A personalised, categorised list of everyone you have to update your address with — government, financial, utilities, insurance, health and subscriptions — based on your actual household.
Almost every "who to notify when you move" list online is the same twelve obvious entries. The expensive misses are never the obvious ones — they are the toll transponder that quietly racks up violation notices at your old address, the pet microchip registry with a dead phone number on it, the old 401(k) at a former employer, and the registered-agent address on a business filing that legally has to be current.
So this tool works from a master list of 65 organisations, each tagged four ways: the category it belongs to, the household triggers that make it apply to you (renting, owning, a vehicle, kids, pets, employed, self-employed, retired, student), a priority, and — the part that actually saves time — the official route to do it. Your list is that list, filtered to you and sorted so the time-sensitive items are at the top.
One warning worth more than the rest of this page. The official USPS change of address is usps.com/move and it costs a small identity-verification fee online, or nothing at a Post Office counter. There is an entire industry of look-alike sites that charge many times that for the same free government form. The same is true of DMV, IRS and passport "services". Use the official route in the How column.
Caveat. Deadlines, fees and exact processes vary by state and by company — several of these have real legal deadlines (most states want a licence updated within 10 to 30 days; non-citizens are generally required to file USCIS Form AR-11 within 10 days). This is informational, not legal or tax advice.
| Who to notify | Category | Applies to | Priority | How to do it | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| USPS mail forwarding | Government | Everyone | Do first | usps.com/move (small ID-verification fee online, free in person) | Forwards first-class mail to the new address and buys you time to update everyone else. Only usps.com/move is official — copycat sites charge much more. |
| IRS | Government | Everyone | First month | IRS Form 8822 (Form 8822-B for a business) | Refund checks and any notice go to the address the IRS has on file. Filing your next return with the new address also updates it, but Form 8822 is faster. |
| State tax agency | Government | Everyone | First month | Your state's department of revenue website | Especially important if you moved between states — you may owe a part-year return in both. |
| Driver's license | Government | Everyone | Do first | Your state DMV — many states allow it online | Most states require the update within 10 to 30 days of the move, and your licence address is what everything else gets checked against. |
| Voter registration | Government | Everyone | First month | vote.gov, or your state or county election office | Registration is tied to your address and to a specific polling place; deadlines fall weeks before each election. |
| USCIS (if you are not a U.S. citizen) | Government | Everyone | Do first | USCIS Form AR-11, filed online | Non-citizens are generally required to report an address change within 10 days. Filing AR-11 also updates pending cases. |
| Social Security Administration | Government | Retired | Do first | my Social Security account at ssa.gov | Benefit statements, tax forms and any correspondence go to the address on file. |
| Veterans Affairs (if you use VA benefits) | Government | Everyone | First month | va.gov profile, or call the VA | Benefit payments, health-care assignment and correspondence all key off your address. |
| Selective Service (men under 26) | Government | Students | When you can | sss.gov | Registrants are required to keep their address current until age 26. |
| U.S. Passport (only if an application is pending) | Government | Everyone | When you can | travel.state.gov — contact the National Passport Information Center | A passport itself carries no address, but a book in production will be mailed to the address on the application. |
| County or city services (parking permit, pet licence, refuse account) | Government | Everyone | First month | Your new city or county website | Residential parking permits and pet licences are issued per address and often required within days. |
| Vehicle registration and title | Vehicle | Vehicle owners | Do first | Same state DMV transaction as the licence in most states | Registration renewals, toll notices and recall letters all go to the registered address. An out-of-state move usually means re-titling too. |
| Toll transponder (E-ZPass, FasTrak, SunPass, etc.) | Vehicle | Vehicle owners | Do first | Your toll agency's account page | Violation notices go to the registered address, and unpaid tolls escalate into fines fast. |
| Primary bank or credit union | Financial | Everyone | Do first | In the app or online banking profile | Replacement debit cards, tax forms and fraud alerts go to the address on file — forwarding does not always cover bank mail. |
| Every credit card issuer | Financial | Everyone | Do first | Each issuer's app or website, one by one | An address mismatch can decline online purchases, and some issuers block a card if statements bounce back. |
| Employer HR and payroll | Financial | Employed | Do first | Your HR or payroll self-service portal | Your W-2, benefits paperwork and state tax withholding all follow the address on file — a wrong state means wrong withholding. |
| Mortgage servicer | Financial | Owners | Do first | Your servicer's online account (note: the servicer can change) | Escrow statements, tax documents and any default notice go here. If you are keeping the property, say so explicitly. |
| Landlord or property manager | Financial | Renters | Do first | In writing — email is fine, keep a copy | This is the address they mail your security deposit and the itemised deduction list to. Without it, deposit disputes get much harder. |
