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How to Prepare Employees for a January Relocation

A January relocation gives employees a clean start in the new year, but it takes planning that begins well before the holidays. Here is how HR teams can prepare employees for a new-year move so the transition goes smoothly.

Why January Moves Need Early Planning

The weeks before a January start are the busiest and shortest of the year, with holidays, school breaks, and year-end deadlines. Decisions that would take days in the spring can take weeks in December. Starting in October or November gives you room to handle approvals, housing, and household goods before the calendar fills up.

Confirm the Timeline

Work backward from the start date and share the plan with the employee. Our 2026 employee relocation checklist helps turn the steps into dates, and our fall corporate relocation guide shows how to build the schedule.

Support the Family Over the Holidays

For many families, a January move means a holiday spent with boxes and goodbyes. Acknowledging that helps. Offer clear information, flexible timing where possible, and school support, as described in mid-school-year relocation and preparing employees for a year-end relocation.

Look at the Budget and Tax Year

A January move straddles two budgets and two tax years. Expenses paid in December and January may be reported differently, so check with finance and tax advisors, and review relocation packages and taxes before you commit to dates. Relocating before or after the holidays covers the trade-offs in more detail.

Give Employees One Point of Contact

Employees should know exactly who to call when something changes. A relocation coach fills that role, and we explain how in why GMS provides a relocation coach to each transferee.

Plan the Arrival

Make sure housing, utilities, and the first day at work are ready, so the employee can focus on starting well. Our destination services support that arrival, and you can contact GMS to plan a January move for your team.

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Blog Corporate Relocation Domestic Relocation Household Goods Relocation Management

How Early Should You Book Household Goods for a Holiday Relocation?

Holiday relocations put extra pressure on household goods shipments. Carriers have fewer working days, weather can cause delays, and employees want their belongings in place before the new year. Here is how to approach booking so a holiday move stays on schedule.

Book as Soon as the Move Is Approved

The simplest rule is to start the household goods process the moment a relocation is approved. Pickup and delivery dates are limited around the holidays, and the longer you wait, the fewer options you have. Exact lead times vary by carrier, route, and shipment size, so ask your provider what they need for the dates you are targeting instead of assuming.

Get an Accurate Survey Early

A reliable estimate depends on understanding what is being moved. A survey of the home, either in person or by video, avoids surprises later. Our post on video survey household goods moves explains how video surveys speed up the process, which matters when time is tight.

Plan for Holiday Delays

Build buffer into the schedule. Carriers and offices may be closed on certain days, and weather can slow long-distance routes. If a delivery slips, the employee may need a few more days of temporary housing or storage, so plan for that possibility instead of treating it as an exception.

Setting expectations early with the employee is just as important, as covered in how to prepare employees for a year-end relocation.

Choose Carriers Carefully

Peak periods are when weaker carriers struggle most. Vetting matters, and our guide to how to vet a household goods mover lists the red flags to watch for. Many companies rely on a relocation partner to manage this, as explained in leveraging your RMC for household goods shipping and third-party household goods shipping.

Know What Is in the Shipment

Clear limits on shipment size and services, such as packing, storage, and valuation coverage, prevent disputes. Our overview of the shipment of household goods walks through how a managed shipment works.

Decide the Timing First

Booking works best once the move date is settled. If you are still deciding between a fall and a January move, start with before or after the holidays, and see our fall corporate relocation guide for a timeline. When you are ready to line up a household goods shipment, contact GMS.

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Blog Corporate Relocation Corporate relocation tips Domestic Relocation Relocation Best Practices

Is It Cheaper to Relocate Employees in Winter? Off-Season Pros and Cons

Moving demand drops after summer, and many HR teams wonder whether winter relocations cost less. The honest answer is that they can, but not always, and the savings come with trade-offs. Here is how to think about off-season relocation so you can decide when it makes sense.

Why Winter Can Be Cheaper

Household goods demand peaks in summer, when families want to move between school years. When demand eases, carriers have more open dates and more flexibility, which can improve pricing and scheduling. We describe the summer side of that cycle in summertime household goods moves and in our guide to relocating during the rush moving season.

