Change of address checklist after you move
Who to notify when you move in New York: USPS forwarding ($1.25 online), NY DMV within 10 days, voter registration, IRS Form 8822, NYS Tax, banks and more.
7 min read · Updated
File a USPS change of address about two weeks before you move, then update the New York DMV within 10 days of moving, plus your voter registration, the IRS, NYS Tax, banks, employer and insurers. USPS forwarding doesn't tell anyone else your address changed, and a lot of government and financial mail isn't forwarded at all.
Below are the official rules for each agency, followed by a checklist you can tick off as you go.
At a glance
- USPS online fee
- $1.25
- Identity verification; in person at a Post Office is free
- USPS takes effect
- 7–10 business days
- After approval
- USPS forwarding lasts
- 12 months
- Paid extensions up to 18 more months
- NY DMV deadline
- 10 days after moving
- Voter registration by mail
- Received 10 days before an election
- NYC Board of Elections
- IRS processing
- About 45 days
1. USPS mail forwarding
- 1
Go to the official site
Type moversguide.usps.com yourself, or start from usps.com. Typing the address yourself makes sure you land on the official site. The official online request costs $1.25 for identity verification. - 2
Pick individual, family or business
“Family” only works when everyone has the same last name. Otherwise file a separate request for each person. - 3
Verify your identity
Online: pay the $1.25 identity verification fee with a card whose billing address matches your old or new address. In person: take photo ID to a Post Office and fill out PS Form 3575 from the free Mover’s Guide packet. - 4
Watch for the letters
USPS sends a Move Validation letter to your old address and, about 5 business days before the start date, a Customer Notification Letter with your confirmation code to the new one. If you didn’t file a request and get one of these, contact USPS.
| Mail type | Forwarded? |
|---|---|
| First-Class Mail, Priority Mail, Priority Mail Express, Ground Advantage | Yes, free |
| Magazines and newsletters (periodicals) | Free for 60 days if the sender prepaid |
| Media Mail | Yes, but you pay postage from your old Post Office |
| USPS Marketing Mail | Only if the sender paid forwarding postage |
| Many government, bank, credit card, insurance and medical mailings | Often not; the senders don’t allow it. Tell them directly. |
Standard forwarding lasts 12 months. You can pay to extend it by 6, 12 or 18 more months, but the extension can't be cancelled or refunded. After forwarding ends, USPS returns mail to the sender for 6 months with your new address on it.
2. New York DMV: within 10 days
The DMV says to update the address on your license, permit, non-driver ID and vehicle records within 10 days of moving. When we checked on October 12, 2026, the DMV's online change of address was shown as unavailable. Until it returns, you can mail form MV-232 or visit a DMV office.
- You don't have to order a new card. You can write the new address on your license, ID or permit and on the registration.
- Want a new card with the new address? There's a fee, listed on the MV-232.
- Changing the registration address also updates the title record. Don't write a new address on a title certificate.
3. Voter registration
The NYC Board of Elections says you stay registered unless, among other reasons, you move outside the city or county where you registered. Update your registration whenever you move, even within the city, so you get the right ballot and poll site. You can:
- Register or update online through the DMV if you have a valid New York DMV ID, or through NYC's online voter registration.
- Mail a paper form to the Board of Elections. It must be received no later than 10 days before the election you want to vote in.
The Board also compares its rolls with USPS change of address records and mails a confirmation notice to voters who seem to have moved. Respond to it.
4. Taxes: IRS and New York State
IRS. If you haven't filed yet, put the new address on your return. Otherwise, send Form 8822, write a signed letter with your name, old and new addresses and SSN or ITIN, or call. The IRS says it generally takes 45 days to process. It also says not all post offices forward government checks, so tell the IRS directly instead of relying on USPS. Joint filers who now live apart should each notify the IRS.
New York State. Log in to (or create) your NYS Tax Department Online Services account and choose "Individual change of address" from the Services menu.
5. Everyone else
| Who | Why | When |
|---|---|---|
| Employer / payroll | W-2, tax withholding, benefits | Before your next pay period |
| Banks, credit cards, loans | Statements and fraud checks often go to the address on file | Move week |
| Brokerage and retirement accounts | Tax forms and statements | Move week |
| Health insurance and doctors | Coverage can depend on where you live | Before the move |
| Renters and car insurance | Your premium and coverage depend on the address | Before move-in |
| Utilities and internet | Final bills at the old place, service at the new one | 2 weeks out |
| Benefits agencies (Social Security, SNAP, unemployment, veterans) | USPS often won’t forward their mail | Right after you move |
| Schools, childcare, pediatrician | Records and enrollment | Before the move |
| Subscriptions, deliveries, online stores | Saved addresses keep shipping to the old place | Move week |
| Your old landlord | Deposit refund and itemized statement | Give it in writing when you return keys |
Your old landlord has 14 days after you move out to return your deposit with an itemized statement, so make sure they have a forwarding address in writing. See how to get your security deposit back.
The full checklist
Tick each one off. Your progress stays in this browser.
Change of address after your move
0/18Related guides
Re-verified 2026-10-12. USPS forward page: $1.25 online identity verification fee, card billing address must match old or new address, in person with photo ID and PS Form 3575, 7-10 business days, 12 months standard plus 6/12/18-month paid extensions (non-refundable), mail returned to sender for 6 months afterward, mail class rules, Family option needs same last name, Move Validation letter and Customer Notification Letter about 5 business days before start, sensitive government and financial items not forwarded. Removed an unverified claim about a phone code. NY DMV: 10 days, online transaction unavailable on 2026-10-12, MV-232 by mail or in person, new document optional, do not write on title. NYC BOE: registration ends if you move outside the city or county, mail forms received 10 days before an election, online via DMV or e-register.vote.nyc, USPS change of address matching. IRS Topic 157: return, Form 8822, signed letter, phone; 45 days; not all post offices forward government checks; separated joint filers notify separately. NYS Tax: Online Services, Individual change of address.
Sources
- Mail Forwarding and Change of Address · U.S. Postal Service (accessed October 12, 2026)
- Change your address · New York State DMV (accessed October 12, 2026)
- Register to Vote · Board of Elections in the City of New York (accessed October 12, 2026)
- Topic no. 157, Change your address – How to notify the IRS · Internal Revenue Service (accessed October 12, 2026)
- About Form 8822, Change of Address · Internal Revenue Service (accessed October 12, 2026)
- Update your personal or business information · NYS Department of Taxation and Finance (accessed October 12, 2026)
- Start, stop or move service · Con Edison (accessed October 12, 2026)
General information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Rules change; confirm with the agency or a professional before you act.