A change of address works in layers: you file one forwarding order with the U.S. Postal Service to redirect your mail, and then you separately update every government agency and private company that has your old address on file. USPS forwarding costs $1.25 online and lasts up to 12 months, but it does nothing to your driver’s license, tax records, voter registration, Social Security file, insurance policies, or immigration records. Each of those is a separate notification, and several carry legal deadlines with real penalties for missing them.
Start With USPS Mail Forwarding
The Postal Service handles forwarding through PS Form 3575. You can submit it online at usps.com, in person at any post office, or by mail. Online is the fastest route and the one most people use.1USPS. Change of Address – The Basics
You choose one of three categories — individual, family (everyone with the same last name at the address), or business — and then decide whether the move is temporary or permanent. A temporary order runs 15 to 185 days initially and can be extended up to a total of 12 months.2USPS. Policies, Procedures, and Forms Updates A permanent change forwards mail for 12 months. For the six months after that, undeliverable mail goes back to the sender with a label showing your new address.3USPS. Standard Forward Mail and Change of Address You can pay to extend permanent forwarding by 6, 12, or 18 additional months.
The $1.25 online charge is not a fee for the forwarding itself. It is an identity verification fee: USPS runs a small charge against a credit or debit card in your name at the new address to confirm you are who you say you are.4USPS. Change of Address Refund Request If you file in person at a post office with a valid photo ID, there is no charge.
First-Class Mail and packages forward automatically. Magazines and other periodicals forward for a limited period, typically around 60 days. Marketing mail and bulk mail generally do not forward at all. Anything you actually want to keep receiving — subscriptions, catalogs, promotional offers you care about — needs a direct address update with the sender.
After you file online, USPS emails a confirmation code and sends a Move Validation Letter to the old address so anyone still living there knows a forwarding order was placed. Keep the confirmation code. You need it to change or cancel the order later.
Avoid the Copycat Websites
Search “change of address” and the top results often include third-party sites designed to look official. They charge $40 or more to file the same form USPS charges $1.25 for.1USPS. Change of Address – The Basics USPS has said it is not affiliated with these sites and will not refund money paid to them. The only official online portal is usps.com. If the price is higher than $1.25, close the tab.
Update Your Driver’s License and Vehicle Registration
USPS forwarding does not touch your license or registration. Those are state records, and most states require you to report a new address to the motor vehicle agency within 10 to 60 days of moving. Deadlines and fines vary by state.
Your driver’s license and vehicle registration are usually separate records, so updating one does not automatically update the other. You’ll typically need your current license number, the VIN for each registered vehicle, and your new address. Many states allow online updates. If your state requires a new physical license card, expect a fee roughly in the range of $15 to $40.
A move to a different state is heavier. You generally surrender your old license, pass any required tests, prove residency in the new state, and re-register your vehicles. Most states give new residents 30 to 90 days to finish this.
Update Your Voter Registration
Moving without updating your voter registration can quietly cost you the ability to vote. Within the same state, you update your address with the local or state election office so you’re assigned to the correct precinct. Moving to a different state means registering from scratch there.5USAGov. How to Update or Change Your Voter Registration
Federal law caps state registration deadlines at 30 days before an election, and many states set the cutoff earlier. Roughly 19 states offer same-day registration on Election Day, but you shouldn’t count on that. Update as soon as you move. Most states accept updates online at vote.gov, by mail, or in person at a local election office.5USAGov. How to Update or Change Your Voter Registration
Notify the IRS
The IRS uses your address on file for refund checks, account notices, and anything else tied to your tax records. File Form 8822 with your name, Social Security number, old address, and new address. If your last return was joint and you’ve since separated from your spouse, the form has a box for that.6Internal Revenue Service. Form 8822 – Change of Address You can also update the address by putting the new one on your next return or by mailing a signed written statement with your name, SSN, and both addresses.7Internal Revenue Service. Address Changes
Processing takes four to six weeks, so don’t wait until a refund is pending.8Internal Revenue Service. Topic No. 157, Change Your Address – How to Notify the IRS The most serious reason to keep the IRS current is the Statutory Notice of Deficiency. If the IRS believes you owe additional tax, it sends this notice by certified mail to your last known address. If that’s the old address and you never receive it, you can lose your window to challenge the amount in Tax Court before the IRS assesses the balance against you.9Internal Revenue Service. Statutory Notices of Deficiency
Update Social Security and Medicare
If you receive Social Security retirement, survivors, or disability benefits, or you’re enrolled in Medicare, log in to your my Social Security account at ssa.gov and change the mailing address under the “My Profile” tab. The portal lets you set the date the change takes effect.10Social Security Administration. How Can I Change My Address or Direct Deposit Information for My Social Security Benefits or Supplemental Security Income (SSI) Payments? Supplemental Security Income recipients cannot use the online option and need to call 1-800-772-1213 or visit a local office.
