21
December

When to Change Your Address

A move can be a daunting time and while many people are focused on getting the house together and everything packed up for the move, taking time to change the address is often overlooked. If you’re planning a move, here’s some information you will need when it is time to take care of an address change, so you won’t miss any important mail.

The mailing address needs to be changed around two weeks before the physical move. This gives the USPS time to alert the postman on your route to start delivery to the new address. It usually only takes the postal service 7 days to have mail re-routed, but filling out the form two weeks in advance allows extra time.

Be sure to know the exact address of the new house. Some roads need to be listed specific ways to be legitimate. For example, you might spell the name “ROAD” in full, but to the postal service, it may need to be abbreviated to “RD” for mail. You will want to verify the full address before filling out the change of address form.

You can change the address in person at the post office at no charge to you. You can also go online to: https://www.themovingblog.com/change-address-when-moving/ and fill out the online change of address form to handle everything online. This will cost $1 and it must be done separately for every member of e family if you have more than one last name residing in the home.

You can also call the USPS at 1-800-ASK-USPS to change it over the phone. You will need to pay a $1 charge over the phone when you go this route.

On top of changing the address through the postal service, you need to alert friends or family to the new address as well as the utility companies, cable or phone companies and financial institutions and others that you do business with.