Moving to a new place is not all about hauling stuff. EasyMove movers can help you load, unload, pack and move all your staff. All you need to do is tap a few buttons on the EasyMove app. But we understand that the process of moving goes beyond that. One of the most important things you need to take care of when moving to a new apartment or home (apart from hauling stuff) is to change your address so that people know where to find you. It’s an important moving step that you should take in a timely manner to avoid a lot of troubles including missing important mails and paying IRS penalties.
Here is the complete address change checklist for you to follow before you move to a new place:
USPS address change
The first thing you would want to do is to change your postal address. The United States Postal Services (USPS) has made it extremely easy to have your mails forwarded to a new address for a period of 12 months. It means that you can update your address to have your mails forwarded to any place you want. But keep in mind that it’s a temporary address change service. You should have it permanently changed within 12 months. If you fail to do this, your mails will be sent to your old address after this period.
The process to change your address with USPS is quite straightforward. You can pick up a form from your post office in person, fill it out and submit to USPC. You can also download the address change form online. Alternatively, you can pay a small fee and apply for address change online.
In order to change your address online, you will need to pay $1 using your credit or debit card. Stay away from scammers who charge up to $50 for USPS address change. You can do it on your own. It’s a very simple process. All you need to do is visit this link (the official USPS address change website) and follow the process outlined there.
You can specify whether the move is temporary or permanent. You can also specify whether you are moving as an individual or family.
Federal and state tax agencies
Federal and state revenue agencies send you notifications and mails from time to time in order to inform you about your tax filing status and related obligations. It’s important that you notify IRS and your state-level revenue agency of any changes in your address. The good news is that you can do this online quite easily. Visit this link to know more about how to change your address for IRS. Visit the official website of the respective state which you are moving to. Most state governments provide the information about how to change your address. You can update your address online.
Social Security Administration and VA
If you receive any Social Security Administration (SSA) or VA benefits, you will notify these agencies of your address change. You can contact SSA online or by phone. VA will verify your identity before allowing you to change your address. They will contact you by phone or may ask you to fill out a form with your signature. The verification process is aimed at discourage any attempts of identity frauds.
Driving license and State Election Office
Getting the address changed on your driving license is important because most states impose a penalty if there is a delay of more than 30 days. Nine times out of ten, you will be able to submit an address change application online. If your state doesn’t allow you to apply for address change online, you may need to visit the Department of Motor Vehicles and submit an application manually for a new ID.
Here is the link to access the official websites of all the U.S states.
Your voter registration record is an important identification document, so make sure that the address on it is current. Visit this page of the U.S. Election Assistance Commission website to register yourself for a new polling place.
Utilities, memberships and subscriptions
Make a list of all the utilities and services that you have in place at your current address. They include:
- gas,
- electricity,
- sewer,
- waste collection,
- garbage recycling,
- phone,
- cable and
- internet
Notify each one of them about the address change.
You definitely wouldn’t want to move to your new place in the dark, so make sure that electricity is shut off at your old place on the moving day, while the service starts at your new address on the day you are moving or before. Do you have a gym or club membership? Make sure to cancel them before your moving day.
Do you get magazines and newspapers delivered home? If you signed up for any kinds of subscriptions, you should contact their customer care to get them to change your address.
Insurance
Do you have a renter’s insurance? Make sure that the insurance company has your new address updated as soon as possible. Many landlords will want you to provide them with the proof of address change on your renter’s insurance documents. The same goes true for homeowners’ insurance, health insurance, dental insurance, car insurance, and life insurance.
Banks and other financial institutions
Your bank sends account and debit card statements to your mailing address periodically, so it’s very important your address in their records is current. Notify them about your new address before your moving day, so that they can update it on time.
Besides you should also notify your credit card company, automobile loan issuer, any loan issuers, student loan departments, and financial services providers about the change in address. The address will be updated in your credit report only if your lenders have your new address updated in their records. Besides you will run the risk of forgetting about loan payments if they are not auto-debited from your account every month.
Medical records
Your doctor, dentist and/or veterinarian should be notified about the fact that you are moving to a new place. They may want to submit bills or prescriptions. They can also provide references for medical services in your new place.
Friends and relatives
You will leave many of your close friends behind when you move to a new place, but it doesn’t mean you should lose touch with them entirely. Browse through the contact list of your smart phone, create a WhatsApp broadcast list and send out the address change notification to them.
Some other places where you may need to change your address are as follow:
- if you shop online, you must have created accounts on sites such as eBay and Amazon. Most people hardly pay attention to the shipping address on sites where they already have an account. Make a list of sites where you have created an account and change the address, so that next time you shop and forget to update the shipping address, your products don’t get delivered to your old address.
- If you have an account on payment gateway websites such as PayPal, don’t forget to update the address.
- You should notify your employer about the address change.
In conclusion
Notifying banks, financial institutions, landlords, friends and family, insurance companies, utility service providers etc of address change may seem like a daunting task, but it’s something you must take care of before moving to a new place. The good news is that as we explained in this guide you can get your address changed for most services and organizations online.
While you will need to update your address on your own, EasyMove will take care of the rest. With EasyMove, moving help is just a few taps away. We can help you with a move of any type or size. You just need to download our Android or iOS app. (Here is the link to our Android app. Here is the link to our iOS moving app). Get a moving quote today!
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