Updating the Address: Who to Notify When Moving

One of the biggest reasons why people move is because they found a better home and higher quality of life. If you’re one of them, then you have some planning to do. Getting organized and planning the whole process is something you just have to do for a successful move. That way, you’ll avoid all the negative sides of a last-minute relocation – such as forgetting who should get notified when you change your address. Don’t worry, we prepared a list of companies and institutions you should call before and after the move.

When Should You Change Your Address When Moving?

Every time you move, the process of making everybody aware of it should be high on your list of tasks. With all things to consider when relocating to a new state and doing everything to have an efficient move, it’s easy to forget some important steps, so do your best not to let that happen.

Once you decide it’s time to move and find a place where you’re relocating, prepare for the challenging process ahead. However, if you start preparations on time, you have nothing to worry about.

While gathering all the relocation hacks to ensure a stress-free move, make sure every company and service is updated with your future residence. The best moment to begin with that process is about three to four weeks before the actual move.

What Is the Best Way to Notify an Address Change?

When you move, who should you notify is the main question in people’s minds, whether they are relocating to another country, city, or just down the street. No matter the reasons why you move, avoiding some of the most common relocation mistakes is a must. Surely, not notifying everyone about it is one of the biggest mistakes. That’s why we’ll show you why a checklist will be your best friend in the whole process.

Make a Checklist of Who to Notify of Change of Address

Like with any other complex task, a checklist is a must. So, before you start calling everyone, be sure you have a list of institutions, companies, and people who should be familiar with the move.

A safe move should be your priority, but if all tasks you have to do aren’t in some kind of order, it will be easy to forget some of them. Because of that, ensure calling everyone is on your checklist of things to do before the move. Let’s see who should be notified when changing addresses:

• The post office,
• Home or rental insurance company,
• The IRS,
• Your employer,
• Financial institutions,
• Social Security,
• Doctors and dentists,
• Utility company,
• Cable and internet,
• Subscriptions.

Who Should I Inform When I Move House – Check Who to Notify When Moving First

Once you make a checklist of the relocation tasks when relocating to a new home, you should decide who gets to be notified first. Understanding the importance of this process (who wants to deal with someone else’s mail and hassles like missed bills) will help you get all the work done in a timely manner.

Since this period of life is challenging for many of us, it’s better to start early by updating insurance services and notifying the post office. It will help you stop getting mail for previous residents, and you’ll feel like you are finally home.

We Live in a Digital Age, so for Most Institutions, Two or Three Clicks Will Be Enough

If you’ve never had a chance to deal with the change of address and who to notify, then you probably aren’t familiar with how the whole system works. A good plan will get you a long way. So besides gathering all the packing materials and getting all the furniture packed for the move, plan how the contacting process goes.

The first thing is to understand which institution you have to visit in person, which one you need to call and where just filling an online form is enough. That will allow you to plan one whole day for visiting institutions.

Start by Notifying the Post Office Before the Move

Did you know that if you open or destroy someone else’s mail, you can end up behind bars? To prevent that, you should contact USPS before the move. We understand if this is a task you wish could be avoided since standing in lines and losing precious time isn’t something you enjoy.

Luckily, there’s an online form offered by USPS to fill out, and you’ll be done in just a few minutes. Once you finish the registration, you’ll get a confirmation mail that you successfully updated your info.

However, those who prefer the old-fashioned way can always go to the nearest post office, and in about a week, your information will be updated.

Who Gets Notified When Moving With Family?

If you’re not relocating alone, but you have a family member or pets, then there are some additional steps you’ll have to take. So, if you decide to give your children better life opportunities and you are packing toys, prepare for some form-filling. The procedure is the same when relocating with kids; you’ll just have to fill each online form separately for each child or family member.

Ensure All Medical Certificates Are Updated With Your New Info

Let your doctors know about the move, too. Your future residence should be on every medical certificate. Take care of all documents and paperwork for each family member – kids, parents, and pets, too.

When relocating with pets, be sure you update all the info on microchips. If your cat or dog gets lost, the person who finds it will have the old place as its residence. Here’s how to make sure everything is up to date on the pet’s microchip in case they get out in unknown surroundings.

Inform Government Agencies and Avoid Getting Into Legal Trouble

After USPS, government agencies are next. If you fail to inform them, you can be in some serious legal trouble. So make sure the following institutions know about your new location:

• Internal Revenue Service (IRS) – no matter if you’re relocating an office or not, the IRS should be informed about your new residence. So, simply fill out an online form and then inform your state’s department of revenue. That way, you’ll avoid legal penalties or any other issue.
• Social Security – check the online system and update the residential data. It’s not mandatory, but if you want to have medical services you can use, it’s a good thing to do before the move.
• Voter Registration – when the election time comes, ensure all of your data is up-to-date. Don’t end up without your right to vote. However, pay attention to different regulations for each state.

Who to Notify When You Move – Financial Institutions

The most reliable way to update your address when it comes to financial institutions is to send a mail asking for exact and clear instructions. It’s because every institution has different regulations, and it’s easy to make a wrong move. Life’s too short to be dealing with errors when you can just nicely ask for instructions, right? So here are the financial institutions you need to inform:

• Bank – have all the financial documents delivered to the new place by notifying your banks about the move.
• Credit card companies – to avoid having your cards accidentally blocked, you should inform the credit card company about the move.
• Loan issuers – every institution that lends you money should be aware you’re changing the place of living.
• Tax advisors and accountants – no one wants to mess up their taxes, so ensure your accountant knows about the move.

Don’t Forget to Let the Insurance Companies Know You Are Moving

Count in the time you’ll need to ensure each insurance institution knows you are changing homes. If you are planning to transport your car to a new state, you can start with car insurance – contact the provider and inform them about the change. The same stands for health, dental, and life insurance. It’s important if you need to use medical services and any other service that requires your personal data.

Utility Providers Should Be Aware of the Relocation

Take care of every service you’ll need in your future home. This means you should transfer utilities. It’s best to do it before the professional long-distance movers come and start packing up your household belongings into the truck. Here’s a list of all utilities you should transfer:

• Electricity,
• Gas,
• Water and sewer,
• Cable,
• Internet,
• Parking.

Not only is it very important to do this task so you don’t end up in your future apartment without electricity and water, but you’ll also end up paying for utilities you don’t even use anymore. Another reason is that it can be quite helpful for your budget. You have a chance to check if there are any balances you failed to pay.

Who to Notify of Address Change After You Settle in Your New Home

Once you have the list of institutions and organizations to call, you probably think that’s it. You just have to call them and you are done. However, there are some things to do after the relocation regarding the update of your info. So after you’re done unpacking after the move and finished with all the cleaning of the future home, get to contacting online memberships, retail stores, and other services. Don’t let all those saved addresses on e-commerce websites or delivery subscriptions get lost. It will take you just a couple of minutes for this task, so why not keep everything updated?

Ensure a Reliable Long Distance Moving Company Is Aware of Your Move

There’s more than just one reason why hiring a professional relocation company is the best choice once you decide to move. Having a packing service and even a storage facility at your disposal makes the whole relocation process a lot easier. Not having to think about your belongings during transportation means so many fewer worries. Every reliable cross-country moving service will include relocation insurance, too. The whole process seems like a breeze now, right?