Savings are never guaranteed. Pricing depends on the lane, the shipment size, and local conditions, so treat off-season as an opportunity to negotiate and plan, not as an automatic discount.

Where the Savings Show Up

Household goods are the most likely place to see a difference, because carriers compete harder for volume in slower months. Flexible pickup and delivery windows can also reduce rush and expedite charges. Our post on household goods shipment trends for 2026 covers current market conditions. For a full view of the cost categories, see what employee relocation costs.

The Trade-Offs

Winter weather can delay shipments and travel, and the holidays remove working days. Temporary living may cost more if a delay stretches the stay, which is why it helps to define limits in advance, as discussed in temporary living during relocation. Housing markets are often slower in winter, which can mean fewer listings but also less competition for buyers and renters.

Family and School Considerations

The calendar matters as much as the price. Moving children in the middle of a school year takes planning, covered in preparing employees for a year-end relocation and mid-school-year relocation. For some families, a break in the winter is a natural point to move, and for others it is the hardest time.

Before or After the Holidays

If you are deciding between a fall move and a January start, our guide on relocating before or after the holidays lays out the questions to ask.

Ways to Capture Off-Season Value

A few practical steps help companies benefit from slower months. Offer flexible dates and let carriers fill gaps in their schedules. Bid shipments competitively. Plan around weather by building buffer into delivery windows. And track the results so you know whether your off-season moves actually saved money.

For more ways to manage spend, see cost-effective strategies for managing employee relocations, or contact GMS to talk through the timing of your program.

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Blog Corporate Relocation Corporate relocation tips Domestic Relocation Relocation Best Practices

Should You Relocate Employees Before or After the Holidays?

When a relocation is approved in the fall, HR has to decide whether to move the employee before the holidays or wait until January. There is no single right answer, because the best timing depends on the business need, the family, and the budget. This guide lays out the trade-offs so you can decide employee by employee.

Start With the Business Need

The first question is whether the role needs to be filled right away. If the employee is needed on site by a certain date, that drives the timeline. If there is flexibility, the other factors below decide it. Our fall corporate relocation guide explains how to work backward from a start date.

The Case for Moving Before the Holidays

Moving in the fall lets the employee start the new year settled and productive. Household goods carriers and temporary housing are often easier to book after the summer rush, which can give you more flexibility on dates. It also lets families finish the move before the busiest travel days. On the finance side, expenses for a move completed this year fall into this year’s budget, which can simplify planning.

The Case for Waiting Until January

Some families prefer to enjoy the holidays in their current home and move afterward, especially when children are in school and the move would split a semester. Waiting also avoids winter weather and holiday delays during the move itself, and gives the employee a clean start in the new year. The trade-off is that January and the start of a semester can be busy for carriers and for employers filling new positions.

Consider the Family

Family needs often decide the timing. A move in the middle of a school year can be harder on children, which we cover in mid-school-year relocation. Our guide to back-to-school relocation timing looks at the same question from the other side of the calendar.

Compare the Costs

Timing can change what a move costs. Temporary living may need to cover a longer gap if closing dates and lease dates do not line up, and household goods pricing varies by season. For a component-by-component view, see what employee relocation costs, and for the budgeting side, when to budget for relocating an employee. Our look at household goods shipment trends for 2026 covers current market conditions.

Think About Tax and Year-End Reporting

Because most relocation benefits are taxable, the year in which expenses are paid can matter to both the company and the employee. Review relocation packages and taxes and our guide to year-end relocation expense reconciliation before deciding, and confirm with your tax advisors.

A Simple Way to Decide

Ask four questions for each employee: Does the business need them in place now? Does the family have a natural break to move at? Are carriers and housing available at a fair price? Will the year-end budget and tax timing work? If the answers point in different directions, give the most weight to the business need and the family situation, and use cost and tax timing as tiebreakers.

If you would like help weighing the timing for a specific move, contact GMS.

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Blog Corporate Relocation Domestic Relocation Domestic Relocation Tips Relocation Challenges

How to Prepare Employees for a Year-End Relocation

A relocation that lands in November or December asks more of an employee than a summer move does. Holidays, school schedules, and year-end work deadlines all compete for the same few weeks. Here is how HR teams can prepare employees and their families so a year-end move feels organized instead of overwhelming.

