Moving Checklist: What to Do From Eight Weeks Out to Moving Day

Working backward from moving day keeps a move from turning into a last-minute scramble. Start researching movers around eight weeks out, book by six weeks out, and save the address-change paperwork — DMV, USPS, voter registration — for after you've settled in. Here's a week-by-week checklist, plus the Virginia-specific deadlines that apply once you've moved.

Eight weeks out: research and purge

• Get estimates. If you're hiring movers, get at least two or three in-home or video estimates rather than a phone quote alone, so the price reflects what you actually have.
• Decide what's not coming with you. Go room by room and set aside what you'll sell, donate or throw out. Moving less costs less and packs faster.
• Start a moving folder or spreadsheet for estimates, receipts and a running to-do list.

Six weeks out: book and start supplies

• Book your mover or truck rental, especially if your date falls on a weekend or near a holiday, when availability goes fast.
• Start collecting boxes and packing supplies, or order them if you're buying new.
• Use up what you can't move easily — frozen food, opened cleaning products, propane tanks — rather than transporting them.
• If you're renting, re-read your current lease for move-out notice requirements, and give notice if you haven't already.

Four weeks out: notify and start packing

• Notify utilities at both addresses: set a stop date at the old one and a start date at the new one for electric, gas, water, internet and trash service.
• Submit your USPS change of address at the official moversguide.usps.com or usps.com/manage/forward.htm — only those official addresses, since look-alike sites exist. Forwarding may start within a few business days, but the Postal Service's own advice is to allow up to two weeks, and standard forwarding lasts 12 months. USPS Marketing Mail generally isn't forwarded, so plan to update anything important — banks, subscriptions, licenses — directly rather than relying on the forward.
• Start packing rooms you use least — guest rooms, storage, out-of-season items — and label every box with its room and a general contents list.
• If you're moving into a Northern Virginia apartment building, find out now whether it requires a certificate of insurance from your moving company and whether it needs an elevator or loading-dock reservation.

Two weeks out: confirm and finish packing

• Confirm the details with your mover or truck rental: date, time window, address, parking situation and any building access requirements.
• Arrange care for kids or pets on moving day, so you can focus on the move itself.
• Keep packing, working toward the rooms you use daily.
• Set aside what you'll need immediately — medications, chargers, a few days of clothes, basic toiletries — so it doesn't get buried in a box.

One week out: essentials and final prep

• Pack a clearly labeled "open first" box or bag with the essentials above, plus tools, paper towels, trash bags and basic cleaning supplies for both the old and new place.
• Defrost and clean the refrigerator a day or two ahead if it's moving with you.
• Do a deep clean or book one for the old place before you hand back keys.
• Set aside cash for tips, if you plan to tip your moving crew.
• Confirm any building requirements one more time — certificate of insurance, elevator reservation, move-in/move-out windows — for both addresses.

Moving day

• Do a final walkthrough of the old place — closets, cabinets, the garage, the attic — before the truck pulls away.
• Take a photo of both properties' condition on move-out and move-in.
• Note utility meter readings at the old address if you're responsible for the final bill.
• Keep valuables, documents and medications with you rather than on the truck.

If the packing and heavy lifting are more than you want to take on yourself, book moving help for loading and unloading, full-service moving with a truck if you want the crew to bring one, or packing and unpacking so boxes are ready to go before anyone arrives. For what's left behind, book junk removal so the movers only carry what's actually going with you.

After the move: Virginia's own deadlines

Once you've moved, a few Virginia-specific clocks start running. As of September 2026:

A Virginia vehicle also needs an annual safety inspection sticker, and — if you're in Arlington, Fairfax, Loudoun or Prince William County, or the cities of Alexandria, Fairfax, Falls Church, Manassas or Manassas Park — an emissions inspection, unless you already have a valid one from elsewhere within the past 12 months. Details on all of the above are at Virginia DMV.

Voter registration has its own update, separate from DMV: through the Department of Elections' online portal, a DMV address change, a paper application, or a letter to your local registrar. The Department's own pages give different pre-election cutoffs, so check the current deadline before the next election rather than assuming one.

This is general information, not legal advice. Confirm current deadlines and requirements with Virginia DMV and the Department of Elections before you rely on them.

Start the checklist today

Working backward from your date, the biggest wins come early: booking movers before availability tightens, and filing the USPS and DMV paperwork before it's overdue. When you're ready to hand off part of the job, compare independent local Pros for moving help, full-service moving with a truck, packing and unpacking or junk removal.

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Last updated September 2026.