You’ve bought and closed on a house and moving day is fast approaching. You’ve likely made arrangements to transport your belongings, but what about your mail?
The U.S. postal service website allows you to change your address online, which the service prefers for speed and efficiency. The step-by-step process can be found at www.usps.com/move. The site requests a date when mail should be forwarded, and asks for the last names of all family members who are moving.
Change of address forms are also available at your local post office. Simply request a Movers Guide. In it, you will find change of address forms that can be mailed to the post office.
Take the time to contact all your local business contacts. The postal service will forward mail sent to your old address for up to a year. Thereafter, any person or business that sends you mail will have it returned to them.
Don’t forget government agencies. Be sure to change your address on your voter registration, driver license, vehicle registration, etc. Here are several links:
- The Internal Revenue Service at https://www.irs.gov/taxtopics/tc157.html
- The Social Security Administration at https://faq.ssa.gov/link/portal/34011/34019/Article/3704/-How-can-I-change-my-address
- Your state motor vehicle agency can be found at this central database https://www.usa.gov/motor-vehicle-services
- A similar locator for your state’s voter registration service is at https://www.eac.gov/voter_resources/contact_your_state.aspx
Post office boxes. If you anticipate moving more than once in the same city within a few years, consider getting a post office box.
