the mover to the first week in the new home, with a check box on every line and a place for the date, the addresses and the crew. Free in Word and PDF, with a moving inventory sheet to count every box on and off the truck.
Word and PDF · Free · No email, no sign-up
The short answer
A moving checklist is the to-do list of a move in date order: book the mover and sort your things at eight weeks, pack and change your address at four, confirm everything at two, defrost the fridge and pack the first-night box in the last week, then walk the crew through on moving day and count every box off the truck at the other end. The inventory sheet is the second half — every box and every piece, numbered, counted on and counted off.
If you're the one moving, print both and work down them. If you run a moving company, this page is written for you too: put your name and phone on the Word file and hand both sheets to every customer with the quote. The customer who packs to a list is ready when the truck arrives, the inventory sheet is the count you both work from, and the sheets carry your name into the home.
Below: the printable checklist, the moving inventory sheet, what to do when, every block explained, and how the same list goes on a moving company's website.
FREE CHECKLIST · WORD AND PDF
The moving checklist, ready to print
Seven blocks — eight weeks before, six, four, two, the last week, moving day and the first week — with a check box on every line and the customer, the addresses, the date and the crew at the top. Letter size, portrait, two pages. Free, no email address, no sign-up.
Checklist · check off every line
| [Your moving company] | |
| Moving Checklist | |
| Eight weeks out to the first week in — check off each line as it's done | |
| Customer: ______________________________ Phone: ______________________ | |
| Moving from: ____________________________ To: ____________________________ | |
| Moving date: ____________ Arrival window: ____________ Crew: ______ Truck: ______ | |
| 8 weeks before | |
| ☐ | Get a written quote and book the mover, with the date |
| ☐ | Start a moving folder: quotes, receipts, this checklist and the inventory sheet |
| ☐ | Walk every room and decide what moves, what sells, what's donated and what's trash |
| ☐ | Measure the big pieces and the new home's doorways, stairs and elevator |
| ☐ | Ask the new building about elevator bookings, loading zones and move-in hours |
| ☐ | If you're moving for work, ask what the employer covers and keep every receipt |
| 6 weeks before | |
| ☐ | Order boxes, tape, markers, paper and padding — more than you think |
| ☐ | Pack what you won't use before the move: books, decor, off-season clothes |
| ☐ | Start eating down the freezer and the pantry |
| ☐ | Ask your mover for the list of items they can't carry — fuel, propane, paint, aerosols, plants — and plan to move those yourself |
| ☐ | Book the day off work, and childcare or pet care for moving day |
| ☐ | Sell or donate the furniture that isn't making the trip |
| 4 weeks before | |
| ☐ | File your change of address with the post office |
| ☐ | Update your address with the bank, employer, insurer and subscriptions |
| ☐ | Book the utilities: disconnect at the old home the day after you leave, connect at the new one the day before you arrive — power, gas, water, internet, trash |
| ☐ | Transfer school, doctor, dentist and vet records; refill prescriptions |
| ☐ | Pack room by room — write the room and a box number on two sides of every box |
| ☐ | Add each box to the inventory sheet as you seal it |
| 2 weeks before | |
| ☐ | Confirm the date, the arrival window and the crew size with the mover |
| ☐ | Confirm parking and the elevator at both ends |
| ☐ | Back up computers, phones and photos |
| ☐ | Drain fuel from the mower, trimmer and tools; empty and clean the grill |
| ☐ | Return library books and anything borrowed; collect anything lent out |
| ☐ | Cancel or move deliveries, cleaners and lawn service to the new address |
| ☐ | Pack a first-night box: sheets, towels, toilet paper, soap, chargers, kettle, cups, a basic tool kit |
| The last week | |
| ☐ | Defrost and dry the fridge and freezer 24 hours before the move |
| ☐ | Take photos of the cables behind the TV and computer before unplugging |
| ☐ | Take apart the beds and furniture the mover isn't doing |
| ☐ | Set aside what travels with you: documents, jewelry, medicines, laptops, keys, cash |
| ☐ | Pack the last room and finish the inventory sheet — every box numbered and counted |
| ☐ | Set the pets up somewhere quiet for the day, with food and water |
| Moving day | |
