Printable Moving Checklist: Free Week-by-Week Planner

A good moving checklist printable turns one huge job into small weekly ones. Start about 8 weeks before moving day: book movers and declutter first, forward your mail and switch the utilities about 4 weeks out, pack an essentials box in moving week, and take meter readings on the day itself.

This free checklist does the planning for you in two taps: pick how long you have until you move and whether you rent or own, and it builds your list in the right order, with catch-up tasks at the top if you are starting late. Add your moving date under More options to put a date on every step, tick tasks as you go, then print it or download the free two-page PDF.

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Moving Checklist Timeline at a Glance

Short on time? The checklist moves the tasks you have missed into a Start now list and drops the nice-to-haves, such as using up the freezer, so you only see what still matters.

8 to 6 Weeks Before Moving: Book Movers and Declutter

Booking early gives you a choice of dates and prices. HireAHelper suggests booking movers roughly 4 to 8 weeks before your move, and earlier in the peak season from May to September. For a move to another US state, the FMCSA's Ready to Move brochure advises getting estimates from at least three movers or brokers and checking that the mover has a USDOT number. Its Protect Your Move brochure lists a demand for cash or a large deposit before the move as a red flag.

Declutter before you pack, not after: every box you do not move saves packing time and money. Our guide on how to declutter your home goes room by room, and the moving box calculator tells you how many boxes to order once you know what is going.

4 Weeks Before Moving: Forward Your Mail and Switch Utilities

• US mail: USPS lets you submit a change of address up to 90 days before your move. Online, there is a $1.25 identity check fee; mail starts arriving within 7 to 10 business days of the start date. First-Class Mail is forwarded for up to 12 months.
• UK post: Royal Mail needs at least five working days to set up Redirection and suggests applying about three weeks before you move. You can redirect post for three, six or twelve months.
• Taxes: in the US, you can tell the IRS about a new address with Form 8822. In the UK, HMRC asks you to wait until you have moved before telling it your new address, so that task sits in the first week.
• Utilities: book the switch of electricity, gas, water and internet for both homes now, so nothing is cut off on the day and you are not paying for the old home after you leave.

Moving Week: Pack an Essentials Box

United Van Lines recommends a first-night box, so you have the basics at hand before the rest is unpacked. Pack it last, label it clearly and take it in the car with you:

• Bedding and a towel for each person
• Phone chargers and a power bank
• Toilet paper, soap and toiletries
• Medicine and prescriptions
• A kettle, mugs, snacks and a few plates
• A box cutter, a small tool kit and trash bags
• Clothes for the next day

Moving Day Checklist

Citizens Advice recommends you read your meters on the day you move out and again on the day you move in, and give the readings to the supplier. A dated photo of each meter is a useful backup. If you rent, photograph every room after cleaning; those photos help if there is a dispute about the deposit. Do a last walk-through of every closet and cabinet, the attic or loft, the garage and the shed before you lock up.

Keep documents, keys, medicine and valuables with you rather than in the van. At the new home, check that every box and piece of furniture has arrived before the movers leave, and note any damage.

First Week in Your New Home

• Update official records. In the US, you must update your voter registration when you move, and the deadline for a new driver's license varies by state. In the UK, changing the address on your driving licence with DVLA is free, and you can be fined up to £1,000 if you do not.
• Safety first. Test the smoke and carbon monoxide alarms, and find the main water shutoff and the breaker panel or fuse box before you need them.
• Pets. PDSA suggests giving your pet one quiet room on moving day and telling the microchip company your new address and contact details.
• Unpack in order. Kitchen and bathroom first, then bedrooms, then everything else.

How This Moving Checklist Works

• Two taps: how long until you move and whether you rent or own. Renters get deposit tasks; owners get closing or completion tasks.
• Starting late: tasks from earlier weeks move into a Start now list at the top, and optional ones are left out.
• More options: a moving date puts a date on every step; kids, pets, long distance and how you move add or remove tasks; the country switch shows US or UK wording, such as USPS or Royal Mail.
• Your ticks are saved only in your own browser. Nothing is sent to us.
• The weeks are a common moving timeline, not a rule: if a task suits your move better earlier or later, do it then.

Save the moving checklist

Pin the week-by-week plan so it is there when the boxes come out.

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Moving Checklist FAQ

How far in advance should you start planning a move?

Start about 8 weeks before moving day. That gives you time to compare at least three movers, declutter and give notice on a rental. In the busy May to September season, book movers even earlier. If you have less time, start with the urgent tasks: movers, mail forwarding and utilities.

What should I do 2 weeks before moving?

Two weeks before moving, confirm the date, time and both addresses with the movers or the rental company, plan parking at both homes, refill prescriptions, return borrowed items and take apart furniture you can do without. Keep the screws in a labeled bag taped to each piece.

What is the first thing to do when you move?

Set the moving date and budget, then book movers or a van, because good dates fill up first. Next, give notice if you rent, then declutter before you buy boxes. On arrival, the first jobs are meter readings, making the beds and unpacking the essentials box.

Who do I need to tell when I move?

Tell the post office, your bank and card providers, employer, doctor and dentist, insurers, phone and internet provider, subscriptions, school, the tax office and the driving license authority, and update your voter registration. The free PDF has a who-to-tell list you can tick off.

More Moving Tools

Work out how many boxes to buy with our moving box calculator, and if your dates do not line up, our storage unit size calculator shows what size unit you need. Before you pack, our closet clean-out guide and tips on how to fold clothes to save space cut the number of boxes, and once you arrive, start with how to organize kitchen cabinets.

How this guide was made: researched and written with the help of AI tools, fact-checked against trusted sources and published by Mohamed Elber. Images are AI-generated illustrations. See our Editorial Policy.