Start the Conversation Early

The biggest difference between a calm move and a stressful one is how early the employee knows what is happening. Share the timeline, the benefits, and the first steps as soon as the move is approved. Employees who hesitate about moving often do so because of unanswered questions, a pattern we describe in overcoming reluctance to move.

For fall and winter moves, build in extra lead time. Our guide to fall corporate relocation planning explains how to work backward from the start date.

Give a Clear Picture of the Timeline

Employees should see the whole sequence in one place: key dates, who handles each step, and what they need to do themselves. A checklist helps, and our 2026 employee relocation checklist is a good starting point.

Be specific about the holidays. Tell employees which dates carriers and offices will be closed or slower, so they are not surprised when a pickup or a callback is delayed.

Set Expectations About the Challenges

Every move has friction, and year-end moves add a few more: limited daylight, weather, and busy calendars. Naming those challenges up front makes them easier to handle. Our look at common transferee moving challenges covers what employees typically run into and how to prepare for it.

Involve the Family

Spouses, partners, and children are part of the decision and the move. Holidays can intensify the emotions, especially when a family is leaving relatives behind or starting over in a new place during a season built around home. Resources such as spousal support and family services help the whole household feel included. If children are changing schools mid-year, see mid-school-year relocation for specific support ideas.

Provide a Single Point of Contact

Employees should never have to wonder who to call. A dedicated relocation coach handles questions, coordinates the vendors, and keeps the move on track, which is why GMS provides a relocation coach to each transferee. The coach’s role in domestic moves is described in the essential role of a relocation coach.

Plan for the Arrival, Not Just the Move

Support should not end when the truck is loaded. Confirm that housing is ready, that utilities are set up, and that the employee knows where to go on the first day. Our destination services help employees and families settle in, which matters even more when they arrive right before the holidays.

Check In After the Move

A short follow-up a couple of weeks after arrival catches problems early, such as delayed deliveries or school enrollment issues. If you would like help preparing your employees for year-end moves, contact GMS to talk through your program.

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Mid-School-Year Relocation: How HR Can Support Transferring Families

Not every relocation can wait for summer. Business needs do not follow the school calendar, so HR teams often have to move employees with children in the middle of the school year. With the right planning, a mid-year move can go smoothly.

Why Mid-Year Moves Happen

Promotions, transfers, and new hires arrive when the business needs them. When the timing is flexible, our guide to back-to-school relocation timing explains when to move families for the smoothest transition. When it is not, the steps below help.

Understand the Family's Biggest Concerns

Parents worry about how their children will adapt: new schools, lost friendships, and gaps in curriculum or activities. Employees who are anxious about their family are less focused at work, so addressing those concerns early helps both the family and the company.

A broader view is in our complete guide to relocating with children.

Provide School Search Support

One of the most valuable benefits for transferring families is help researching schools in the new area, including enrollment deadlines, records transfer, and district boundaries. For international moves, the considerations are broader, as covered in our look at education options for expat families.

Offer Flexible Timing Where You Can

Even when the start date is fixed, small timing choices matter. Letting the employee start first while the family follows at a natural break, such as the end of a semester, can reduce disruption. Extending temporary living or a house-hunting trip can also make that option workable, though it adds cost, which is why it helps to understand what employee relocation costs. These choices should be defined in policy so that they are applied consistently.

Support the Whole Household

A spouse or partner may also need help with career transitions or finding community in the new location, which is why spousal support and family services so often shape whether an employee accepts the move.

Give Families a Guide

A dedicated contact makes a big difference during a busy move. A relocation coach can answer school and logistics questions, and we explain how in the essential role of a relocation coach in the domestic relocation process. Our destination services help families settle in once they arrive.

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What Does Employee Relocation Cost? A Per-Move Breakdown

The cost of relocating an employee depends heavily on the move, the benefits offered, and the housing market at both ends, which makes budgeting hard. Instead of quoting a single number, this guide breaks the cost down into its main components so you can estimate your own program and see where spend can be controlled.