| ☐ | Walk the crew through every room: what goes, what stays, what's fragile |
| ☐ | Keep the inventory sheet with you and check each box and piece onto the truck |
| ☐ | Final walk-through: closets, cabinets, drawers, attic, garage, shed, behind doors |
| ☐ | Lights off, thermostat set, water off as the landlord or the buyer asked, windows locked |
| ☐ | Leave the keys and garage openers as arranged; take a photo of the empty home |
| ☐ | At delivery, count every box and piece off the truck against the inventory sheet |
| ☐ | Write anything missing or marked in the sheet's Notes column before the crew leaves |
| The first week | |
| ☐ | Unpack the kitchen and the bedrooms first; the rest can wait |
| ☐ | Change the locks and find the water shut-off and the breaker panel |
| ☐ | Test the smoke and carbon monoxide alarms |
| ☐ | Update your driver's license, vehicle registration and voter registration |
| ☐ | Register with a new doctor, dentist and vet |
| ☐ | Break down the boxes — or ask the mover whether they collect them |
| Local moves run on this timeline; a long-distance move adds a delivery window of several days — ask the mover for the dates before you book the utilities. | |
| [Your moving company] · [Your phone] · [Your website] | |
The Word file is a standard .docx — put your moving company's name and phone in the brackets, add your logo, change the lines to match how you work, and save it as your master copy. The PDF prints as-is. Print at “Actual size”, not “Fit to page”.
MOVING INVENTORY SHEET
The moving inventory sheet — every box, counted on and off
A plain list: the room, the item or box number, the count and a notes column, with the customer, the date and both addresses at the top. The customer fills it in as the boxes are sealed; the crew counts against it at both ends. Print one per room for a big home.
Inventory · one line per box or piece
| [Your moving company] | |
| Moving Inventory | |
| Every box and every piece — counted onto the truck, counted off at delivery | |
| Customer | ______________________ |
| Move date | ______________________ |
| From | ______________________ |
| To | ______________________ |
| Number each box as it's sealed and write the room on it. At delivery, count every line off the truck and write anything missing or marked in Notes before the crew leaves. One sheet per room for a big home. | |
| [Your moving company] · [Your phone] · [Your website] | |
| Room | Item or box no. | Count | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
Eight lines a page, one page per room. Number the boxes as they're sealed and the count at delivery takes minutes, not an argument.
Build the website
Start your moving company website now
Add your business name and your town to the sentence, and Zarla builds the site, with a page for each service and town you list. You edit it in chat and publish when you're ready.
Already have a website? Bring it across →Zarla keeps your old page addresses where it can and redirects the ones that change, helping you keep the Google standing you've built.
WHAT TO DO WHEN
The moving timeline — who does what
The same weeks from both sides: what the customer does, and what the moving company does to make the day go to plan.
| When | The customer | The moving company |
|---|---|---|
| 8 weeks before | Gets quotes, books the date, decides what moves and what goes | Does the survey, sends the quote with this checklist and the inventory sheet |
| 6 weeks before | Orders boxes, packs the rarely used rooms, eats down the freezer | Sends the list of items it can't carry and the packing-material order |
| 4 weeks before | Changes the address, books the utilities, packs room by room, starts the inventory sheet | Confirms the truck, the crew and any elevator or parking bookings |
| 2 weeks before | Confirms the date and the arrival window, backs up the computers, packs a first-night box | Calls to confirm the date, the window and the crew size; checks access at both ends |
| The last week | Defrosts the fridge, takes the beds apart, sets aside what travels in the car | Loads the padding, dollies and straps; prints the inventory sheet for the crew |
| Moving day | Walks the crew through, checks boxes onto the truck, counts them off at delivery | Walks the home with the customer, counts every piece on and off against the sheet |
| The first week | Unpacks the kitchen and bedrooms, changes the locks, updates the license | Sends the invoice for what was quoted, collects the boxes if that's offered |
STEP BY STEP
How to use a moving checklist with your customers
For the moving company: ten minutes to set up once, then the same two sheets on every move.
