Prototype • Synthetic examples • October 3, 2026Compare the same move,
not just the headline price
Put comparable quoted costs side by side. All fields start blank. Enter zero only when a cost is confirmed as included or absent.
The tool does arithmetic, not quote verification or legal advice. One currency throughout. Data stays in this page's memory, is not sent anywhere and clears on reload. No analytics, cookies or account.
A deposit is cash timing, not an extra cost. Do not add it to the full quoted price. A scenario allowance is your planning assumption, not the mover's promised price.
Before a quote is comparable
1. Match the inventory and scope
Compare the same rooms, items, packing responsibilities, dates, pickup and destination conditions. A cheaper base with excluded packing is not automatically a cheaper move. Ask for a written itemized estimate rather than filling gaps with guesses.
Synthetic example: 1,500 base + 300 packing + 100 stairs + 50 permits = 1,950. A 1,700 base that includes packing and stairs plus 50 permits = 1,750. Headline order reverses. This is invented arithmetic, not a savings claim.
2. Separate known cost from a scenario
The known total adds only the amounts you enter. A blank stops the total. The planning scenario adds your own allowance for uncertain extras. It cannot predict an actual invoice. Entering zero to hide an unknown makes the output look certain when it is not.
3. Separate a deposit from the full price
If an estimate is 1,750 and a 300 deposit is credited against it, the total is still 1,750, not 2,050. Confirm in writing whether the deposit is credited, refundable, and under what cancellation conditions. This prototype records the deposit but does not subtract it to calculate a final payment schedule.
4. Keep estimate type and jurisdiction visible
For US interstate household-goods moves, FMCSA distinguishes binding and nonbinding estimates. A nonbinding estimate is not a guarantee of final cost. Delivery-payment rules are not the same thing as a final-price cap. This tool deliberately does not calculate a legal payment limit. Local, intrastate and international rules can differ.
FMCSA: binding and nonbinding estimates. Consult the written terms and relevant authority for your move.
5. Ask the unresolved questions before choosing
Is packing included? What about stairs, long carry, parking permits, storage, waiting, valuation, extra stops and schedule changes? Is the inventory complete? What changes the price? What is the estimate type? How is a deposit treated? Keep the answers with the written quote. Do not book from this calculator alone.