| Auto loan or lease lender | Financial | Vehicle owners | First month | Lender's online account | Lease-end paperwork, title release and registration documents are mailed to you. |
| Student loan servicer | Financial | Students | First month | Your servicer's site plus studentaid.gov | Missed notices are how people miss recertification deadlines on income-driven plans. |
| Brokerage and investment accounts | Financial | Everyone | First month | Each account's profile settings | Tax documents and proxy materials are address-driven, and a stale address can trigger an escheatment (unclaimed-property) flag. |
| Retirement accounts (401(k), IRA, old employer plans) | Financial | Everyone | First month | Plan administrator's website | Old 401(k)s at former employers are the single most commonly lost account after a move. |
| Pension provider | Financial | Retired | Do first | Plan administrator or former employer's benefits line | Payments and annual verification letters depend on a current address. |
| HSA or FSA administrator | Financial | Employed | First month | Administrator's portal | Debit cards and tax forms are mailed. |
| Credit bureaus (Equifax, Experian, TransUnion) | Financial | Everyone | First month | annualcreditreport.com — check the report after you move | Bureaus update from your creditors, but an old address lingering on your report can cause identity-verification failures. |
| PayPal, Venmo, Cash App and other payment apps | Financial | Everyone | First month | In-app profile settings | Billing-address mismatches decline transactions. |
| State business registration / Secretary of State | Financial | Self-employed | Do first | Your state's Secretary of State business filing portal | Registered-agent and principal-office addresses are public record and legally required to be current — service of process goes there. |
| Local business licence and any permits | Financial | Self-employed | Do first | City or county business licensing office | Licences are usually issued per location, not per person; moving may require a new one. |
| Clients, vendors and your invoicing system | Financial | Self-employed | Do first | Update your invoice template and W-9 on file | A wrong address on a W-9 sends your 1099 to the wrong place at tax time. |
| Business bank account and payment processor | Financial | Self-employed | First month | Bank plus Stripe / Square / PayPal business settings | Processors verify business address and can hold payouts on a mismatch. |
| Accountant or tax preparer | Financial | Self-employed | First month | An email is enough | A mid-year move across state lines changes what you file. |
| Renters insurance | Insurance | Renters | Do first | Call or update in your insurer's app | A policy on the old address does not cover your belongings at the new one — and the premium changes with location. |
| Homeowners insurance | Insurance | Owners | Do first | Your agent or insurer | Coverage must start the day you take possession; lenders require proof before closing. |
| Auto insurance | Insurance | Vehicle owners | Do first | Your insurer's app or agent | Auto rates are set by garaging address — moving without telling them can void a claim, and the price often drops. |
| Health insurance or marketplace plan | Insurance | Everyone | Do first | healthcare.gov or your plan administrator | A move is a qualifying life event that opens a special enrolment window, and your provider network may not follow you. |
| Life and disability insurance | Insurance | Everyone | First month | Insurer's online account | A lapsed-payment notice you never received is how policies quietly cancel. |
| Pet insurance | Insurance | With pets | First month | Insurer's app or website | Premiums and covered vet networks are region-based. |
| Electric utility | Utilities | Everyone | Do first | Call or use the provider's move portal | Schedule shut-off the day after you leave and turn-on the day before you arrive so you are never without power. |
| Gas utility | Utilities | Everyone | Do first | Provider's move/transfer page | Gas often requires someone on site to relight appliances — book the appointment early. |
| Water and sewer | Utilities | Everyone | Do first | Usually the city or county utility department | Final meter reads settle your closing bill; a missed one keeps the account in your name. |
| Trash and recycling service | Utilities | Owners | First month | City service or your private hauler | In many areas the bins belong to the hauler and must be returned or transferred. |
| Internet and TV provider | Utilities | Everyone | Do first | Provider's move page — book the install now | Installation is the longest-lead item of any utility, commonly two to four weeks out. |
| Mobile phone carrier | Utilities | Everyone | First month | Carrier app account settings | Billing address affects taxes and fees, and device shipments go to the address on file. |
| Home security or alarm monitoring | Utilities | Owners | First month | Provider's account — ask about moving the equipment | Monitoring contracts are tied to a monitored address and dispatch to it. |
| Propane or heating oil supplier | Utilities | Owners | First month | Supplier account | Automatic delivery to a home you no longer own is a genuinely expensive mistake. |
| Medicare | Health | Retired | Do first | medicare.gov, or through SSA if you get Social Security | Your plan network and premium can be region-based, so a move may change your options. |
| Primary care doctor | Health | Everyone | First month | Patient portal or a phone call | Also ask for your records or a referral if you are moving out of the area. |
| Dentist and orthodontist | Health | Everyone | First month | Front desk or patient portal | Ongoing treatment plans need to transfer with you. |
| Pharmacy | Health | Everyone | Do first | Transfer prescriptions to a branch near the new home | Most chains can move an active prescription in one call; controlled substances often cannot be transferred at all. |