Updating through Social Security also updates the address on your Medicare Summary Notices.11Medicare.gov. Medicare and You Handbook 2026 The larger Medicare issue is coverage. If you move outside your Medicare Advantage or Part D plan’s service area, that plan may not follow you. A move triggers a Special Enrollment Period that begins the month of your move (or the month before, if you tell your plan in advance) and runs for two full months after.12Medicare.gov. Special Enrollment Periods Miss it and you could be without drug coverage or a Medicare Advantage plan until the next Annual Enrollment Period.
Insurance, Banks, and Other Private Accounts
No single form covers your private accounts. You contact each company yourself, and the consequences of skipping any of them can be serious.
Auto and homeowner’s insurance are priced by location. If your insurer has the wrong address, your premium may be wrong, and a claim tied to an unreported address can be delayed, denied, or treated as grounds for canceling the policy. Auto insurance is the sharpest example, because your ZIP code drives your rate directly.
Health insurance works the same way. Moving outside a plan’s service area without updating your information can cost you in-network access or a critical enrollment window. Employer-sponsored coverage runs through your HR department.
Banks, credit card issuers, and brokerages send statements, fraud alerts, and tax documents by mail. Updating them is usually a few clicks in an app, but it’s easy to forget a rarely used credit card or an old brokerage account. Write out every financial account you hold and work through the list.
Non-Citizens: The 10-Day USCIS Rule
Non-citizens living in the United States have a separate federal obligation. Under 8 U.S.C. § 1305, most non-citizens must report a change of address to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services within 10 days of moving.13GovInfo. 8 USC 1305 – Notices of Change of Address The form is AR-11, filed online at the USCIS website or by mail.14U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). Form AR-11, Alien’s Change of Address Card
Failing to file is a misdemeanor punishable by a fine of up to $200, imprisonment for up to 30 days, or both. A non-citizen who fails to report can also be placed in removal proceedings regardless of any criminal conviction.13GovInfo. 8 USC 1305 – Notices of Change of Address Filing AR-11 with USCIS does not update your address with the Immigration Court. Anyone with a pending case before an immigration judge must notify the court separately.14U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). Form AR-11, Alien’s Change of Address Card
What Happens If You Skip Any of These
USPS forwarding expires. Once it does, mail bounces back to senders or is destroyed. Legal notices from courts, agencies, and creditors are generally considered legally delivered when sent to your last known address, whether you actually saw them or not.
For the IRS, a Statutory Notice of Deficiency sent to an outdated address can start the 90-day clock to petition Tax Court while the letter sits in someone else’s mailbox. If the clock runs out, the IRS can assess the tax without hearing from you.9Internal Revenue Service. Statutory Notices of Deficiency For non-citizens, missing the 10-day report creates grounds for removal. For voters, an outdated registration can mean turning up on Election Day and finding you’re not on the rolls at your new precinct.
Most of these updates take under 10 minutes each online. The cost of skipping them is almost never in the effort. It’s in assuming the USPS forwarding order covered everything, because it doesn’t.