How to Change Your Address When You Move – The Complete Guide

Learning how and where to change address when you move might not be complicated, but the task can easily overwhelm you if left for too long. Considering there’s also the rest of the relocation to think about, it’s much simpler to leave all the preparations to our New York moving company than worry about it.

Why Do You Need to Learn How to Change Your Address When You Move?

Considering that the average person in the US moves about twelve times, learning how and where to change your address when you move becomes increasingly important. Forgetting to update your data could cause various problems, ranging from missing out on an incredible NYC staycation to failing to pay some long-overdue bills. If more people knew what to do when changing address, you wouldn’t be forced to learn how to stop getting mail from previous residents to avoid accidentally breaking the law when dealing with other people’s stuff.

Failing to File a COA Will Leave You and Your Family Exposed to Fraudulent Activity

You should get your information updated right away, even if you moved from one of the safest neighborhoods in NYC. Not applying for a COA leaves you exposed to identity theft, as any important documents that arrive at your old place could potentially be misused. In addition, personal files are one of the more commonly forgotten things to pack, with many failing to notice they are missing before it’s too late. Thankfully, you can avoid leaving anything behind by inspecting the premises one last time before relocating.

If you thought that New York movers are going to solve this problem for you, think again. Paperwork is also one of the standard items movers won’t move. While New York City moving companies will gladly help you pack furniture and items such as pots and pans, most professionals will stay away from anything that displays sensitive information. Filing a COA and notifying the appropriate government agencies will help you avoid all sorts of scams and frauds, ensuring that there’s almost no chance your data gets misused.

When Should You Change Your Address When Moving?

Now that we’ve established why it’s essential to file a COA, you’re probably wondering, “When should I change my address when moving?” Considering the entire process can be done up to three months in advance, you’ll have plenty of time to do it in the weeks ahead. However, since this is one of the most critical tasks on your to-do list, it’s important to finish it at least two weeks before relocating.

How Can I Change My Address After Leaving the Previous Home?

Without the assistance of New York moving companies, many get preoccupied with packing plates and other fragile items. Although two weeks might seem like a reasonable deadline for a COA, the sheer number of tasks in this period leads many to forget about the thing entirely. Thankfully, if you didn’t file an update before the actual relocation, you can still do it after you move in. All you have to do is request that the start date is applied to the past 30 days, allowing you to get all the mail that might have come in during that time.

What Is the Best Way to Notify an Address Change?

If you’re unsure where to change the address when you move, the US Postal Service is the best place to start. Considering this government agency handles most if not all of your letters, it’s crucial to notify it about your relocation right away. The institution provides several options for filing a COA. For starters, visiting the post office and requesting a Mover’s Guide will provide you with a 3575 Form and the instructions on how to fill it out. You also have the option of doing it through their customer service, either by sending an email or calling the USPS directly. The information can also be updated online on their website, meaning there are plenty of ways to do it without actually having to go down to the post office.

Hold Onto Your Confirmation Code if You Are Relocating Often

Once you schedule a COA, the post office will send you a Move Validation Letter (MVL) to validate the request. You’ll also receive a Welcoming Kit or a Customer Notification Letter (CNL) within five business days of the starting date, both of which contain your Confirmation Code. Try to hold on to it, as you’ll need it for all future changes and updates. For obvious security reasons, the USPS doesn’t offer duplicates outside a handful of particular circumstances. If your code gets lost, you will have to pay $56.00 to get another copy.

How to Update an Address – Gather All the Necessary Documents and Correct Data

Unless you’ve already organized important documents at home, you should gather all the necessary paperwork before applying for a COA. Having everything ready is particularly useful when relocating in a hurry, as you won’t have to backtrack continuously to look for data. Whatever way you choose to apply for a COA, you’ll need to provide some personal data, an email, phone number, and details about both addresses. Considering spelling mistakes like typos are relatively common, always double-check all the information you’ve entered. You’ll also need a valid credit card when requesting a COA online, as the website requires you to pay an identity validation fee of $1.05.