Why There Is No Single Number

Relocation costs vary because no two moves are alike. A single employee moving a few hundred miles into a rental is a different project from a homeowner with a family moving across the country. Policy design matters just as much as distance. Our overview of common relocation costs and the deeper look at relocation packages and costs are good companions to this post.

Household Goods Shipment

Moving the contents of a home is usually one of the largest line items. Cost depends on the weight or volume of the shipment, the distance, the time of year, and services such as packing, unpacking, and storage. Market conditions also matter, and we track those in our post on household goods shipment trends for 2026.

Competitive bidding, accurate surveys, and clear limits on shipment size are the main ways companies keep this cost predictable. Vetting carriers matters too, as we explain in how to vet a household goods mover.

Temporary Living and Travel

Temporary housing, meals, rental cars, and house-hunting trips add up quickly, especially when the move does not line up neatly with a lease or closing date. Setting reasonable duration limits and daily allowances keeps the spend contained while still treating the employee well. We discuss the balance in temporary living during relocation.

Home Sale, Purchase, and Lease Costs

For homeowners, home sale assistance, closing costs, and buyer value options can outweigh every other category. For renters, lease-break costs and security deposits are the equivalent. These costs depend on the local market, so the same benefit can cost very different amounts depending on where the employee is moving from and to.

Tax Gross-Up

Because most relocation benefits are taxable to the employee, many companies pay a gross-up so the employee is not out of pocket. It is easy to forget in budgeting, but it can add a meaningful percentage to the total. Our explainer on tax gross-up shows how it works and why it belongs in the estimate, and relocation packages and taxes covers what to confirm before year-end.

Service and Management Fees

Finally, include the cost of managing the move: relocation management fees, coaching, and administration. These are easy to compare, but the cheapest option is not always the lowest total cost, because good management reduces exceptions and rework.

Ways to Control Cost Without Hurting the Experience

The most effective levers are clear policy tiers, competitive bidding for household goods, defined limits on temporary living, and reporting that shows where spend is going. Our guide to cost-effective strategies for managing employee relocations goes into more detail. For the domestic side of the process, see our departure services, and when you are ready to build an estimate for your own program, contact GMS.

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Relocation Packages and Taxes: What HR Teams Should Know Before Year-End

Relocation packages are only as good as employees understand them, and taxes are where understanding often breaks down. With year-end approaching, this is a good time for HR teams to confirm how benefits are taxed, who pays, and what employees should expect on their final paychecks.

What a Relocation Package Includes

A relocation package is the set of benefits a company offers to help an employee move. Common components include household goods shipment, travel, temporary housing, home sale or lease-break assistance, and a miscellaneous allowance. See our overview of common employee relocation packages for typical structures, and what employee relocation costs for how each component adds up.

How Relocation Benefits Are Taxed

For most employees, employer-paid relocation benefits are treated as taxable income. Tax law has changed in recent years, and we summarize what that means in what the latest tax law changes mean for relocation benefits in 2026. Because rules can differ by situation and by state, companies should confirm treatment with their tax advisors instead of relying on general guidance.

Gross-Up: Keeping the Employee Whole

A gross-up is an additional payment that covers the taxes on a relocation benefit so the employee receives the full value intended. It is one of the most important features of a package and one of the most commonly misunderstood. Our explainer on tax gross-up shows how it is calculated.

Lump Sum Versus Managed Benefits

The delivery model changes the tax picture and the employee experience. With a lump sum, the amount is taxable and the employee decides how to spend it. Read more in lump sum relocation: what it covers and who it is best for to decide whether it fits your population, and see employee relocation policy essentials for how delivery models fit into a policy.

Multi-State Complications

Moves between states can create filing obligations in more than one place for the year of the move. Employees often need guidance on this, which we cover in filing taxes in multiple states after relocating.

A Year-End Checklist for HR

Before the year closes, confirm the following:

  • All relocation expenses have been submitted and approved.
  • Payroll knows which payments are taxable and whether gross-up applies.
  • Employees who moved late in the year know what to expect on their final paychecks and tax forms.
  • Any policy changes for next year have been communicated.

Our guide to year-end relocation expense reconciliation explains the process, and you can contact GMS if you want help reviewing your package before year-end.

