Full service moving means a moving company handles every physical task of your relocation, from packing your dishes to hauling furniture onto the truck to unpacking boxes in your new home. You hire the crew, point them to your stuff, and they do the rest. It’s the most hands-off way to move, but it comes with a higher price tag than renting a truck or hiring labor-only help.
What Full Service Moving Includes
A full service move covers the entire chain of tasks that would otherwise fall on you. The standard package typically includes all of the following:
- Packing materials and supplies. The movers bring boxes, tape, bubble wrap, packing paper, furniture blankets, and any specialty padding your items need. You don’t have to buy or scrounge a single box.
- Professional packing. Trained packers box up your belongings, including fragile items like glassware, mirrors, and artwork. They can usually pack an entire house in a fraction of the time it would take you.
- Furniture disassembly and reassembly. Bed frames, dining tables, bookshelves, and other large pieces get taken apart for safe transport and put back together at your destination.
- Loading and unloading. The crew loads everything onto the truck, secures it for transit, and unloads it at the other end. Appliances you’re bringing along are included.
- Transportation. The company drives your belongings to your new home, whether that’s across town or across the country. You’ll get a delivery window so you know when to expect arrival.
- Unpacking. Once your items arrive, movers can unpack boxes and place items where you direct them.
- Disposal of packing materials. After unpacking, the company hauls away the cardboard, plastic wrap, and packing peanuts so you’re not left with a recycling mountain.
Not every company bundles all of these by default. Some treat unpacking and material disposal as optional add-ons, so confirm exactly what’s included before you sign anything.
How Much It Costs
Full service moves vary widely in price depending on the size of your home, the distance, and the time of year. For local moves (within the same metro area or a short distance away), expect to pay roughly $25 to $50 per hour per mover. A two-bedroom apartment with a three-person crew might run four to six hours of labor, putting the total somewhere in the range of $300 to $900 for the move itself, plus the cost of packing services if you add them.
Long-distance moves cost significantly more. Cross-state and cross-country relocations typically fall between $800 and $12,000, with most multi-bedroom household moves landing in the $2,000 to $7,000 range. The final number depends on several factors:
- Distance between your old and new home
- Weight of your shipment (long-distance movers often price by weight rather than hours)
- Number of rooms and volume of belongings
- Size of the truck required
- Time of year (summer and month-end dates command peak pricing)
- Packing labor and materials if included
Extra Fees to Ask About
The quote you receive may not reflect the final bill. Several common surcharges can push costs higher, and reputable companies will disclose them upfront if you ask.
Fuel surcharges can add as much as 10% to the total. Stair fees and long-carry fees apply when movers have to navigate multiple flights of stairs or carry items a significant distance from the truck to your door, which is common with walk-up apartments or homes set far from the street. Bulky or specialty items like pianos, safes, and pool tables often carry their own handling charges because they require extra equipment or crew members.
Cancellation and rescheduling penalties are another line item that catches people off guard. Most companies charge a flat fee or a percentage of the total if you change your moving date, especially on short notice. Before booking, ask what happens if your closing date shifts or your plans change.
Valuation Coverage for Your Belongings
Moving companies offer two levels of liability protection for your stuff. These aren’t traditional insurance policies. They’re federally authorized liability tiers set by the Surface Transportation Board.
Released Value Protection is the basic, no-cost option. It caps the mover’s liability at 60 cents per pound per item. That means if a mover damages your 20-pound television, you’d receive $12, regardless of what the TV was actually worth. You have to sign a statement on the bill of lading agreeing to this level.
Full Value Protection holds the mover responsible for the replacement value of anything lost or damaged during your shipment. Under this option, the company must either repair the item, replace it with something similar, or pay you the current market replacement cost. This is actually the default level of coverage unless you opt out by choosing Released Value, and the mover will charge an additional fee for it. The cost varies by company and may offer different deductible levels that lower your premium.
One important detail: items worth more than $100 per pound (jewelry, silverware, antiques, furs) are considered “extraordinary value” items. The mover can limit its liability for those unless you specifically list them on the shipping documents. If you own anything in that category, declare it in writing before the move.
The Typical Timeline
A full service move isn’t just moving day. It’s a process that starts weeks in advance.
About eight weeks before your move, contact moving companies to get quotes and book your date. Peak season fills up fast, so the earlier you lock in a crew the better your options. Around six weeks out, start inventorying your home and deciding what you actually want to take. Selling, donating, or tossing items you haven’t used in the past year reduces your shipment weight and your bill.
Two to three days before the move, confirm your arrival time with the moving company and relay any last-minute details, like changes to parking access or elevator reservations at your new building. This is also a good time to set aside essentials you’ll keep with you: medications, important documents, chargers, a change of clothes, and anything you’ll need before the truck arrives.
On moving day, plan to be home (or have someone there) to answer the crew’s questions about what goes, what stays, and how fragile items should be handled. Before the movers leave, you’ll be asked to sign two critical documents: the bill of lading, which is your contract with the mover, and the household inventory list. Read both carefully. The inventory notes the condition of your items at pickup, and it’s your primary evidence if you need to file a damage claim later. Keep these documents until every charge is paid and any claims are resolved.
How to Get the Best Quote
The most accurate quotes come from in-home or virtual surveys where the estimator sees the actual volume of your belongings. Phone estimates based on your description of “a three-bedroom house” tend to be less reliable because they can’t account for a packed garage, an attic full of holiday decorations, or an unusually heavy collection of books.
Get quotes from at least three companies. When comparing, make sure each quote covers the same services. One company might include packing in its base price while another lists it as an add-on, making the cheaper headline number misleading. Ask each company to walk you through every potential surcharge so you can compare true totals.
For interstate moves, verify that the company has a U.S. DOT number, which is required for any mover crossing state lines. You can check a company’s registration and complaint history through the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. For local moves within your state, check that the company holds whatever license or registration your state requires.