Decide Whether You’re Having a Permanent or a Temporary House Move

It’s not surprising that everyone has a different reason to move. Work often requires people to relocate for a specific time, only to move back again once the job’s done. Getting a temporary COA allows you to forward mail from 15 days up to a year, saving you from having to repeat the process all over again. On the other hand, you might be living in Staten Island and permanently relocating to one of the best neighborhoods in Manhattan, or at least for the foreseeable future. Whatever the nature of your relocation might be, remember to state the desired COA option when filling out the form. To see how the whole process works, check out this short video below.

What Do I Need to Change My Address on When I Move Out of My Old House?

Notifying the post office was only the beginning, as there are plenty of other important places to change your address when you move out. As we already mentioned, dealing with these will keep your mail from getting delivered to other people, allowing you to get everything on time without any unnecessary delays. If you don’t know where to change the address when you move, notify the following agencies and institutions:

• Government institutions – Despite staying in the same state, most agencies will still have to be informed about the COA, including the IRS, Social Security Administration, and DMV. The latter is particularly important as it allows you to update several things at once, like your voter restriction and passport.
• Financial institutions – Identity thefts often occur when important financial information gets delivered to the wrong person. If you don’t want to become a victim of fraud, notify the bank and other financial institutions about the move as soon as possible.
• Utility companies – If you’re living in Queens and relocating to Manhattan, chances are you’ll have to find entirely different service providers, or at the very least, inform your current ones about the COA. Although it might seem counterintuitive, take a break from packing to finish this task. Otherwise, it won’t matter that you know how to pack electronics, as you won’t be able to use them anyways.
• Insurance companies – Considering how hard it is to get insurance coverage, it’s crucial to notify each company about the COA. Depending on the type of insurance policy you bought, you might have to go through every signed form to make sure all the details align with your updated information. Fortunately, most can be changed by calling the insurance company or on its website. If you’re hiring New York City movers to help you out, consider purchasing homeowners or renters insurance for the relocation itself. It will cover any damage that might occur during transport.

When Should You Notify Your Employer About the Relocation?

Informing the employer about the COA is always recommended when the process would interfere with work in any way. Doing this right away will allow you to find a suitable solution in the meantime without jeopardizing your position and the relationship you have with the people in charge. If the relocation makes working impossible and forces you to quit altogether, try to give notice to your supervisors up to a month in advance. However, considering working remotely is becoming increasingly popular in NYC, you may not even have to notify your employer at all.

Should You Inform Anyone Else About the Relocation?

Now that we covered the most important places that needed to be notified, you’re finally ready to throw that fantastic going away party, right? Well, not quite, as there are still a few other things you might want to wrap up. Although forgetting about these won’t get you in trouble with the law, dealing with them at a later date might cause you some additional relocation stress you can certainly live without. For example, let’s say you’ve subscribed to a weekly delivery of the best takeout in the city. Forgetting to notify the delivery services about the COA might seem like a simple mistake, but it will cause all that great food to go to waste, and the same goes for all your other subscriptions. Fortunately, the process is usually relatively simple, as you can easily update your data on most websites and apps.

Is the Process Different In Some Circumstances, Like When Relocating With Family?

Besides the option we mentioned earlier, the USPS allows you to update the data of your entire family through a single COA request. Of course, this doesn’t apply to everyone, as all family members need to bear the same surname and move to a unique location. So if any individuals stay behind, have a different family name, or move to another place, they will still have to apply through a separate form.

Make the Right Choice and Allow Our Local Movers in New York to Help While You Handle the Bureaucracy

Dealing with bureaucracy will leave you very little time to prepare for the rest of the relocation. Thankfully, you can always count on Twin Brothers Movers for help with anything regarding your relocation. We’re one of the very few moving companies in New York that operate in all five boroughs, meaning that you can get our residential relocation services almost anywhere in the city. We also offer excellent packing service that will allow you to move fragile objects as safely as large items, while our commercial moves can help you move a company in the shortest time frame possible. Contact us right away to learn more about each of the options we just mentioned and receive an exquisite free quote you can’t say no to.