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Blog Corporate Relocation Corporate relocation tips Domestic Relocation Relocation Best Practices

Fall Corporate Relocation Guide: Planning Year-End Moves for HR

Fall is when corporate relocation programs get squeezed. Budgets are nearly spent, new hires and promotions are landing, and leadership wants people in place before the new year. Here is how HR teams can plan fall and year-end relocations so employees land well and the numbers still reconcile.

Why Fall Is a Different Kind of Relocation Season

Summer is the peak of the moving calendar, but fall brings its own pressure. Many companies approve assignments and transfers in the third quarter so employees can start in the new year, which pushes a wave of requests into the same few months. At the same time, remaining budget is limited and approvals tend to move faster than the logistics behind them. Our guide to relocating during the rush moving season covers the capacity side of this, and much of it applies in the fall as well.

The upside is that demand for household goods carriers and temporary housing often eases after the summer rush, which can mean better availability and more flexibility on dates.

Work Backward From the Start Date

The most useful planning habit is to pick the date the employee needs to be productive in the new location and count backward. A typical domestic move involves a decision and acceptance step, a home-finding or housing plan, notice periods, household goods pickup and delivery, and a settling-in window. Each step has lead time, and the holidays remove several working days from the calendar.

If the target is a January start, the moves that have to be set in motion in October and November are the ones with the longest lead: selling or listing a home, arranging temporary living, and booking household goods. Our 2026 employee relocation checklist is a good template for turning those steps into a timeline.

Check Your Budget Before You Commit

Before approving a late-year move, confirm what is left in the relocation budget and what is already committed. Costs rarely land in the quarter the move happens: household goods invoices, temporary living, and home sale expenses often post weeks later. That is why the question of when to budget for relocating an employee matters most in the fourth quarter.

It also helps to know your year-end process. Expenses and tax reporting need to be reconciled before the books close, and our overview of year-end relocation expense reconciliation explains why late-submitted expenses are one of the most common sources of surprises. For a component-by-component view of what a move costs, see what employee relocation costs.

Support the Employee Through the Holidays

A move that straddles Thanksgiving, December holidays, and school breaks is more emotional than a mid-summer one. Families may be leaving relatives behind right before the holidays, or arriving in a new city with boxes still stacked in the living room. Small decisions help: confirming delivery dates well ahead of the holidays, offering temporary living for a few extra days, and making sure a point of contact is reachable when carriers and offices are short-staffed.

Employees move more confidently when someone is walking them through the process. Dedicated coaching, covered in our post on the role of a relocation coach, turns a long list of tasks into clear next steps.

Align the Policy With the Season

Fall is a good time to check whether your policy matches how you actually move people. If benefits vary by employee level or move type, make sure the team knows which tier applies before offers go out. Policy gaps that are easy to ignore in a slow month, such as unclear temporary living limits or vague timelines for submitting expenses, cause the most friction when volume spikes. Our guide to employee relocation policy essentials covers what to include. See also our U.S. and Canadian relocation services for how GMS structures domestic programs from pre-decision through destination.

Plan the Move for Next Year Now

Year-end is also the right moment to look ahead. Decide which roles are likely to need relocation in the first quarter, estimate volume, and talk with your relocation partner about capacity. Companies that share a forecast get better service than those that call in a rush in January. The planning you do in the fall is what makes the next peak season calmer.

If you would like help building a fall and year-end relocation plan, contact GMS to talk through your program.

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Pre-Decision Services: How to Screen Candidates Before You Commit

By the time a company extends a relocation offer, it has already spent significant time and money finding the right candidate. What often gets skipped is a step that happens before that offer goes out: screening whether the move itself is realistic for the candidate, and whether the company has an accurate picture of what it will cost. Pre-decision services exist to close that gap, and for HR teams and recruiters, understanding what this stage covers can prevent a lot of downstream cost and frustration.

What Are Pre-Decision Services?

Pre-decision services are the assessments, cost estimates, and informational resources a relocation management company provides before a candidate accepts an offer, not after. Instead of finalizing a relocation package and hoping it fits, pre-decision services let both the company and the candidate understand the real scope of a move while there is still room to adjust the offer or address concerns.

