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Moving Insurance vs Valuation: What Each One Is and Who Stands Behind It

A mover’s valuation is a limit on the mover’s own liability, set by federal rules and its tariff. Insurance is a separate contract with an insurer. Mixing the two up is how people end up surprised after a claim.

MoveDayPlan Editorial Updated

Short answer

Liability vs a policy

valuation is the level of liability an interstate mover accepts for your goods, chosen on the paperwork; insurance is a separate contract with an insurance company with its own terms. A mover saying everything is “covered by our insurance” is a federal red flag

Movers, websites and friends all use the words “moving insurance” loosely, and that loose language costs people money. When a mover talks about protection for an interstate move, it is usually talking about valuation: how much the mover itself will be liable for if your goods are lost or damaged. That is not insurance in the ordinary sense. It is a liability level set within federal rules and the mover’s tariff, and its limits come from your paperwork, not from a policy document. This page explains the difference so you know which questions to ask and whom to ask. It does not recommend buying or skipping any coverage.

Side by side

Mover valuation

Who stands behind it

  • The moving company itself, under its tariff and the federal rules for interstate moves.

How you get it

  • Chosen on the moving paperwork. Full Value Protection applies unless you waive it in writing for Released Value.

Where claims go

  • A written claim to the mover, under the federal claim timeline and the mover’s arbitration program.

Separate insurance

Who stands behind it

  • An insurance company, under the policy you or a provider buys.

How you get it

  • A separate purchase or an existing policy whose terms you check with the insurer.

Where claims go

  • To the insurer, under the policy’s own conditions and deadlines.

Valuation: two levels set by federal rules

For interstate household goods moves, FMCSA describes two liability options. Full Value Protection makes the mover liable for the replacement value of lost or damaged goods, up to the declared value of the shipment, with repair, replacement or a cash settlement as the remedy. Released Value is the minimal level: the mover’s liability is limited to 60 cents per pound per article, at no extra charge, and it applies only if you waive Full Value Protection in writing. The statute behind this, 49 U.S.C. 14706(f), says released rates cannot apply unless the shipper waives full-value protection in writing.

Notice what neither level is: a policy you can read from an insurer, with its own premium, exclusions and claim office. Both are promises by the mover, priced in its tariff and enforced through the mover’s claim process and arbitration program. That matters most for light, valuable things, where a per-pound limit pays very little, and for articles worth more than $100 per pound, which FMCSA treats as items of extraordinary value that you must list on the paperwork. Our valuation guide works through the per-pound arithmetic, deductibles and declared value item by item; this page stays with the question of who is liable.

In-state moves: liability can be whatever the contract says

The two federal levels belong to interstate moves. Inside a state, the state sets the terms, and they can look very different. The Texas Department of Motor Vehicles’ consumer brochure for in-state moves, for example, says you and the mover agree on the mover’s liability before the move: it may be limited to 60 cents per pound per item, it may be higher for an added fee if agreed in writing, and it may even be none at all. The same brochure states plainly that the mover’s limits on liability are not the same as insurance and that you can obtain insurance separately. Read the liability clause of a local contract as carefully as the price.

Insurance: someone else’s contract

Insurance for a move, where it exists, is a contract with an insurer, and only the insurer and its policy can tell you what it covers. That might be coverage you already hold or a separate product sold for moves or storage. Some equipment providers offer their own protection plans under their own names; a portable container company, for example, may sell a contents protection option with a declared value chosen before the container is delivered. Each of those has its own terms, exclusions and claim process, which may differ from a mover’s valuation in every respect.

Because we do not give insurance advice, the useful step here is a question rather than a recommendation: ask your insurer in writing whether, and under what conditions, your belongings are covered while in a mover’s possession, in a container or in storage. Keep the answer with your moving documents.

Questions that separate the two

Get each answer in writing and keep it with the estimate
AskAsk whomWhy
Which valuation level is on my bill of lading, at what price and with what deductible? The mover The paperwork, not the sales call, sets the level
How do I declare items worth more than $100 per pound? The mover Undeclared high-value items may be limited
When you say “insurance,” do you mean your valuation or a policy from an insurer? The mover FMCSA flags blanket “covered by our insurance” claims
Are my goods covered in transit, in a container or in storage, and on what terms? Your insurer Only the policy answers this
If both apply, which do I claim against first? Your insurer Policies set their own rules for other coverage

The red flag in the sales pitch

FMCSA lists a mover claiming that all your goods are covered by its insurance as a warning sign. The phrase is not always a scam, but it blurs exactly the line this page draws, and it often comes with no mention of Released Value, deductibles or declared value. The FTC suggests asking each mover what it charges to insure your belongings and what it pays if they are damaged, and that question works best when you ask it in two parts: what is the valuation level, and is any actual insurance involved? A clear mover will answer in terms of valuation levels and point to the bill of lading.

Is Full Value Protection the same as insurance?

No. It is the mover’s own liability level under its tariff and federal rules. It can be valuable, but it is not a policy from an insurer.

Does valuation apply to a truck I rent and drive myself?

No. Mover valuation is for shipments a mover transports. Rental and container providers have their own agreements and protection products.

Do these valuation rules apply to in-state moves?

Not automatically. In-state moves follow state rules and the mover’s contract, which, as the Texas example shows, may set a low limit or none; ask for the liability terms in writing.

Sources checked November 6, 2026. This page explains who is liable under which arrangement; it is not insurance, financial or legal advice, and it does not recommend buying or declining any coverage.

  • FMCSA — Liability & Protection — Full Value Protection and Released Value (60 cents per pound per article); extraordinary value items above $100 per pound. (Checked 2026-11-05.)
  • 49 U.S.C. 14706(f) (Cornell LII) — Liability for household goods up to replacement value, not above declared value; released rates require a written waiver of full-value protection. (Checked 2026-11-05.)
  • FMCSA — Spot the Red Flags — A mover claiming all goods are covered by its insurance is a warning sign. (Checked 2026-11-05.)
  • FTC — Avoid scams when you hire a moving company — Ask what each mover charges for protection and what it pays if belongings are damaged. (Checked 2026-11-05.)
  • PODS — Containers & Storage FAQ — Example of a provider-specific contents protection option chosen before the empty container is delivered. (Checked 2026-11-05.)
  • Texas DMV — Household Goods Movers brochure — In-state Texas moves: liability is agreed before the move and may be none, 60 cents per pound per item or higher in writing; mover liability limits are not the same as insurance. (Checked 2026-11-06.)

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