Change of Address Checklist: Who to Notify When You Move

Changing your address is one of the easiest moving tasks to put off and one of the most annoying to miss. A forgotten update can mean a missed bill, a lost tax form, a package sent to your old home, or a driver's license with the wrong address on it.

This checklist organizes every update by priority, so the time-sensitive items get done first. It is written for moves within California and moves into the state, with notes for anyone moving out.

Two weeks before you move

US Postal Service mail forwarding

Start here. Filing a change of address with the US Postal Service forwards mail from your old address to your new one while you update everything else.

• File online through the official USPS website, or in person at a post office. Be careful with lookalike websites that are not run by USPS.
• A permanent change of address generally forwards first-class mail for 12 months, and magazines and newspapers for a shorter period.
• If only some people in your household are moving, file an individual change for each person rather than a family change.

Employer and payroll

Update your address with your employer so pay records and year-end tax forms go to the right place. If you are moving to a new state, ask HR about state tax withholding.

Utilities at both addresses

Schedule shutoff at your old home for the day after you move out, and service start at your new home for the day before you move in.

In most of the Bay Area, PG&E handles gas and electric delivery and billing. Many cities also have a community energy program, such as CleanPowerSF, Peninsula Clean Energy, MCE, or Ava Community Energy, that supplies electricity. A few cities, including Palo Alto, Santa Clara, and Alameda, run their own electric utility. Water and garbage service is usually set up through your city or local provider.

Do not forget internet service. Installation appointments can book up, so schedule it early.

Home services and equipment

Cancel or transfer any regular services at your old home, such as house cleaning, gardening, pest control, and security monitoring. If your internet or TV provider supplied a modem, router, or cable box, find out how to return it so it is not listed as unreturned equipment on your account.

Within 10 days of moving: California DMV

California requires you to tell the DMV about your new address within 10 days of moving. You can update your address online through the California DMV website. The update covers your driver's license or ID card and vehicles registered to you.

Moving to California from another state? New residents need a California driver's license within 10 days of establishing residency, and vehicles need California registration within 20 days.

Moving out of California? Check your new state's deadlines for licenses and registration, since they vary by state.

The first two weeks after you move

Voter registration

In California, you need to re-register to vote when you move to a new address. You can do it online through the California Secretary of State's voter registration site in a few minutes.

Taxes

• IRS: File Form 8822 to update your address, or simply use your new address on your next federal return.
• California Franchise Tax Board: Update your address with the FTB so state notices reach you.
• If you moved between states, keep records of your move date. Both states may ask about part-year residency.

Banks, credit cards, and loans

Update your address with every bank, credit card, loan, retirement account, and investment account. Your address is often used to verify purchases, so outdated records can cause declined transactions.

Insurance

Update auto, renters, homeowners, health, and life insurance. Your auto and home policies may need changes based on the new location, so call your agent rather than only updating online.

Health care

Update your address with doctors, dentists, pharmacies, and your health plan. Moving to a new area may also mean choosing new in-network providers.

Social Security and benefits

If you receive Social Security or other benefits, update your address through your online account or by contacting the agency.

Everyone else who needs your new address

Work through this list over the first month. Your forwarded mail will remind you of anyone you missed.

• Online shopping accounts and saved delivery addresses
• Subscriptions and memberships, including streaming services, clubs, gyms, and meal kits
• Schools, for children's enrollment and records
• Your veterinarian and pet microchip registry
• Professional licenses and associations
• Your landlord or HOA, for a forwarding address for your security deposit and final statements
• Friends and family, especially for holiday cards and gifts
• Your business accounts, if you run a business from home, including your business license and Google Business Profile

Change of address checklist at a glance

If you only need the order of operations, here it is:

1. File your USPS change of address about two weeks before moving.
2. Tell your employer and schedule utilities and internet at both addresses.
3. Cancel or transfer home services and plan equipment returns.
4. Update your address with the California DMV within 10 days of moving.
5. Re-register to vote at your new address.
6. Update the IRS and the California Franchise Tax Board.
7. Update banks, credit cards, loans, and investment accounts.
8. Update insurance, health care providers, and any benefits.
9. Work through subscriptions, schools, your vet, and everyone else over the first month.

Keep a simple tracker

The easiest way to stay organized is a short list with three columns: who to notify, the date you updated it, and a note on how you did it. Check off each line as you go.

Keep checking the forwarded mail for the first few months. Each piece that arrives with your old address is a sign that one more company still needs the update. In apartment buildings, it also helps to put your name on your new mailbox as soon as you move in so carriers know you receive mail there.

When your address changes are handled, moving day gets simpler too. Impel plans local moves across the Bay Area and long-distance moves to and from California, with one coordinator from the first call through delivery.