So you’ve purchased or sold your home and are ready to move on to your next home…what now? Moving can be the opposite of what it should be; instead of being an exciting, happy time it often turns stressful and chaotic. What can you do to avoid the stress of moving? Be organized! One of the first things you can do to be organized is inform those who need to know about your address change. But, who needs to know?
- Utility companies – stop and start or transfer service for the day of your move (electric, water, cable, home & cell phone, security company)
- The post office to ensure that you receive all of your snail mail
- The DMV. You’ll need to update your address on vehicle registrations, and you are required to change your address on your driver’s license within 10 days of moving.
- Update your address with your state’s Supervisor of Elections so that you will be able to vote when it comes time for elections!
- Family & Friends (if you’re brave enough)
- Your current and (if necessary) previous employer(s) – this is especially important if you are expecting to receive your W-2 in the mail
- Your children’s schools. This is probably obvious if they are going to a new school, but if you are staying within the same school zone it might not be top of mind.
- The IRS (they’ll find you either way!) and other government agencies if you collect benefits (Social Security, Medicaid, medicare, Department of Veteran’s Affairs, etc.)
- Banks that hold your checking/savings, retirement, investment, and loan accounts.
- Credit card companies (major and store credit cards)
- All doctors offices (and your pharmacy) – if you’re moving to a new area, request referrals and have your medical files transferred
- Insurance companies – health, car, life, etc.
- Your pet’s veterinarian
- With the increasing popularity of subscription services, don’t forget about changing your address with Ipsy, Dollar Shave Club, Stitch Fix, Bark Box, etc! This also includes magazine subscriptions since USPS mail forwarding will only last a couple months for magazines, and newspaper subscriptions.
While you don’t necessarily have to inform everyone immediately or tackle the entire list all in one day, I would suggest prioritizing the list so that you can inform the most important contacts first.
