Relocating for work? Here's how to ship personal items
Shipping personal items for work relocation is a different job from an ordinary move, because a job relocation comes with a start date and you need to be functional on it. The short version: ship your day-one work kit (monitor, peripherals, cables, work wardrobe) by tracked FedEx or UPS about two weeks before your start date, carry your laptop and phone, and keep every receipt for reimbursement. A new role on Monday and your desk setup somewhere on a truck is a rough first week. With LugLess, you ship the boxes you want on your own timeline. Here is how to plan it and document it for reimbursement.
Shipping around a start date
Ship your day-one work kit early and tracked, so you start the new job set up, not waiting on a box.
A work relocation runs on a deadline a general move does not have. Your first day. You do not just need to arrive, you need to be set up and working when the job starts.
That changes the priority order completely. The things you need functioning on day one go first and should land first: monitor, keyboard, dock, cables, chargers, professional clothing, reference materials.
Ship those tracked about two weeks before your start date so the boxes land 3 to 5 days early. Build in buffer deliberately. A carrier delay is survivable in week three and a real problem in week one.
Everything else, meaning the rest of your belongings, can follow on a looser schedule once you are in and established.
Treat the start date as the fixed point it is and build the plan backward from it, not forward from whenever you get around to packing. Every other date in your move is negotiable. That one is not.
- About 2 weeks beforeDrop your work kit at FedEx or UPS, tracked
- In transit
- Boxes land3 to 5 days before day one
- Buffer: 3 to 5 days of room for a carrier delay
- Day oneYour start date. The fixed point.
What to ship for a work relocation: your day-one kit
- Home office setup. Monitor, keyboard, mouse, dock, cables and chargers. The desk you need to be functional the first morning, whether you are remote, hybrid, or just working late in a new apartment. Wireless keyboards, mice and headsets with built-in rechargeable batteries count as lithium-battery devices, so ship wired ones or carry those.
- Professional wardrobe. The suits, shoes and work clothes for your first week, packed flat so they arrive uncrushed rather than needing a steamer on Sunday night.
- Reference and role materials. Files, notebooks, and the specific tools of your trade.
- The carry-versus-ship line. Your laptop, your phone and anything irreplaceable travels with you. Devices with lithium batteries cannot be shipped anyway, so that decision is already made for you. The bulky, boring, replaceable kit ships ahead so you are not hauling a monitor through an airport.
Pack a professional arrival bag: one complete outfit and your essential tech. If the boxes run a day late, you can still walk in and start.
Shipping to interim or corporate housing
Ship a light load to your temporary housing now and the rest to your permanent address once you have it. Two clean moves instead of one guess.
Work relocations often start in temporary housing: a corporate apartment, an extended-stay hotel, or a short-term rental while you work out where you actually want to live.
That usually means two moves rather than one: a light shipment to the interim place now, and the rest to the permanent address later. Plan for both instead of being surprised by the second.
Send only what the interim stay needs. Do not ship your whole life to a corporate apartment you are leaving in six weeks and then pay to move it again.
Corporate housing and extended-stay hotels almost always have a front desk that accepts deliveries. Confirm it before you book the shipment, and label boxes with your name plus your unit or reservation number so they do not sit unclaimed in a back room.
Keep the permanent-home shipment flexible. You may not have that address until after you arrive, and that is normal.
- Move 1: nowTemporary addressCorporate apartment, extended-stay hotel or short-term rentalA light load: only what the interim stay needsLabel: your name plus your unit or reservation number
- Move 2: laterPermanent addressOnce you have it, even if that is after you arriveThe rest: your remaining personal items
When the company moves the big stuff
Keep your important things off the corporate truck. Ship them yourself, tracked, and have them when you land.
Plenty of employers arrange a full-service mover for household goods. Furniture, appliances, the bulk of a home. That part is handled, and you should let it be handled.
What you do not want on that truck: your documents, your valuables, and anything you need in the first week. Corporate moves can sit in transit for days or weeks, and they are built for volume, not for your day-one essentials.
The smart split is simple. Let the company move the furniture. Ship your personal and work-critical items yourself, on a faster timeline, with tracking you control.
If nobody is moving the big stuff for you, the ship-versus-truck math is worked through in our guide to shipping when you move to a new city.
It also protects the things worth protecting. You choose the route, the timing and the packing rather than handing everything to one large shipment and hoping.
Corporate truck Handled by your employer
- Furniture
- Appliances
- The bulk of the home
Self-shipped Tracked, on your timeline
- Day-one work kit: monitor, peripherals, cables
- Work wardrobe
Carried Your laptop, phone and documents travel with you
Keep your receipts: relocation reimbursement
Many relocation packages reimburse shipping costs, in full or up to a cap, if you can document them. If yours does, your shipping receipts are money back, so treat them like money.
Save itemized records: what you shipped, when you shipped it, what it cost, and the tracking number. Digital labels and emailed confirmations make this easy to keep in one folder instead of reconstructing it from memory in month two.
