Are you going to be changing your address? An address change with the USPS is a regular part of a home buyer or seller’s routine.
The USPS change of address happens countless times monthly as relocations occur across the U.S. Mail forwarding with the post office is a regular occurrence.
Understanding how to make a USPS change of address with the postal service is one of the many tasks that should be at the top of your moving checklist.
One of the things that many buyers and sellers research is how to forward their mail through the post office.
You have so many issues to consider when moving – your moving date, hiring movers, turning off and setting up utilities, new school district – the list goes on and on.
A vital task that can get lost in the shuffle is ensuring your mail is forwarded by the United States Postal Service (USPS).
Learning how to change your location with the post office when you move is critical. There are multiple ways to accomplish this task, but it can still be tedious to figure it out and get it done.
In the past, I have written on who to notify your address has changed. After buying or selling a home, you can do essential things to ensure you get your mail promptly.
The resource provides some of the usual groups of people you want to know and numerous other organizations you might not consider.
From many years of experience as a Realtor, changing your mailing address early is one of the best tips you’ll recieve when making a move.
Keep reading for the low down on how you can get your mail forwarded by the post office and what you should expect as you go through the process.
Facts to Know About an Address Update and Mail Redirection
1. USPS stands for the United States Postal Service, the official mail delivery service in the United States.
2. An address change with USPS refers to updating your mailing address when you move to a new location.
3. The USPS provides various methods for changing your address, including online, in-person at a post office, or through mail.
4. Notifying USPS of your address change is crucial to ensure your mail is forwarded to your new address.
5. Changing your address with USPS may involve filling out a form and providing identity verification and residency.
6. Government agencies charge a fee to redirect your mail and make a USPS update.
7. When making an address change online, you will have your mobile phone number verified. A one-time code will be sent to your phone as part of the verification process.
8. You must submit a valid driver’s license for in-person postal address changes. Acceptable secondary forms of identification include voter registration, vehicle registration, mortgage or lease documentation, and proof of home insurance.
Let’s look at a USPS address change and how to do it in-depth.
Which Form Should You Use When Doing a USPS Change of Address?
One of the most vital aspects of making a USPS change of address with the postal service is knowing the correct form to use.
There are several options for USPS mail forwarding with various forms for different situations. The three primary change forms you can choose from are:
Individual Form
When only one of you or only one person needs to have their mail forwarded, this is the form you want to choose. You can also use this form if you have multiple household members moving to different locations, like living with roommates and moving to your place.
Just fill out the Individual Change of Address Form, and you should be ready to have your mail forwarded.
Family Form
Filling out an individual form for each family member would be tedious, and it turns out unnecessary since you can fill out the Family Change of Address form to forward all of your family’s mail.
Remember that you all must share the same last name and move to the exact location for this form to work for you.
Businesses Form
The USPS requires businesses to use a particular form to modify their addresses, so you must look for the Business Change of Address form if you are a business.
It would help if you were authorized to forward mail for the company – so you don’t have to be the owner, but you do need to have the right to send the mail. Here is what you need to know about the USPS business change of address.
Reviewing the most frequently asked questions about changing your address with the USPS will be well worth your time. It is loaded with pertinent information on getting your mailing address changed.
Forwarding your mail with the USPS will be simple after reading. You can get directions to the closest post office with an online search for USPS address change near me.
Changing Your Address With The IRS
The Internal Revenue Service is one of the most crucial entities that must be notified of your address changes. For an individual changing an address, you should use form 8822; for a business, it will be form 8822-B. Put the IRS at the top of your list when filling out change forms.
Are The Change Forms Available Online?
In the old days, you used to have to visit a post office location to get a form to request mail forwarding. Today, most people find their postal address change forms online.
An address change with the USPS is pretty straightforward to do.
A quick internet search will show you different mail forwarding results – but you don’t need to get your form through a third party.
You can visit one of the above-moving references to find all your mail forwarding options in one place.
Are Changes With The Postal Service Free?
Lots of people ask if the post office change of address is free.
The only downside to using the online method instead of going into the post office for the form is that the online option charges you $1 to access the document. So, no, you won’t be going broke.
If you get the document from the post office, you don’t have to pay anything – however, you have to complete the address modification form and return it to the post office, but you can do that by dropping it in your mailbox after you have filled it out.
What Forms Do You Have to Get In-Person?
Many folks prefer to do their USPS address change online. However, there are some circumstances whereby you have to complete your forms in person at the post office.
It is highly advisable to check with your local post office about your change of address under any of the scenarios below.
- Families or individuals moving out of the country must get a USPS change of address in person.
- A family or individual that is moving from a business to a residence.
- Individuals or families who are moving from a residence to a business.
