An employer paid move looks like the easy version until the first invoice arrives that the policy does not cover, at which point it becomes a conversation with HR you did not plan for.
We connect your enquiry with a vetted international moving company from our network that handles assignment moves and will quote in a form you can put in front of a policy.
Whoever pays the freight, the customs position follows the goods and their owner. Duty on items you have owned for less than twelve months is yours, not your employer's, unless the policy says otherwise in writing.
Read the policy before the survey rather than after the quote. A survey built around what is actually covered produces a quote that fits, and one built without that knowledge usually does not.
the shipping is usually covered and the edges usually are not. Duty on recent purchases, storage, insurance excess, vehicles and pets are the five that most often fall to the employee.
Most policies are written around volume and freight, which is the predictable part of a move. They are less often written around the parts that vary, which is where the unbudgeted costs appear.
Duty is the clearest example. It follows the goods and their owner rather than the payer, so an employee who furnished a flat before the assignment can face a bill the policy never contemplated.
Timing is the other. Assignments start on fixed dates and housing rarely aligns with them, so storage at one end or both is common, and policies often cap it at less than the gap turns out to be.
Volume caps, storage duration and insurance level are the three numbers that shape everything else.
A quote structured to show what falls inside and outside the allowance saves an argument later.
A vehicle, a pet, a piano or a wine collection are all outside a standard household allowance.
Duty follows the goods and their owner rather than whoever pays the freight. Unless the policy states otherwise in writing, it is the employee's.
Packing, freight, basic delivery and often a period of storage. The edges vary considerably between employers.
Duty on recent purchases, insurance excess, customs examination fees, vehicles and pets.
Yes. A quote structured against the allowance shows what falls inside and outside it, which prevents an argument after the move.
You normally pay the excess. Knowing the cap before the survey lets you decide what stays behind rather than discovering it afterwards.
Frequently, and usually capped. Assignment start dates and housing dates rarely align, so check how many weeks are covered.
Vehicles are shipped and cleared separately and are rarely inside a household allowance. Ask specifically.
Some policies cover it and some do not. It is worth establishing at the start rather than three years later.
Yes, and it is worth asking for. A quote structured against the allowance prevents an argument with HR after the move.
Send your collection address, your US destination, the start date, a rough inventory and the policy limits if you have them. A moving company from our network quotes against the allowance.
Send your move detailsA Working Member of AGM Group. Enquiries are connected with vetted FIDI FAIM certified and BAR Overseas accredited international moving companies from the network.
We are an enquiry service and not a relocation management company. Policy terms are a matter between you and your employer.
Written by Darren Benjamin, Founder.