Change your business address
Your business address is in registries, tax accounts, map listings, your website and invoices. Check the new location first, then switch listings on moving day and keep details consistent.
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Start with the basics
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Your plan so far
10things this change touches
- critical0
- high5
- moderate5
- low0
Updates as you answer. Every item will explain why it’s there.
What could break
In a typical business address plan, these are the most serious things to get right.
Business licence, permits and zoning
High · Business operations
Being unable to open on schedule, or operating without a required licence.
Leases at the old and new locations
High · Business operations
Paying rent on both locations for longer than planned, or losing a deposit over restoration terms.
Business insurance: update the insured location
High · Insurance
A claim at the new location, or during the move, may not be covered.
Utilities, internet and phone lines at the new location
High · Home & utilities
Days without internet, phones or card payments at the new location.
Employees and payroll work location
High · Business operations
Incorrect payroll deductions or registrations, and staff who don't know where or when to report.
Mail forwarding for the business
High · Home & utilities
Bills, bank cards and government letters can go to the old address, where someone else could open them.
Google Business Profile
High · Website & DNS
Customers are sent to the old location, or the profile shows outdated details while verification is pending.
Website address details and structured data
High · Website & DNS
Customers go to the old location, and search engines keep showing the old address.
Tax authority: update the business address
High · Business operations
Missed notices can lead to penalties or interest.
Corporate or business registry: update the registered address
High · Business operations
Legal notices served at an old registered address, and possible penalties for not reporting the change.
Before and after the change
Before you change it
- Business licence, permits and zoning
- Leases at the old and new locations
- Business insurance: update the insured location
- Utilities, internet and phone lines at the new location
- Employees and payroll work location
- Mail forwarding for the business
- Suppliers, deliveries and service contracts
- Tell customers about the move
After the change
- Google Business Profile
- Website address details and structured data
- Apple Maps listing in Apple Business
- Bing Places listing
- Ad targeting and location settings
- Tax authority: update the business address
- Corporate or business registry: update the registered address
- Business bank and payment processor: update the address
- Yelp, review sites and directories
- Invoices, letterhead, cards and signage
- Domain registrar: update the registrant address
- Check listings and search results after the move
Your own plan adds or removes items based on your answers, and explains why each one is there.
The safe order
Doing things in the right sequence is what keeps you from getting locked out halfway through.
Before the change
Step 1: Check the new location works for the business
Zoning, licences, leases and insurance come before any announcement.
- Business licence, permits and zoning (high risk)
- Leases at the old and new locations (high risk)
- Business insurance: update the insured location (high risk)
Step 2: Line up services and tell people early
Suppliers, customers, staff and the post office need the date in advance.
- Utilities, internet and phone lines at the new location (high risk)
- Employees and payroll work location (high risk)
- Mail forwarding for the business (high risk)
- Suppliers, deliveries and service contracts (moderate risk)
- and 1 more
During the change
Step 3: Switch listings and your website on moving day
Keep the name, address and phone identical everywhere.
- Google Business Profile (high risk)
- Website address details and structured data (high risk)
- Apple Maps listing in Apple Business (moderate risk)
- Bing Places listing (moderate risk)
- and 1 more
Immediately after
Step 4: Update official records and money accounts
Tax, registry and banking records each have their own process.
- Tax authority: update the business address (high risk)
- Corporate or business registry: update the registered address (high risk)
- Business bank and payment processor: update the address (high risk)
Step 5: Update directories, invoices and printed materials
Anywhere the address is written down.
- Yelp, review sites and directories (moderate risk)
- Invoices, letterhead, cards and signage (moderate risk)
- Domain registrar: update the registrant address (moderate risk)
Verify
Step 6: Check how customers find you
Search for the business the way customers do.
- Check listings and search results after the move (moderate risk)
Clean up
Step 7: Close out the old location
Final bills, keys and a sign pointing to the new place.
- Close out the old location (moderate risk)
Why this change needs a plan
Customers find you through map listings, your website and directories, and search engines compare them. Switching them all on moving day, with the name, address and phone written the same way everywhere, keeps customers from going to the old door.
Behind the scenes, the address is on your business registration, tax accounts, bank and merchant accounts, insurance, licences and payroll records. Some of these have rules about reporting a change, which vary by place.
This plan is general guidance, not legal or tax advice. Check the official source for your registry, tax authority and municipality.
Why it matters
A move can send customers to an empty building, notices to an old registered address, and payroll deductions to the wrong jurisdiction. Most of it is avoidable with the right order.
What makes it risky
Risk is highest for storefronts and offices customers visit, for corporations that must report a registered office change, when the new location needs its own licence or zoning approval, and when you have employees.
Common mistakes
- Creating a new Google Business Profile instead of editing the existing one, and losing its reviews.
- Writing the address differently across listings, the website and directories.
- Signing a lease before confirming the new location's zoning and licences.
- Forgetting the registered office or tax authority because nothing visible changed.
- Leaving the old address on invoice templates, so payments and returns go to the wrong place.
Frequently asked questions
Will changing my address on Google Business Profile affect my reviews?
Editing the address on your existing profile keeps the profile, and its reviews, together. Google says you must verify the business again after moving to a new address, so plan for a short verification step.
Who needs to know when a business changes address?
Your tax authority, business registry, bank and payment processor, insurer, licensing office, suppliers, customers and employees, plus every listing and your website. This plan lists them in order.
Do I need a new business licence when I move?
Often, if the licence is tied to a location or you move to another municipality. Check with the municipality for the new location before you sign a lease.
How do I keep local search rankings when I move?
Update your Business Profile and main listings on moving day, use exactly the same name, address and phone everywhere, and update the address and structured data on your website.
Regional notes
General information, not legal advice. Check the official source where you live.
- Canada
- Update your business address in your CRA Business account. Provincial tax accounts and registries are updated separately.
- United States
- Form 8822-B reports a business address change to the IRS. State tax and registration records are separate.
- United Kingdom
- Limited companies update Companies House first, then HMRC. The new registered office must be in the same part of the UK.
- Australia
- Update your ABN details on the Australian Business Register.