- An individual, family, or business modifying their address to a P.O. box.
- When an old or new address is a Commercial Mail Receiving Agency (CMRA).
- When an individual is leaving a business.
What Are The Forms For Temporary Moves
Are you going to be visiting family for a short period? Maybe you will be traveling for a business trip and won’t be at your final destination for a while. If these circumstances or others like them match your situation, you can get the postal office to hold your mail for three to thirty days.
If you need to get your mail forwarded with the USPS for longer, you can sign up for the USPS premium forwarding service, which we will discuss. The post office will hold your mail for up to one year.
Can You Make a Change Ahead of Your Move?
Yes! Getting your change of address form submitted is an excellent idea because it gives the postal service the time to make the changes necessary to forward your mail. USPS mail forwarding will be much smoother with proper planning.
When you complete your form, you can fill in your intended moving date – labeled as the date to start forwarding – to have them begin delivering the mail at a specific time frame.
Remember that the service is not perfect, and some logistical work is involved, so you may not see your mail begin forwarding until a few days after your intended moving date.
Doing your address change early with the USPS is the best advice I can give you. Working as a real estate agent for thirty-seven years, I see firsthand how often former owners get vital mail sent to their previous addresses.
Quite frequently, I am asked by the new owner to provide a forwarding address. If the modification procedure had been followed earlier, it would have reduced this happening.
How Quickly Can You Start Mail Forwarding?
How does USPS mail forwarding work?
Mail forwarding is not an instant service. It takes some time for the post office to make the necessary changes to forward your mail to the new address – around 7-10 postal days. To be safe, you are best off trying to get your forwarding request in two weeks before you need the mail to start forwarding.
If you try to submit a form that says you want the mail to start forwarding the same day, the next day, or anytime before ten postal days, you will only be disappointed. Sure, they may manage to create the forwarding sooner, but you shouldn’t bet on it.
It is a significant factor for why you should know how to change your residency and get it done early in the moving process.
Do You Get a Confirmation That Forwarding Request Was Received?
When making an address change with USPS, you will get a confirmation in the form of a Move Validation letter when you have fulfilled the mail forwarding request process.
After you submit your completed change of address form, the post office will process it and automatically ship out a Move Validation letter to your current home to inform you that they got your request.
As stated, the post office can take up to 10 postal days to process the residence change form.
Once they have completed the processing, they will mail another document, the USPS Customer Notification Letter or Welcome Kit, to your new house.
The letter will contain a confirmation code that you can use to check your mail forwarding status and edit your forwarding request as needed in the future.
The letter also includes information about moving services and various coupons to use when setting up your new home.
Remember that if you made all your mail forwarding requests online, you would get an email confirming your online application’s receipt. The email will approve your request and give you a confirmation code.
What Should You Do if You Haven’t Gotten Your Mail Like You Were Supposed To?
Now and then, a post office address change will not go through as planned. Say you submitted your request form two weeks ago, but the post office is not forwarding your mail.
What do you do to fix the problem? Fortunately, the solution should be pretty straightforward. Just visit your local post office and tell them about your situation.
You will want to bring a photo ID with you so that you can prove your identity.
Modifying your address with the post office is supposed to be a breeze, but occasionally there can be glitches.
How Long Does Forwarding Last?
Mail forwarding from the USPS is an excellent service and costs you nothing – aside from possibly a dollar if you fill out your form online. But all good things must end, and mail forwarding is no exception. The post office will forward most of your mail for an entire year. Most, but not all.
You can expect USPS mail forwarding to include priority mail, first-class mail, and first-class package services for 12 months. Things like magazines and newspapers will only be sent for 60 days. Mail forwarding with the post office gives you a year to update your location with your family, friends, businesses, and other entities that should be notified.
The idea behind having mail forwarding expire is that the post office wants you to update your mailing location with everyone so they don’t have to forward your mail forever. It can be easy to let updating your addresses go by the wayside, though, so they will notify you that they are ending your mail forwarding before they stop it.
The best thing to do is update your mailing address with everyone you can think of as soon as you get settled into your new home.
What About Premium USPS Mail Forwarding Services?
Has a friend or relative told you about the premium forwarding mail service? Instead of having your mail sent using regular mail forwarding, you can opt for what’s known as Premium Forwarding Service Residential. It’s a temporary service that can be used for up to one year.
To use premium forwarding, you pay a one-time enrollment fee and weekly charges afterward. By paying for this service, the postal office will hold your mail, pack it all up, and ship it to you weekly via Priority Mail® service.
This premium service costs $20.15 when you enroll in person or $18.15 if done online. After that, the charge is $20.10 each week you continue using the service. When having the post office forward your mail, this is an option you might want to explore.
Does a Change Work For UPS?
