Moving is a pain.  You have to pack up all of your stuff in boxes, hope you packed it well so stuff doesn’t break, and then hope you find everything when you unpack at the new place.

And that’s just dealing with your stuff — there’s the administrative side of moving that can cause problems if you don’t update everything in a timely fashion.

I recently moved, so I put together a quick reminder list of administrative things that need to be updated when you move.

 

Update Your Address

  • Post Office – The post office will forward most mail for free, for up to 12 months.  And as a bonus, they give you coupons when you update your address!
  • Voter Registration – Make sure you re-register so that you can vote in any upcoming elections. (Note: You may prefer to register directly with your state)
  • DMV – It’s important to update your address with the DMV so that you receive official renewal notices for your vehicle registration and/or driver’s license.  Otherwise you may get hit with fines for missing a deadline.
  • Bank – Make sure your address is up to date so that you receive your statements and other notices.  If you have a checking account, you may need to order new checks as well.
  • Credit cards – You’ll need to update your address with your credit card company(ies).  Also, be sure to update your billing address for any monthly auto-billing services that you use.
  • Insurance – This is important to keep up to date so that you can get coverage when needed.  Make sure you update your home/rental policy, your auto policy, along with any life, health, and dental policies.
  • Workplace – Make sure your boss has your address so you receive paychecks and benefit materials.
  • Investing/Brokerage accounts – Update your 401K, IRA, and other policies.
  • Memberships that you care about – If you want to fall off the radar, just don’t update your address… but if you care, then do it.  Things that you pay for are obvious candidates, such as the gym or Costco.

 

Update Your Utilities

You’ll have to stop service at your old address, and either transfer or start service at your new address.  Don’t forget, or you could find yourself without Internet at your new place… a fate I wouldn’t wish upon my enemies.

  • Water
  • Electric
  • Gas
  • Trash/Sewer
  • Internet
  • TV
  • Phone

 

Other Thoughts

There are plenty of other non-official places that you’ll need to update when you move, and you’ll probably remember them over time.  There’s no way I could list everything, but here are a few that I came across:

  • Tell your friends and family (hopefully you don’t need me to remind you, but you never know)
  • Inform your professional contacts (property management, broker, attorney, registered agent, CPA, etc.)
  • Update the “Home” address on your GPS
  • Update any magazine/newspaper subscriptions

 

Hopefully this list will be helpful for you the next time you move.  And if you can think of something I missed, please leave a comment to let me know!