Make it yours
Open the Word file, put your company name and phone in the brackets, add your logo, and change any line to match how you work. Save it as your master.
Send it with every quote
Attach the checklist and the inventory sheet to the quote. The customer sees the whole move laid out, and your name is on the fridge for eight weeks.
Start the inventory at the survey
List the big pieces on the inventory sheet while you're in the home, so the quote and the count come from the same list.
Confirm at two weeks
The checklist tells the customer to expect your call. Confirm the date, the arrival window, the crew size and the access at both ends.
Count on, count off
The crew leader keeps the inventory sheet on moving day and counts every box and piece onto the truck and off it at delivery, with the customer watching.
Put the same list online
A “before your move” page with these lines is what a customer reads the week they decide to move. The checklist is that page, already written.
Every block on the checklist, explained
Eight weeks is when the move is decided, not when it happens. Quotes, the date and what's going are settled here, which is why a moving company wants its checklist in the customer's hands at this point and not later. The measuring line saves the sofa that doesn't fit the stairwell.
Six weeks is for the things movers won't carry. Fuel, propane, paint, aerosols, plants and perishables are the usual list, and every company has its own version. Putting it on the sheet early means the garage is sorted before the week of the move.
Four weeks is paperwork and packing. The change of address, the utilities at both ends and the records all take longer than they look. Packing room by room, with the room and a number on every box, is what makes the inventory sheet possible.
Two weeks is the confirmation call. The date, the arrival window, the crew size, and the parking and elevator at both ends. The customer's line says to expect it; the mover's job is to make it.
The last week is the fridge and the first-night box. A fridge that isn't defrosted and dry a day ahead leaks in the truck. The first-night box — sheets, towels, chargers, the kettle — is the difference between a tired evening and a miserable one.
Moving day is a walk-through at each end. The crew sees every room before anything is lifted, the customer sees every box counted on and counted off, and anything missing or marked goes in the Notes column while the truck is still in the street. The inventory sheet is the record both sides work from.
The first week is the lines people forget. Locks, the water shut-off, the alarms, the license and the doctor. They're on the sheet so the customer isn't searching for them a month later.
For moving companies: the rules behind the paperwork
In the US, a mover carrying household goods across a state line has to give the customer two federal documents before the move — FMCSA's Ready to Move brochure and the Your Rights and Responsibilities When You Move booklet — both free on FMCSA's Protect Your Move page. This checklist and inventory sheet are neither of those: they're the plain to-do list and the count that go alongside, with nothing written as terms. A local move inside one state follows that state's mover rules instead. Mover rules differ by state and country, so check your local rules before you promise a customer anything about the paperwork.
Put the checklist on your website, and send the quote from the same place
The customer who searches for a moving checklist is the customer who hasn't booked a mover yet. Most moving websites say “local and long-distance moves” and leave it there; the ones that get the call give that customer the plan — what to do at eight weeks, four, two, and on the day — with the company's name on it. The checklist on this page is that page, already written.
If you build your moving company website with Zarla, add your business name and your town to the sentence above, and Zarla builds the site, with a page for each service and town you list. Then tell the editor “add a before-your-move section with the lines on my moving checklist” and the list goes on the site, in a section you can edit any time.
The quote and the invoice come from the same dashboard. Zarla sends a quote as one link: your customer picks an option, checks off any extras and accepts it online, and Zarla drafts the invoice for exactly what they chose, with any deposit you asked for. Send the printable checklist and the inventory sheet with the quote, and the moving invoice template shows what the invoice itself should carry.