No, the USPS forwarding does not work for non-USPS parcels. You will need to change the address not only for UPS but also for FedEx and Amazon deliveries. If you don’t change the location, they will continue to ship to the provided address.
Video on How to Change Your Address With The Post Office
Do you prefer to watch a video? See this helpful overview of how to change your address.
How Do You Cancel or Update a Postal Service Address Change?
Sometimes, an unexpected turn of events in one’s life changes your moving plans completely. You could find out that you will no longer move where expected after asking the post office to modify your address.
If this has happened to you, you’ll need to know how to update or cancel your USPS change of address. Modifying your forwarding address will best be accomplished on the post office website. As mentioned above, go to the post office address change website and click the link to start the process.
You will locate the view, edit, cancel, or dispute link toward the bottom of the page. You will then enter your zip code and USPS address change confirmation number so the post office knows you have the legal authority to modify.
The confirmation number will be on the letter the post office mailed to your new residence. Alternatively, a 16-digit number will be in their email if you send the modification online when confirming your change request.
When all of your information has been verified, you’ll be able to make the following changes:
- Modify the start or end dates of your mail forwarding.
- Change your email address or telephone number.
- Cancel the address change.
- Make a temporary move into a permanent address change.
- Make a family move to a single move. It’s worth noting you won’t be able to modify an individual to a family.
Additionally, you will be limited to two changes per day. One of the changes can be the new street address you’ll be moving to. You will get an error message when making more than two modifications. You’ll then need to wait two days to make more changes.
Watch Out For Moving Scams
You might wonder how an address change with the USPS could become a scam. Here is how it works. A scammer gets your full legal name and where you live. They submit a modification of the residency form to the post office through the mail.
They get your mail forwarded to their residence instead of yours. Once they receive your mail, they will have access to your credit card and banking information, among other sensitive documents.
The unfortunate part of an address change with the USPS is that it’s easy for scammers to get away with it. There are, however, a few ways to stop the scam from happening. The post office will send a confirmation of the change of address to your known location. Make sure you always open mail addressed from the post office.
You will likely also see a noticeable drop in mail coming to your home. As things progress, you’ll probably get notifications from your credit card companies that new accounts were opened in your name.
Thankfully, change of address scams does not work when done online. The post office’s online system requires digital payment that will verify your bank account. Doing so helps ensure security.
FAQs
Let’s look at some frequently asked questions with USPS mail forwarding.
1. Are There Any Restrictions or Limitations With Changing My Address?
A few essential factors must be considered when changing your address with the mail carrier. While there are no specific restrictions or limitations on changing your address, you must ensure that the new address you provide is accurate and valid.
USPS delivers mail promptly and securely, so providing them with the correct information is crucial.
Additionally, it is advisable to notify USPS of any changes to avoid any potential delays or complications in receiving your mail. By following these guidelines, you can ensure a smooth transition and uninterrupted mail delivery service.
2. Are There Any Consequences of Not Updating My Address?
Absolutely! Updating your address with USPS is crucial to avoid any potential consequences. Failure to update your address can result in missing important mail, such as bills, legal documents, or even essential notifications from government agencies.
It can also lead to delays in receiving packages and other time-sensitive deliveries. Moreover, not updating your address may also affect your credit score if you miss payments due to not receiving bills on time.
Therefore, it is highly recommended to promptly update your address with USPS to ensure a smooth and uninterrupted flow of mail and avoid any potential negative consequences.
3. Is a USPS Address Change Free?
3. Is a USPS Address Change Free? No. You will need to pay $1.05. The post office will need a debit or credit card and a valid email address. The cost of the residence modification is to verify there is no identity fraud taking place.
4. How Long Will It Take For The U.S. Postal Service to Change My Address?
When requesting an address change with USPS, the process typically takes 7 to 10 business days for the new address to take effect. This time frame allows for the necessary administrative procedures to be completed, including updating databases and rerouting mail.
However, it’s important to note that the processing time may vary slightly during peak seasons or in certain regions. Submitting your mail forwarding request well before your desired effective date is recommended to ensure a smooth transition.
5. Can You Make a Temporary Change?
Yes. If you have a temporary move, the USPS can forward your mail to a new address from your old address for 15 days to a year. You will fill out the temporary address change form.
6. Can You Change The Address to a Post Office Box?
Yes, you can. The post office provides a wealth of information on how to get a P.O. Box.
You can also see why you might want a post office box here at Maximum Real Estate Exposure.
7. Does The Post Office Notify Senders of Mail to My New Address?
If you ask the post office for the address service requested on the envelope, they will notify the sender’s new residence for one P.O.R.
