[Request for Decision Concerning Liability for Cost of Shipping Household Goods]

An employee of the Fish and Wildlife Service asked whether he could be relieved of his liability to pay for the shipping of household goods that weighed in excess of the limit in effect. He claimed that he was not offered an opportunity to move under the commuted rate system and that if he had been given a weight estimate before moving, he would have moved the goods himself for a significantly less amount than the liability. GAO has held that an employee's liability to pay for shipment of excess weight is not contingent upon his having received a weight estimate. Regardless of the reasons for the shipment of household goods, there is no authority to relieve the employee of the liability for shipping goods in excess of the weight limitation. Accordingly, the employee was liable for those charges.