This stage matters because relocation decisions rarely come down to salary alone. A candidate weighing a move is also weighing school quality, cost of living differences, spousal career continuity, and whether they can sell their current home without taking a loss. Screening for these factors early gives HR a much clearer read on whether an offer is likely to be accepted, and what it will actually cost if it is.

Why Screen Before You Commit to a Relocation Offer?

Skipping pre-decision screening does not eliminate these factors. It just means the company discovers them after the offer has already gone out, usually when the candidate hesitates, negotiates for more, or declines outright. At that point, the company has spent recruiting budget on a candidate who may not move, or has committed to a relocation package built on assumptions rather than data.

Companies that build screening into the hiring process tend to see higher offer acceptance rates and shorter time to acceptance, since candidates are making a decision with real information rather than guesswork. It also gives HR a defensible cost estimate to work from instead of a rough policy-tier number that may not reflect the candidate’s actual situation.

What a Pre-Decision Screening Process Actually Covers

A structured pre-decision process typically works through several layers of assessment before an offer is finalized.

Needs Assessment and Policy Review

A dedicated relocation coach reviews the company’s relocation policy against the candidate’s specific situation, flagging special needs, family circumstances, or visa and immigration requirements that a generic policy might not address. This step surfaces problems early, before they turn into a mid-move complication.

Cost Estimates and Salary Comparison

Rather than relying on a flat policy-tier number, this step produces a cost estimate customized to the candidate’s actual relocation, including tax calculations where relevant. A salary comparison also shows how the candidate’s compensation will hold up against the cost structure of the destination market, which matters more to candidates than a raw salary number on its own.

Cost of Living and City Data

Data tables covering cost of living, housing, transportation, and per diem rates for the destination area give the candidate a realistic picture of what daily life will cost, rather than leaving them to guess based on outdated assumptions about a city they may have never visited.

Family and Household Considerations

School quality, language needs, and cultural adjustment factor heavily into whether a candidate with a family will accept an offer. Providing school reports and destination information upfront addresses concerns before they become a reason to decline.

Home Sale Feasibility

For homeowners, a broker market analysis estimates local market conditions and the likely time to sell, which affects both the candidate’s confidence in the move and the company’s understanding of what home sale support the offer may need to include.

Building Pre-Decision Screening into Your Hiring Process

None of this needs to slow down a hiring timeline. Most pre-decision assessments run in parallel with the final stages of interviewing, so by the time an offer is ready to go out, HR already has the cost estimate, the candidate’s flagged concerns, and a realistic read on acceptance likelihood. Candidate expense management can also be handled during this window, with interview-related costs billed directly rather than reimbursed after the fact, which reduces friction for the candidate during a stage where they have not yet committed to anything.

What Happens After Screening: From Estimate to Offer Letter

Once the screening is complete, the next step is translating that data into an offer the candidate can actually evaluate. This is where a well-constructed relocation offer letter matters, since it needs to reflect the specific findings from the screening process rather than a generic policy summary. A pre-decision debrief typically wraps up this stage, giving HR, recruiters, and hiring managers a clear rundown of what was assessed and what the resulting offer should include.

Why This Stage Matters More Than It Looks

It is easy to treat pre-decision work as an optional add-on rather than a core part of the hiring process, especially under time pressure to close a candidate. But candidates who go through a structured screening process tend to report higher engagement once they arrive at the new location, since many of the unknowns that create hesitation were addressed before they ever accepted the offer. For HR teams, this translates into fewer declined offers, more accurate budgeting, and less time spent managing surprises after a candidate has already signed.

Getting Started with Pre-Decision Services

Building pre-decision screening into your hiring process does not require overhauling your existing recruitment workflow. It typically runs alongside your final interview stages, using tools like MyRelocation® to track the assessment and keep the candidate connected to a dedicated coach throughout. For a full look at what’s included, GMS’s pre-decision services cover everything from needs assessments to home sale feasibility, most of it at no added cost to your program.

If you are building or refining a screening process for relocating candidates, contact GMS to talk through what pre-decision support could look like for your hiring pipeline.

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