Moving is one of those life changes that drown you in details and to-do lists. Which moving company should you hire? What size packing boxes will you need, and how many? What really needs to be moved with you, and what is best donated/sold/thrown away? What were you thinking years ago when you shoved those impulse purchases into the back of your basement closet—the same gadgets that are now staring you in the face, the day after you thought you remembered how much “stuff” you had to clear out? One of the most commonly overlooked tasks? Figuring out who to notify when you move.
Unless you have the memory of an elephant, the brain-storage capacity of a computer, and a jumbo binder’s worth of checklists, it’s probably inevitable you’ll forget a few things until the need to act on them reminds you—perhaps months later when you wonder why you haven’t received the latest issues of your favorite print subscription, and then realize that your change-of-address order has expired. Or that you never got around to notifying the post office to begin with.
Change of Address
The age of email and smartphones that don’t change their addresses has lessened the hassle of notifying everyone when you move. Still, there are always people who need your new address as soon as possible. The following checklist covers most of the usual suspects.
Who to Notify When You Move
- The post office. File a change-of-address forwarding form early on, to avoid “Return to Sender” issues in the near-inevitable event that you miss notifying someone else. Then, for every item that arrives at your new home with a forwarding label, make a point of immediately notifying the sender (assuming it’s someone you want to keep hearing from indefinitely).
- Your current employer. Even if you aren’t working for them anymore, they’ll need to send you forms for your next tax return, plus financial updates on any retirement accounts or pensions.
- Federal and state governments, to head off possible tax hassles or misdirection of sensitive information. (Side note: the U.S. government sends personal notifications only by snail mail.) Your IRS, Social Security, and Healthcare.gov accounts are the most important to keep up to date. If you have a flight precheck account with the Transportation Security Administration, notify them too.
- Banks and other financial institutions.
- Insurance providers.
- Health providers, in case they need to contact you about a new finding or misplaced/delayed bill. If you have pets, notify your veterinarian(s) also.
- Utility providers. Whether or not you’ll keep using your current providers, get your name off the old home address, and have services officially discontinued. Let future residents set up their own services and pay their own bills.
- Mobile phone providers.
- The Department of Motor Vehicles, especially if you’re moving to another state with different license rules.
- Voter registration, unless this notification is included in the DMV update process.
- Any subscription providers or monthly clubs that ship real-world products.
- Any Amazon.com or other online accounts that include default addresses for real-world shipments—unless you want to manually enter your whole new address for every future order or, worse, click “Submit Order” on reflex and deal with the ensuing hassles after the package is marked for your old place.
- Any out-of-state friends, relatives, or acquaintances with whom you exchange occasional snail-mail gifts or communications—especially those who don’t use social media or email regularly.
Got everyone notified? Good! Take a deep breath, relax a bit, and reward yourself for successfully completing one of the most important tasks of any move.
Taking Hassle Out of Moving
Amidst all the other responsibilities of a move, the last thing you need is to pull a muscle trying to carry heavy furniture into a pod or expensive rental truck. Moving in Georgia or elsewhere in the Southeast? Save your back, and save yourself time and frustration, by using Fox Moving & Storage of Atlanta. We’ll handle the heavy lifting, supply packing boxes, and even provide you with a free moving checklist so you won’t forget anything!
We guarantee the best professional services at affordable prices. Contact us online or at (678) 250-8208 for a free quote.
Recommended articles:
- “Change of Address Checklist: Who to Notify When You Move.” (Moving.com)
- “How to Avoid a Government Impersonator Scam.” (Federal Trade Commission)
- “Standard Forward Mail & Change of Address.” (United States Postal Service)
- “Topic No. 157: Change Your Address—How to Notify the IRS.” (IRS.gov)
- “Who to Notify When You Move: The Ultimate 15-Point Checklist.” (Realtor.com)