Read your relocation policy before you book, not after. Check what is covered, whether there is a cap, and what documentation your employer wants, then ship within those terms.
One honest caveat. What gets reimbursed, and how reimbursement is treated, varies by employer and by situation. Confirm the specifics with your HR or relocation contact, and speak to a professional if you need advice on the tax side. This page is here to help you keep good records, not to tell you how yours will be treated.
- Itemized listWhat you shipped
- CostWhat it cost
- DateWhen you shipped it
- Tracking numberOne per box
- Saved labelThe digital label and emailed confirmation
How to ship personal items with LugLess
LugLess is a luggage and box shipping service that books discounted FedEx and UPS rates for shipments within the US, so you get tracking without paying the counter price.
- Get a price on the LugLess calculator. Enter your destination, whether that is temporary housing, a permanent address, or a hold location, plus box size and dates built backward from your start date.
- LugLess finds the cheapest FedEx or UPS rate for the route and sends a digital label to your phone or printer, which is also easy to save straight into your reimbursement file.
- Drop your boxes at the nearest location for the carrier on your label, FedEx or UPS.
- Track every box until it arrives, so you know your work kit is there before day one rather than hoping.
Pack electronics properly. Monitors and peripherals can ship, but electronics are not covered by LugLess Value Protection, so anything you cannot afford to lose should travel with you.
What you pay depends on four things: box size, weight, distance, and delivery speed. For the personal-items layer of a relocation, a few tracked boxes usually cost less than hiring a second moving service. If your employer reimburses shipping, the documented cost comes back to you.
What you can and can't ship
Fine to ship
- Clothes and professional wardrobe
- Books and files
- Decor
- General boxed belongings
Don't ship
- Food and perishables
- Plants
- Liquids and aerosols
- Anything containing alcohol, including cologne and hand sanitizer
- Hazardous materials
- Cash and valuables
- Anything with a lithium battery, including your laptop and phone, which you should be carrying anyway
Ships, but not recommended: monitors and peripherals without built-in lithium batteries. They are not covered by LugLess Value Protection, so pack them well.
Large furniture and appliances are a mover's job, not a box, and they are usually the part your employer already covers.
Before you pack, see what you can ship with LugLess for the current restrictions.
A work relocation shipping timeline
- As soon as you accept. Read your relocation policy. What is covered, whether there is a cap, and what documentation you will need to submit.
- 3 to 4 weeks before your start date. Confirm the receiving address, temporary or permanent. Separate the day-one work-critical items from everything else.
- 2 weeks before your start date. Box the work-critical items and drop them at a FedEx or UPS location so they land 3 to 5 days before day one. Save the receipts as you go.
- Travel. Carry your laptop, your documents and a professional arrival bag.
- Once you are established. Ship the remaining personal items to your permanent address, then submit your shipping costs for reimbursement.
Moving your whole place, not just a few bags? Our guide to shipping boxes across the country compares it with hiring movers.
Frequently asked questions
Should I ship personal items myself or have the company mover handle them?
Let the company mover take the furniture and the bulk of the household. Ship your day-one work kit and work wardrobe yourself, and carry your documents and valuables. Corporate shipments can spend days or weeks in transit, which is fine for a sofa and a problem for the monitor you need on your first morning. Shipping those items separately also gives you your own tracking and your own timeline.
Can I ship to corporate or interim housing before I have a permanent address?
Yes. Corporate apartments, extended-stay hotels and other temporary housing usually have a front desk that accepts deliveries. Confirm the property takes packages, label boxes with your name and your unit or reservation number, and send only what the interim stay needs. Ship the rest to your permanent address once you have signed for it.
How do I get my home office set up by my start date when relocating for work?
Work backward from day one. Box the monitor, peripherals, cables and chargers first and ship them tracked about two weeks before your start date, so they land 3 to 5 days early. Carry your laptop and phone with you. Build in buffer, because a delay in your first week costs you more than a delay in your third.
Does relocation reimbursement cover shipping costs?
Many relocation packages do, either in full or up to a cap, but the terms vary by employer. Read your policy before you book so you ship within it, and keep itemized records of what you sent, when, what it cost, and the tracking. Confirm the specifics, including anything on the tax side, with your HR or relocation contact.
How much does it cost to ship boxes when relocating for work?
The price depends on box size, weight, distance, and delivery speed. Enter your route and box sizes on the LugLess calculator to compare FedEx and UPS prices before you book, and keep the receipt if your employer reimburses shipping.
What personal items should I ship versus carry when relocating for work?
Carry your laptop, phone, documents, valuables and one complete professional outfit. Ship the monitor, peripherals, cables, work wardrobe, files and reference materials. Devices with lithium batteries cannot be shipped, so that line is partly drawn for you. Anything you would struggle to replace before your first meeting belongs in your hand luggage.