How is final payment handled, and what forms are accepted?

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Final payment follows the terms already in your estimate and bill of lading, and on a Georgia move it is due before the truck is unloaded unless you have arranged credit with the carrier. Unless you arrange otherwise in writing, Georgia’s paperwork expects cash or a certified form of payment, such as a cashier’s check or money order, so if you plan to pay by card or personal check, get that written on the estimate and bill of lading in advance. On a non-binding estimate, the carrier can require no more than 110 percent of the estimate to release your goods.

When payment is due on a Georgia move

A Georgia carrier may require that, before it completes delivery or releases your goods, you pay the charges owed under the tariff or make other payment arrangements it accepts (Rule 570-38-3-.16). DPS’s moving guide puts it this way: “Unless you have made credit arrangements with the carrier, you will be expected to pay for the move before your goods are unloaded.” The carrier may also require prepayment, in part or in full, at or before the time of shipment.

What forms of payment the Georgia paperwork names

The two DPS documents list slightly different forms, so settle the method in writing:

Document Forms named
DPS Moving Guide "cash, money order or cashier's check based upon the written estimate"
Estimate form in Tariff No. 7 cash, certified check, or money order, before unloading, unless otherwise agreed in writing
Bill of lading terms in Tariff No. 7 cash, certified check, traveler's check, or cashier's check, unless otherwise indicated

If you want to pay by credit card or personal check, ask before you book and have it written on the estimate and the bill of lading. If a carrier adds a card surcharge, the Georgia Attorney General’s Consumer Ed column says merchants “cannot charge their customers a surcharge fee that exceeds the amount the merchant pays to accept the card”, and that a merchant charging one must give notice before the sale and show the exact amount on the receipt. If you are asked for a large cash payment before any work is done, read why you should never pay a large cash deposit up front.

How much you can be required to pay

  • Non-binding estimate. Under Rule 570-38-3-.08(4), once you pay “no more than 110% of the estimated charges”, the carrier must deliver “as agreed and without delay”, and it must defer any balance for 30 days after delivery. The details are in Georgia’s 110% rule.
  • Binding estimate. You pay the agreed price for the listed goods and services, as covered in binding or non-binding estimate.
  • Charges you never agreed to. A Georgia carrier may not refuse to deliver over charges that were not included in the bill of lading you agreed to in writing before the move.

If you do not pay what you agreed to, the carrier may postpone delivery and store your goods in transit, and charge for the delay under the rules.

On an interstate move

Federal rules require the mover to “specify the form of payment when you prepare the estimate”, to honor that form at delivery unless you agree to a change in writing, and to show the same form on the bill of lading (49 CFR 375.217). On a non-binding estimate, paying 110 percent of the estimate at delivery releases your shipment.

Before delivery day

  1. Confirm the payment method and timing on the written estimate and the bill of lading.
  2. Have that form of payment ready before unloading begins.
  3. Know your estimate’s total and, if it is non-binding, 110 percent of it.
  4. Get a receipt for every payment.

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