What is released value versus full value protection, and which should you choose?
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Released value is free and pays $0.60 per pound per article, so it pays by weight, not worth. Full value protection costs extra and makes the mover answer for the replacement value of a lost or damaged item, up to the value you declare, though on a Georgia move the claim rule words the ceiling as actual cash value. Choose full value when the things you care about are worth much more than 60 cents a pound; released value fits a load of heavy, inexpensive things.
What each option is
Both are liability levels, not insurance. They set how much the mover owes you if something is lost or damaged.
- Released value caps the mover’s liability at $0.60 per pound for each lost or damaged article. It carries no charge.
- Full value protection makes the mover liable for the replacement value of the item, and the most it owes is the declared value of the shipment. The mover can repair the item, replace it, or pay you. On a Georgia move, the valuation rule speaks of “current replacement value”, while the claim rule caps liability at an amount “not exceeding the actual cash value of the property at the time and place of loss”, so ask how a carrier will measure an older item before you rely on full replacement.
The same two levels exist on interstate and Georgia moves, but the rules around them differ.
| Interstate move | Move within Georgia | |
|---|---|---|
| Rule | 49 CFR 375.201, with the 60-cent rate set by the Surface Transportation Board's released rates order | DPS Rule 570-38-3-.10 and Maximum Rate Tariff No. 7 |
| If you sign nothing | Full value protection | Full value protection with no deductible, at no charge |
| How released value is chosen | A written waiver of full value | A written choice of Option 1 on the bill of lading addendum |
| Full value price | Set by the mover's tariff | Capped at $15.73 per $1,000 declared, or $5.17 per $1,000 with a $300 deductible |
| Minimum declared value | $6.00 per pound times the shipment's weight | Up to $5,000 per room, as the carrier may require |
The federal figures come from 49 CFR 375.201 and the federal consumer booklet in Appendix A to Part 375, which says “The minimum valuation level for determining the cost of Full Value Protection of your shipment is $6.00 per pound times the weight of your shipment.” The Georgia figures, and what each costs on a sample home, are worked through in what your belongings are covered for on a Georgia local move.
Why released value pays so little
The 60-cent figure is a liability cap, not an estimate of what your things are worth. Federal rules tie it to the Surface Transportation Board’s released rates order, and 49 CFR 375.201(c) lets the mover raise the rate each year by the Department of Commerce’s cost-of-living adjustment. Georgia sets the same $0.60 by rule and tariff.
Because the payout follows weight, the gap depends on value per pound. For example, imagine these losses under released value:
| Item | Weight | Replacement cost | Released value pays |
|---|---|---|---|
| Laptop | 4 lb | $1,500 | $2.40 |
| Flat-screen TV | 30 lb | $900 | $18.00 |
| Solid-wood dresser | 120 lb | $700 | $72.00 |
The federal booklet uses its own version of the same arithmetic: a 10-pound stereo component worth $1,000 would bring “no more than $6.00 (10 pounds × $ .60).” Heavy, inexpensive pieces come closest to their value; light electronics, art, and anything compact and costly come nowhere near it.
What can reduce a full value recovery
Full value is the stronger option, but it pays as written:
- A deductible. Georgia’s Option 2(b) costs less and leaves the first $300 of any claim with you. On an interstate move, the mover’s tariff may offer deductible levels.
- The declared value. Recovery stops at the amount you declare, so a low declaration caps a large loss.
- High-value articles you did not list. On an interstate move, an article worth more than $100 per pound that you did not report in writing can be limited to $100 per pound, under 49 CFR 375.203. In Georgia the result is harsher: unlisted jewelry, watches, collectibles, documents, money, and anything worth more than $100 per pound are not covered at all. How to list them is covered in how high-value items change your coverage.
- Your own packing. Damage caused by how you packed a box can reduce or remove the mover’s liability for it.
Which should you choose
- Walk the home and pick the items you would most hate to lose. Estimate each one’s weight and multiply by $0.60.
- Compare that figure with what replacing the item would cost. If the gap is large for the items that matter, released value is not enough.
- Estimate what the whole shipment would cost to replace, and use that, not the minimum, as your declared value.
- Ask the mover for the full value price at that declared value, with and without a deductible.
- Check what your homeowner’s or renter’s policy covers in transit; the federal booklet notes that “disputes with third party insurance companies are not subject to FMCSA regulations”, so read that policy’s terms before relying on it. When an outside policy can do better than the mover’s plan is covered in when homeowners or third-party insurance covers a move better.
Then write the choice down before loading: the option, the declared value, and any deductible, signed and dated on the paperwork. On a Georgia move, if no one asks you to choose, you are protected at full value with no deductible; on an interstate move, full value also applies unless you sign the released value waiver.