Filing a damage claim, and the three deadlines that govern it
6 min read · updated 2026-07-26
A carrier cannot give you less than nine months from delivery to file a loss or damage claim. Once filed, it must acknowledge your claim in writing within thirty days, and pay it, decline it, or make a firm settlement offer within a hundred and twenty days.
Damage claims are one of the few parts of moving with hard federal deadlines attached, running in both directions. Knowing them changes the conversation, because a carrier that has gone quiet is usually out of time rather than out of options.
The clock that starts at delivery
Under the Carmack Amendment a carrier may not impose a filing period shorter than nine months from the date of delivery. Many carriers allow exactly nine months, so treat that as the working deadline unless your paperwork says otherwise. Filing early is better regardless — evidence gets harder to assemble every week.
The two clocks that start when you file
- Thirty days: the carrier must acknowledge your claim in writing, unless it has already paid or declined it in that window.
- One hundred and twenty days: the carrier must pay the claim, decline it, or make a firm compromise settlement offer in writing. If it cannot, it is required to tell you why and keep updating you at sixty-day intervals.
What to do at delivery, before anyone leaves
The single most useful thing you can do happens before the truck pulls away. Inspect what you can, and note any damage or missing items on the delivery receipt and inventory sheet before you sign. A signed clean receipt does not end your right to claim, but it makes the claim materially harder to prove.
- Photograph damage where it sits, before anything is moved again.
- Check the inventory sheet numbers against what actually arrived. Missing items are found through the numbers, not from memory.
- Write specific exceptions rather than general ones. "Dresser, item 114, top-right corner cracked" is evidence. "Some damage" is not.
- Keep the bill of lading, the inventory, the estimate and every receipt together. All four get referenced in a claim.
What the claim itself needs
A claim must identify the shipment, describe the loss or damage, and state a specific amount. Vague claims can be treated as not properly filed, which means the clock may not have started. Include the inventory numbers, photographs, and either repair estimates or evidence of replacement cost.
If the answer is no
A declined claim is not the end. Interstate household goods carriers are required to offer a neutral arbitration programme for disputes and to tell you it exists. Arbitration is generally cheaper and faster than court. Separately, carriers cannot limit the period for filing suit to less than two years and one day from the date they decline a claim in writing.
How much you can recover depends entirely on the liability level on your paperwork. Under released value that is sixty cents per pound per article regardless of what the item was worth. Under full value protection it is repair, replacement or a cash settlement, at the carrier's choice.
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Common questions
How long do I have to file a claim against a moving company?
A carrier cannot give you less than nine months from delivery. Many allow exactly nine, so treat that as the deadline unless your paperwork says otherwise.
How long does a mover have to respond to a claim?
Thirty days to acknowledge it in writing, and a hundred and twenty days to pay it, decline it, or make a firm written settlement offer. If it cannot resolve it in that time it must explain why and update you every sixty days.
What if I already signed the delivery receipt?
You can still file. A clean signed receipt does not extinguish the claim, but it makes damage harder to prove, which is why noting exceptions before signing matters so much.
What can I do if my claim is denied?
Interstate carriers must offer a neutral arbitration programme and tell you about it. You also cannot be held to a suit-filing window shorter than two years and one day from a written declination.