Want to see a finished site first? Browse moving company website templates, see how Zarla builds moving company websites, or look at six moving company website designs and what agencies charge for them.
Setting up or pricing the business?
How to start a moving company covers the three kinds of mover and the paperwork each one needs; moving company pricing has the 2026 rates by the hour, the home and, for long-distance moves, the weight, with a calculator; how to write a quote prices the move, the moving estimate template puts the price on paper, and the moving invoice template bills it.
Moving checklists: common questions
Yes. The moving checklist and the moving inventory sheet on this page download free as a Word document and a PDF, with no email address and no sign-up. Edit the Word file for your own move or your own moving company, or print the PDF and check it off by hand.
The jobs of a move in date order: at eight weeks, quotes, the booking and sorting what goes; at six, boxes and the first packing; at four, the change of address, the utilities and packing room by room; at two, the confirmation call, backups and the first-night box; in the last week, the fridge, the beds and what travels with you; on moving day, the walk-through and the count on and off the truck; and in the first week, locks, alarms, the license and the doctor. The checklist on this page has every one of those lines with a check box.
Eight weeks before the date, if you have them — that's when quotes are compared and the mover is booked, and summer dates go first. With less time, start at the top anyway and work down faster: the order matters more than the weeks, and the last two blocks (the last week and moving day) are the ones not to skip.
A list of every box and every piece going on the truck — the room, the item or box number, the count and a notes column — with the customer, the date and both addresses at the top. The customer fills it in as the boxes are sealed, the crew counts against it when loading, and both sides count again at delivery and write anything missing or marked in Notes before the crew leaves. The sheet on this page is that list, blank, eight lines a page — print one per room.
Three ways. It goes out with the quote, so the customer sees the whole move laid out with the company's name on it. It sets the customer's expectations for the confirmation call and moving day, so the home is packed and the access is sorted when the truck arrives. And the inventory sheet is the count both sides work from, on and off the truck. The same list on the company's website is what a customer reads the week they decide to move.
Most movers won't carry fuel, propane tanks, paint, aerosols, cleaning chemicals, fireworks, plants or perishable food, and many ask that jewelry, documents, medicines and cash travel with the customer. Every company has its own list, so the six-week block says to ask for it — and a moving company that hands out this checklist should write its own list on the Word file.
The checklist and the inventory sheet in your hand, the first-night box and what travels with you in the car, the pets somewhere quiet, parking and the elevator sorted at both ends, and a last walk-through of every closet, cabinet, attic and garage before the door locks. At delivery, count every box and piece off the truck against the inventory sheet and note anything missing or marked before the crew leaves.
Not this one — it's a hand-out, not a rule. In the US, movers carrying household goods across a state line are required to give the customer two federal documents before the move, FMCSA's Ready to Move brochure and the Your Rights and Responsibilities When You Move booklet, both free on FMCSA's Protect Your Move page. Local moves inside one state follow that state's mover rules. Mover rules differ by state and country, so check your local rules.
Yes — that's what the Word file is for. Put your company name, phone and website in the brackets, add your logo, change the lines to match how you work (your own can't-carry list, your confirmation call, whether you collect boxes), and save it as your master copy. The PDF is the same checklist for printing as-is.
It should — as a before-your-move page. A visitor planning a move wants to know what to do and when, and the checklist already answers that week by week. If you build your site with Zarla, tell the editor to add a before-your-move section with those lines — it's a section you can edit any time your process changes — and send the quote and the invoice from the same place.
Sources
Read October 26, 2026.
- FMCSA — Protect Your Move — before moving household goods interstate, movers are required to give the customer the Your Rights and Responsibilities When You Move booklet and FMCSA's Ready to Move brochure; both download free from the page
Put the checklist on the website that books the move
Add your business name and your town, and Zarla builds the site from that one line — with a page for each kind of move you list and a quote form, ready to edit in chat.
Already have a website? Bring it across →Zarla keeps your old page addresses where it can and redirects the ones that change, helping you keep the Google standing you've built.