Change of address checklist

Start your change of address checklist here

• File a USPS change of address a couple weeks before your move date, since forwarding takes time to activate
• Remember USPS forwarding is temporary (roughly a year) and doesn't cover every sender reliably — treat it as a safety net, not the actual fix

Financial and legal accounts to update

• Bank and credit card accounts
• Retirement and investment accounts — easy to forget since they mail infrequently
• Insurance policies (auto, health, life, homeowners/renters)
• Tax authorities, if required for your specific situation
• Voter registration

Subscriptions and services to redirect

• Streaming and subscription billing addresses
• Employer HR/payroll records
• Any memberships with mailed materials or renewals

Driver's license and vehicle registration

Most states require updating your driver's license and vehicle registration within a set window after establishing residency. The exact deadline depends entirely on where you have moved, so check your new state's specific requirement rather than assuming it matches what you had before. Some states give you 30 days, others allow 60 or 90, and a few have different rules altogether for licenses versus registration. The penalties for missing these deadlines also vary, ranging from small fines to potential issues if you get pulled over or need to file an insurance claim. A quick visit to the state DMV website before you move will save you from scrambling to find documentation in an unfamiliar system later.

Plan for the USPS mail-forwarding gap

Even with USPS forwarding active, some mail can be delayed or missed during the transition. This happens most often with senders who do not reliably honor forwarding requests, including some financial institutions, government agencies, and smaller businesses that use outdated address databases. Ask a trusted neighbor or the new occupant to hold or forward anything that arrives at your old address in the weeks after you move, as a backup to the official forwarding process. Give them a prepaid envelope or a small stack of stamped envelopes to make forwarding easy, and let them know roughly what to watch for. A quick text reminder after the first week helps keep the arrangement on their radar without becoming a burden.

Utilities, medical providers, and daily services

• Gas, electric, water, garbage, and any home security or solar monitoring service — see our full utility transfer checklist
• Doctors, dentists, pediatricians, and veterinarians, so records and appointment reminders follow you
• Mapping apps and smart-home apps tied to your old address (Google Maps, Apple Maps, thermostat or camera apps) — an outdated "home" location is a small but common annoyance after a move
• Employers and business associates, if your move affects payroll, tax withholding, or mailed correspondence

A useful trick for catching accounts you'd otherwise forget: scan a few months of bank and credit card statements for recurring charges, since that surfaces subscriptions and services you might not think to list from memory. (Source: Move.org)

Some steps vary by state — check your new state's specifics

DMV and voter registration deadlines aren't uniform nationwide. As one example, California requires updating your driver's license or state ID within 10 days of establishing residency, and its voter registration deadline is 15 days before an election — other states set different windows entirely. (Source: OnTrack Moving) Don't assume your previous state's timelines carry over; look up your specific new state's requirements as soon as you have a firm move date.

What USPS forwarding actually covers, and what it doesn't

Standard USPS mail forwarding runs for 12 months from the date you file, and you can pay to extend it for another 6, 12, or 18 months if needed. This extension can be useful if you have subscriptions, annual tax documents, or infrequent correspondents who may not update your address promptly. Filing online carries a $1.25 identity-verification fee, which covers the cost of verifying your identity through a credit card charge and associated authentication steps. Filing in person at a Post Office with the paper PS Form 3575 is free, though it takes more time and you will need to fill out the form by hand. Either way, start the forwarding at least a few days before your move date to minimize the gap.

Not everything forwards automatically. First-Class mail, periodicals, and most package services (Priority Mail, Priority Mail Express, USPS Ground Advantage) forward for free, but USPS Marketing Mail — the bulk-mail category a lot of retailers and local businesses use — isn't forwarded at all. That's one more reason to update accounts directly rather than treating forwarding as your only fix. (Source: USPS)

Updating your address with the IRS and Social Security

The IRS doesn't automatically pick up your new address from USPS forwarding — you need to tell them directly. Outside of your next tax filing, the way to do that is Form 8822, Change of Address, which covers individual, gift, estate, and generation-skipping-transfer tax returns (self-employed filers updating a business address use the related Form 8822-B instead). (Source: IRS)

If you receive Social Security retirement, survivors, or disability benefits — or you're enrolled in Medicare — you can update your address online through a "my Social Security" account without visiting an office: log in, go to the My Profile tab, and update your contact information directly. This online option isn't currently available if you receive SSI payments; those address changes go through a different process. (Source: Social Security Administration)

Frequently asked questions

Related resources

• All moving checklists
• Utility transfer checklist
• First week in new home checklist