Change of address checklist: who to notify when you move

Start with USPS — mail forwarding buys you time while you work through everything else. Then work through four categories in rough order of urgency: government (IRS, SSA, DMV, voter registration), money (banks, cards, insurers, payroll), home services (utilities, internet, HOA), and subscriptions. The table below is the master list, with timing and method for each.

Most notifications take five minutes online. A few — your state DMV, voter registration, and any institution that requires identity verification — take longer to process but still start online. Plan two to three weeks before your move date for utilities and USPS; handle the rest in the first month at the new address.

Use the table below to track your notifications. "Before move" means file two weeks or more in advance; "After move" means within the first 30 days at your new address; "By tax season" means whenever is convenient, but before you file.

The official USPS change of address service is at usps.com/move. Filing online costs $1.10, charged as an identity-verification fee to a credit or debit card. Filing in person at your local Post Office is free. Both methods start the same 12-month mail forwarding window for first-class mail and priority mail. Periodicals (magazines, journals) forward for only 60 days before USPS stops redirecting them — update magazine subscriptions directly if you want uninterrupted delivery.

File two weeks before your move date, not the day of. USPS recommends the two-week window because processing and carrier notification take time; filings placed the day before the move often miss the first week of mail at your new address.

One consumer trap worth naming explicitly: dozens of third-party websites appear in search results for "change of address" or "USPS mail forwarding" — some look nearly identical to official government pages. They charge $40 to $80 for a service that costs $1.10 (or nothing) at usps.com. These are not affiliated with USPS in any way. The official URL is usps.com/move. If you're on any other domain asking for your card number to "process" a COA, you're on the wrong site.

Mail forwarding is a bridge, not a permanent solution. First-class mail reroutes for 12 months. After 12 months, it is returned to the sender marked "forwarding expired." Use the forwarding period to update every sender directly, so you aren't dependent on it when it expires.

The IRS does not automatically update your address when you file a return with a new address — the change typically takes one to six weeks to process after the return is received. The faster and more reliable method is to file IRS Form 8822 (Change of Address) directly by mail. This is a one-page form available at irs.gov. If you have a business, there is a separate Form 8822-B for business addresses. File Form 8822 as soon as you have your new address confirmed — you don't need to wait for moving day. The IRS mails refund checks, notices, and correspondence to the address of record, so a stale address can result in missed notices or returned refunds.

The Social Security Administration asks that you notify them within 10 days of a permanent address change. You can do this online at ssa.gov if you already have a my Social Security account, or by calling 1-800-772-1213. SSA uses your address for benefit correspondence, Medicare notices, and Form SSA-1099 (Social Security tax forms mailed in January). A wrong address at SSA means missed correspondence, not a change in benefit amounts — but missed notices can have downstream consequences.

State DMV deadlines vary significantly. Most states require you to update your driver's license within 30 days of establishing residency at a new in-state address. Some states give you 10 days; others give 60 to 90. Moving across state lines generally triggers a harder deadline (often 30 to 60 days to exchange your out-of-state license for an in-state one). DMV.org maintains a state-by-state summary. Vehicle registration follows roughly the same timeline as the license in most states.

Voter registration is not automatic when you move — you need to re-register at your new address in most states. Vote.gov links to every state's online registration portal. Registration deadlines before elections vary by state (15 to 30 days in most, same-day in some). If you move close to an election, check your new state's deadline immediately.

Banks and credit card issuers use your address of record for statements, tax forms (1099-INT, 1099-DIV), and fraud alerts sent by mail. Update every financial account before your move — most banks and card issuers allow address changes in the online account portal in under two minutes. Do not wait until your first forwarded statement arrives; the forwarding period is finite.

Auto insurance deserves special attention. Your premium is partially determined by your garaging address — where the vehicle is parked overnight. Moving to a different ZIP code, or especially to a different state, can move your premium meaningfully in either direction. Urban ZIP codes typically carry higher rates than suburban or rural ones due to theft and accident frequency data. The important operational rule: update your auto insurance before your move date, not after. Coverage lapses or coverage mismatches (your policy says one address, your car is somewhere else) can complicate a claim. Call your insurer or update online, and ask them to confirm the rate impact in writing before the move.

Health insurance address updates can trigger a Special Enrollment Period (SEP) if you are moving to a new coverage area — for example, moving from one state to another where your current insurer has no in-network providers. If your insurer doesn't serve your new area, you may have 60 days from the move date to enroll in a new plan outside of open enrollment. Check your insurer's coverage map before the move.

Employer payroll is frequently overlooked. If your company withholds state income tax based on your work or home address, a move across state lines can affect your withholding. Notify your HR or payroll department before your first paycheck at the new address so the state tax withholding is correct. Some employers require a W-4 update or a state-specific form for this.

Gym memberships are the most common financial leak in a move. Most gym contracts — especially month-to-month memberships and all annual contracts — require 30 days of written notice to cancel or freeze. Some require certified mail. If you're moving far enough that you won't use the gym, trigger the cancellation process at least 30 days before your last billing date. Sending the cancellation notice the day before you move means you'll pay one more month at the old rate. Check your membership agreement for the exact notice requirement and method — some gyms require in-person cancellation, which is worth knowing before you've crossed state lines.

Streaming services bill to whatever card is on file, and your card's billing address is what they send payment confirmations and tax documents to. This is low-urgency but worth a sweep: log in to each service and update the billing address in account settings. It takes two minutes per service and prevents small mismatches from flagging fraud screens later.

Meal kit subscriptions (HelloFresh, Blue Apron, and similar) deliver to the shipping address in your account, not your billing address. If you forget to update the delivery address, the box goes to your old home — and the new occupants have a free dinner. Update the shipping address before your last delivery date at the old address, or pause the subscription for the transition week.

Amazon deserves its own line: you have both a billing address and potentially multiple delivery addresses saved. Update the default shipping address in Account > Addresses. If you use Amazon Hub lockers, the nearest locker will change — update your preferred locker in the app.

Package lockers at apartment buildings (Amazon Hub, Parcel Pending, Package Concierge) are tied to a unit number and building. When you leave, your access to the old building's locker ends. Make sure your online retailers' default shipping address reflects your new address before your move date so packages aren't routed to a locker you no longer have access to.

Two weeks before move date: file USPS change of address at usps.com/move. Schedule utility stops (electric, gas, water, internet) at the old address for the day after you move out. Schedule utility starts at the new address for your move-in date. Update auto insurance with your new address and confirm the rate change. Update your bank and credit card billing addresses. Notify your employer payroll/HR.

Arrival week (first seven days): set up utilities at the new address if not already active. Transfer pharmacy prescriptions to a location near the new address. Update your doctor, dentist, and other health providers.

First month: file IRS Form 8822 by mail. Update SSA online or by phone. Visit your new state DMV (or your current state DMV if you moved within-state) to update your driver's license and vehicle registration — bring your lease or utility bill as proof of new address, plus your existing license and vehicle title or registration. Update voter registration at vote.gov. Update retirement accounts, investment accounts, and any remaining subscriptions. Cancel the gym with written notice if you haven't already.

By the end of month two, the USPS forwarding window should be handling any stragglers. Use that window to identify who is still mailing to your old address and update them directly. By month twelve, everything should be updated — forwarding expires at the one-year mark and mail sent to the old address will be returned, not forwarded.