What records should you keep after the move, and for how long?
On this page
Keep the estimate, the bill of lading and its valuation Addendum, the inventory, the delivery receipt, your payment records, and every photo and message about damage. Keep them at least until the claim deadline has passed with nothing to claim: 90 days after delivery on a move within Georgia, nine months on an interstate move. If you file a claim and it is denied, keep everything for at least two years after the written denial.
The records worth keeping
| Record | Why it matters later |
|---|---|
| Written estimate | Shows the price and scope you were quoted; DPS's guide calls it the first document asked for in an overcharge dispute |
| Bill of lading and Addendum | The contract, the charges, and your valuation choice and declared value |
| Inventory | Proves what was loaded and in what condition |
| Delivery receipt with your notes | Shows damage or missing items you recorded at the door |
| Payment records | What you paid, how, and when, including any balance billed after delivery |
| Photos and correspondence | The condition of damaged items and every written exchange about a claim |
Keep them together in one folder or scanned file, with the delivery date written on the front.
How long, by the deadlines that apply
The right length of time comes from the deadlines on your move, so set your reminder from the delivery date.
| Stage | Move within Georgia | Interstate move |
|---|---|---|
| Time to file a written claim | No more than 90 days after delivery | 9 months from delivery |
| Mover's time to resolve it | 90 days from filing where feasible, then a reasonable time with an explanation | 120 days to pay, decline, or make a firm offer, with updates every 60 days after that |
| Time to sue after a written denial | 2 years and 1 day, under the uniform bill of lading | At least 2 years |
The Georgia periods come from Rule 570-38-3-.17 and the uniform bill of lading in DPS Maximum Rate Tariff No. 7. The federal suit period comes from 49 U.S.C. 14706(e), which says the period for bringing a civil action “is computed from the date the carrier gives a person written notice that the carrier has disallowed any part of the claim specified in the notice”. A settlement offer alone does not start that period unless the carrier says in writing that part of the claim is disallowed and why.
That gives a simple rule:
- No damage, no dispute: keep the move folder at least until the claim deadline has passed, then a little longer in case a box you opened late turns up a problem. That is the floor for claim purposes only: keep anything that is also a tax, payment, lease, or purchase record for as long as those uses require.
- A claim that was paid or settled: keep the folder until the payment has cleared and the settlement is in writing.
- A claim that was denied in whole or in part: keep everything for at least two years from the written denial, because that is when the time to sue is running.
How to file the claim itself is covered in how to file a damage claim.
Tax records, if you are moving under military orders
The IRS’s Topic 455, last reviewed October 16, 2026, covers moving expenses for members of the Armed Forces on active duty who move under a military order for a permanent change of station, and says employees or new appointees “of the intelligence community who are moving in 2026 or later may also be treated as if they are members of the Armed Forces for purposes of moving expenses”. If that applies to you, the moving receipts are tax records, figured on Form 3903. If your employer paid for the move, keep its reimbursement records with your tax papers too: IRS Publication 15-B for 2026 tells employers that P.L. 119-21 “permanently eliminates the exclusion for qualified moving expense reimbursements from your employee’s income”, with exceptions for active-duty service members moving under a permanent change of station order and for intelligence community employees and new appointees relocating for a change in assignment.
The IRS’s general rule for how long to keep tax records is three years when no special situation applies, per its page on how long to keep records. For a qualifying service member’s move to a Georgia base, keep the receipts at least that long after you file. How a military move works through a Georgia base is covered in how a military PCS move works.
Before you let the folder go
Check two things: that the claim deadline for your kind of move has passed, and that any claim you filed is paid, settled, or past the time to sue. Until both are true, the estimate, bill of lading, inventory, payment records, and photos stay where you can find them.