| Pediatrician | Health | With kids | First month | Request the immunisation record — schools will ask for it | Schools and daycare will not enrol without an up-to-date immunisation record. |
| Veterinarian | Health | With pets | First month | Ask for the full record including rabies certificate | New vets, boarders and groomers all require proof of vaccination. |
| Pet microchip registry | Health | With pets | Do first | HomeAgain, AKC Reunite, 24PetWatch or whichever brand your chip is | The chip is useless if the phone number and address on the registration are stale — and a move is when pets most often get lost. |
| Therapists, specialists and ongoing care | Health | Everyone | First month | Each practice directly | Referrals and records take time; telehealth is often limited to the state you are physically in. |
| School district and current school | Family | With kids | Do first | Request records transfer; new district will need proof of address | Enrolment, placement and bus routing all wait on the paperwork. |
| Childcare or daycare | Family | With kids | Do first | Written notice — check the required notice period | Most centres require 30 days' notice or charge the month anyway, and waitlists at the new place are long. |
| Sports leagues, tutoring and activities | Family | With kids | When you can | Each organisation directly | Registration is usually residency- or district-based. |
| Amazon and other online retailers | Subscriptions | Everyone | Do first | Update the default shipping and billing address | This is the number one source of packages sent to an old address after a move. |
| Grocery, meal-kit and pharmacy delivery | Subscriptions | Everyone | First month | Each service's saved address | Delivery windows and availability differ by ZIP code. |
| Streaming and app subscriptions | Subscriptions | Everyone | When you can | Billing address in account settings | Billing-address mismatches cause failed renewals; some services are region-locked. |
| Magazines, boxes and print subscriptions | Subscriptions | Everyone | When you can | Publisher's subscriber services | Periodicals are only forwarded for a limited time under a USPS move order. |
| Gym, club and locker memberships | Subscriptions | Everyone | First month | In writing — most require written cancellation | Gyms are notorious for billing until they receive written notice. |
| Warranties and product registrations | Subscriptions | Everyone | When you can | Manufacturer accounts for appliances and electronics | Recall notices and warranty service depend on a current address. |
| Professional licences, unions and certifications | Subscriptions | Employed | First month | Your licensing board or union local | Renewal notices are mailed, and a lapsed licence is an expensive way to find out. |
| Alumni associations, charities and religious organisations | Subscriptions | Everyone | When you can | Each organisation's site | Also stops donation appeals reaching the new occupants. |
| Friends, family and holiday card list | Subscriptions | Everyone | When you can | One group message does it | The cheapest and most-forgotten item on the list. |
There is a core everyone shares — USPS, the IRS, your state DMV, voter registration, your bank and every credit card, health insurance, utilities, your pharmacy, your employer's payroll, and the online retailers holding a saved shipping address. Beyond that it depends on your household: a vehicle adds registration and the toll transponder, pets add the vet and the microchip registry, kids add the school district, owning adds the mortgage servicer and homeowners insurance, and self-employment adds your state business filing. Fill in the form above and it will give you your version, sorted by urgency.
Go to usps.com/move and file an official change of address, ideally about two weeks before you move so forwarding starts on the day you pick. Online there is a small identity-verification fee; filing PS Form 3575 at a Post Office counter is free. Only usps.com is official — there are many look-alike sites that charge far more to submit the same form. You can file for an individual or for a whole family at one address, and either permanently or temporarily.
Yes. File IRS Form 8822 (Form 8822-B for a business). Filing your next tax return with the new address also updates it, but Form 8822 is faster and matters if you are expecting a refund check or any notice in the meantime — the IRS mails to the address it has on file, and mail forwarding is temporary. If you moved between states mid-year, also check your state's department of revenue, because you may owe part-year returns in both.
Through your state DMV, and many states allow it online in a few minutes. Most states require the update within 10 to 30 days of moving, and if you moved to a new state you are generally required to get that state's licence and re-register your vehicle within a set window (commonly 30 days of establishing residency). Your licence address is what nearly everything else gets verified against, so do it early rather than late.
The USPS online change of address charges a small identity-verification fee; doing it in person at a Post Office is free. Everything else on the core list — the IRS, voter registration, banks, insurers, utilities — is free. The costs that do appear are state-specific: a replacement driver's licence and a new vehicle registration or title in a new state carry real DMV fees. Be very careful with third-party sites offering to 'process' any of these for you.
A standard permanent forwarding order forwards first-class mail for 12 months, with periodicals forwarded for a shorter window and most standard-class marketing mail not forwarded at all. That is the important framing: forwarding is a bridge that buys you time to update senders directly — it is not a substitute for updating them. Use the year to work down this list, and check your credit report a month after the move to confirm the old address is not still attached to your file.