8. What Mail Will Not be Forwarded?
There are two types of mail: mail A and mail B. Standard mail A includes books, catalogs, circulars, and advertising. The post office will not forward these things unless you ask them to be.
Standard mail B is packages that weigh more than 16 ounces. The post office will forward mail B for 12 months at no charge. If you move outside the area, you will pay forwarding charges.
9. How Do You Extend Your Forwarding Address?
When you change your residence with the post office, it will last for 18 months. You can buy extended mail forwarding at your local post office.
9. When Should You Change Your Address With The Post Office When Moving?
For timely mail delivery, you should get your USPS mail forwarding done at least two weeks before your move.
10. Will The USPS Share My Address With Anyone?
Per the Privacy Act, the post office will not share your new location with anyone. There are exceptions, including mailers who already have your old location.
11. How Do You Stop Mail From Going to an Address Temporarily?
A mail hold will often be done when you are going on vacation or somewhere else for a short time. Register for this plan at the post office 30 days before your vacation or temporary stay.
12. Can You Change Your Address With The IRS Online?
Notifying the IRS of online residence change can only happen in limited circumstances. In cases where your refund check was returned to the IRS, there is an option on their website called “Where is my refund.” You will be able to modify your address with them when this happens.
13. Will The Post Office Forward My IRS Check?
Not necessarily. When you notify the post office of your move, it is possible they may not forward your check. Not all post offices will deliver government checks. Given this, you must notify the IRS of your residence modification.
14. Can Someone’s Mail That Comes to My House be Forwarded?
No, you cannot forward mail delivered to your property by mistake. If you know the mail was for the prior resident, you can market the letter or package as not at this address and return it to your outgoing mail.
If a mistake was made by mail being sent to your home but meant for someone else, it could be returned to the mail system.
15. Can I Fill Out a Change of Address For The Previous Owner if I Continue Getting Their Mail?
As annoying as this can be, you cannot fill out a form as it is illegal. They must complete the forms unless you are the parent, guardian, or executor.
15. What is Address Standardization?
Address standardization is formatting an address to match the format approved by the national postal authority.
16. Can I Cancel or Reverse a Change of Address?
Canceling or reversing an address change request with the U.S. Postal Service is possible. The process involves contacting the USPS customer service helpline and providing them with your tracking number and personal information. Once verified, they can locate your request in their system and initiate the cancellation process.
However, it is essential to note that there may be certain conditions and time limitations for canceling or reversing an address change request. So, contacting USPS as soon as possible after submitting the initial request is advisable.
More Moving Advice Worth Reviewing
Moving is one of the most challenging parts of buying or selling a home. Your stress levels can skyrocket when you don’t prepare for your move correctly.
The references below will provide valuable guidance throughout the process of moving. Educate yourself so you’ll have a much smoother moving experience.
- Where to donate furniture – one of the most arduous tasks in selling a home and moving is the preparation for it. Most real estate agents will tell you that getting your home ready for the market is vital to your success. You can kill two birds with one stone by decluttering your home and donating to help a needy family. See where you can donate furniture, clothes, and other household goods.
- Rent a moving truck – will you be moving and doing it yourself? Some people forgo using a professional moving company. Instead, they will rent their moving truck and ask friends to help. In the article, see everything you need to know about getting your moving vehicle.
- What is appropriate to tip a mover – one of the questions many people have is whether they need to tip a mover or not and, if so, how much. You can get much info on what to think about when tipping a mover.
- Get a storage unit – will you need to rent from a storage facility? If so, get some of the best information on what you need to know about renting a storage unit. Find valuable tips and advice that will help you choose a storage unit.
Final Thoughts
Hopefully, the information on how to forward your mail to the post office has been helpful. Getting your mailing address and mail squared away is one of the most crucial steps in completing the moving process. Make sure you start this exercise as early as you can.
When moving from one place to the next, a post office change of address is vital to getting out of the way early.
About the Author: Bill Gassett, a nationally recognized leader in his field, provided information on how to make a USPS change of address with the postal service. He is an expert in mortgages, financing, moving, home improvement, and general real estate.
Learn more about Bill Gassett and the publications he has been featured in. Bill can be reached via email at billgassett@remaxexec.com or by phone at 508-625-0191. Bill has helped people move in and out of Metrowest towns for the last 38+ years.
Are you thinking of selling your home? I am passionate about real estate and love sharing my marketing expertise!
I service Real Estate Sales in the following Metrowest MA towns: Ashland, Bellingham, Douglas, Framingham, Franklin, Grafton, Holliston, Hopkinton, Hopedale, Medway, Mendon, Milford, Millbury, Millville, Natick, Northborough, Northbridge, Shrewsbury, Southborough, Sutton, Wayland, Westborough, Whitinsville, Worcester, Upton, and Uxbridge MA.
