The Change-of-Address Checklist
File USPS mail forwarding first — it starts within days for about $1.10 in identity verification — then update your address everywhere that actually matters, since forwarding is temporary.
Two different jobs get lumped under "change of address," and doing only one of them is how mail quietly stops finding you. Job one is USPS forwarding: a fast, cheap bridge that catches mail sent to your old address. Job two is the real fix — updating your address at the source, account by account, so nothing needs forwarding in the first place.
Start with USPS mail forwarding
File it online at USPS.com (moversguide.usps.com works too) — it takes about five minutes. There's a small $1.10 fee, charged to a card, purely to verify your identity; without it, forwarding would be a trivially easy way to redirect someone else's mail. You can set a start date, choose temporary (great if you're not 100% sure the new address is permanent) or permanent forwarding, and mail typically starts arriving at the new address within a few business days of that start date. Do this before you move, not after — the sooner it's filed, the fewer gaps.
Then update the accounts that matter
Forwarding buys you time; it doesn't fix anything permanently, and packages, some magazines, and time-sensitive mail (jury duty, a certified letter) don't always forward cleanly. Work through these groups — money first, since that's where a missed update costs the most.
Money
- Bank and credit union — online banking usually lets you update it in a settings menu
- Every credit card, even the one you barely use
- Payroll and HR, so your last paycheck and any tax forms find you
- PayPal, Venmo, Cash App, and anything linked to a debit card
- Student loan servicer
- Any biller still on autopay — insurance, phone plan, gym
Life admin
- Driver's license or state ID — most states give you a short window after moving
- Vehicle registration, if you're staying in the same state
- Voter registration — update it or you may be voting from your old address
- Health, dental, and vision insurance
- Your address on file with the IRS (Form 8822) if it's tax season-adjacent
Subscriptions & deliveries
- Streaming and app-store billing addresses
- Amazon and any other online retailer with a saved default address
- Subscription boxes, meal kits, and magazine subscriptions
- Pharmacy delivery and any recurring prescription shipments
People
- Family and close friends — the ones who still mail things
- Your old landlord or property manager, for the deposit return address
- Your employer, if HR doesn't double as payroll
- Doctor's and dentist's offices
- Your kid's or your own school/alma mater, if relevant
Forwarding is a safety net, not a solution
Here's the part that trips people up: USPS forwarding expires. Temporary forwarding runs out after a set period, and even permanent forwarding is only meant to run for about a year before mail starts getting returned to sender instead of redirected. If you treat forwarding as "done, mail problem solved" and never touch the list above, you'll find that out the hard way — usually when a bank statement or a renewal notice just stops arriving. Forwarding is what covers the gap while you update everything properly. It was never meant to be the whole plan.