Change your home address
A move touches your mail, bills, insurance, ID and dozens of accounts. See what needs updating, what to book ahead, and the order that avoids gaps.
Official sources last reviewed . How we review
Build your personalized plan
A few questions, revealed as they become relevant. Your answers stay in this browser.
Start with the basics
Optional. A city or region is enough. Don't enter your street address.
We never ask for phone numbers, card numbers, passwords or codes. Names of providers or nicknames are enough.
Your plan so far
20things this change touches
- critical0
- high8
- moderate10
- low2
Updates as you answer. Every item will explain why it's there.
What could break
In a typical home address plan, these are the most serious things to get right.
Give notice on your current lease
High, Home & utilities
You could owe rent for a period after you've left.
Home insurance for the new home, starting on possession day
High, Insurance
Damage or theft around moving day might not be covered.
Auto insurance: tell your insurer about the move
High, Insurance
A policy rated on the wrong address could cause problems if you need to make a claim.
Power, gas and water: start at the new home, stop at the old one
High, Home & utilities
Arriving to no power or heat, or paying for the next occupant's usage.
Set up mail forwarding with your postal service
High, Home & utilities
Bills, bank cards and government letters can go to the old address, where someone else could open them.
Your banks and credit unions: update your mailing address
High, Banking & payments
Statements and replacement cards can go to the old address, and an address mismatch can trip identity checks.
Credit cards: update your billing address
High, Banking & payments
Online purchases can fail verification, and fraud alerts can go unanswered.
Register at the new school or daycare
High, Work & school
Your child could start late, or be placed at a school or daycare you didn't choose.
Tax and government services: update your address
High, Government & tax
You could miss official notices or be locked out when you need to file or claim.
Driver's licence: update your address
High, Government & tax
Missed renewal notices or a licence showing old details can cause fines or problems at a traffic stop.
Before and after the change
Before you change it
- Confirm your moving dates
- Give notice on your current lease
- Keep important documents with you
- Home insurance for the new home, starting on possession day
- Auto insurance: tell your insurer about the move
- Power, gas and water: start at the new home, stop at the old one
- Book internet for the new home
- Set up mail forwarding with your postal service
- Subscription boxes and meal kits
- Your banks and credit unions: update your mailing address
- Credit cards: update your billing address
- Investment and retirement accounts: update your address
After the change
- Orders and deliveries already on the way
- Change locks, codes and remotes at the new home
- Photograph meter readings at both homes
- Tax and government services: update your address
- Driver's licence: update your address
- Vehicle registration: update your address
- Billing address on saved cards
- Emergency address for Wi-Fi calling and internet phone
- Doctor, dentist and pharmacy: update your address
- Pet microchip, tags and licence
- Property tax account for the new home
- Online shopping: change your default delivery address
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: Confirm your dates and give notice
Every booking in this plan hangs off the day you leave and the day you get the keys.
- Confirm your moving dates (moderate risk)
- Give notice on your current lease (high risk)
Step 2: Keep important documents with you
Set aside the papers you can't afford to lose in a moving box.
- Keep important documents with you (moderate risk)
Step 3: Line up insurance for moving day
The new home needs coverage from the day it's yours, and the old one until you hand it over.
- Home insurance for the new home, starting on possession day (high risk)
- Auto insurance: tell your insurer about the move (high risk)
Step 4: Book utilities and internet for the new home
Installation and connection dates can book up, so arrange these as soon as you have your dates.
- Power, gas and water: start at the new home, stop at the old one (high risk)
- Book internet for the new home (moderate risk)
Step 5: Set up mail forwarding and redirect deliveries
Forwarding is your safety net while you update each sender.
- Set up mail forwarding with your postal service (high risk)
- Subscription boxes and meal kits (moderate risk)
Step 6: Update banks and cards
Do this in the week of the move, so statements and replacement cards go to the right place.
- Your banks and credit unions: update your mailing address (high risk)
- Credit cards: update your billing address (high risk)
- Investment and retirement accounts: update your address (moderate risk)
- Mortgage, loans and lines of credit: update your address (moderate risk)
Step 7: Arrange school, daycare and pet care
School and daycare registration can have deadlines and waiting lists.
- Register at the new school or daycare (high risk)
- Vet records and prescriptions (low risk)
Step 8: Tell your employer and update work records
Payroll and any home business need the new address before the move.
- Employer HR and payroll: update your address (moderate risk)
During the change
Step 9: On moving day
Record readings, secure the new home and catch deliveries in transit.
- Orders and deliveries already on the way (moderate risk)
- Change locks, codes and remotes at the new home (moderate risk)
- Photograph meter readings at both homes (low risk)
Immediately after
Step 10: Update government records
Tax, health coverage, licence and registration records each have their own process and timing.
- Tax and government services: update your address (high risk)
- Driver's licence: update your address (high risk)
- Vehicle registration: update your address (high risk)
Step 11: Update everyday accounts and deliveries
Saved cards, stores, apps and anything else that uses your address.
- Billing address on saved cards (high risk)
- Emergency address for Wi-Fi calling and internet phone (high risk)
- Doctor, dentist and pharmacy: update your address (moderate risk)
- Pet microchip, tags and licence (moderate risk)
- and 4 more
Step 12: Tell people and update emergency contacts
Friends, family, and anywhere that lists you as a contact.
- Friends and family: share your new address (moderate risk)
- Places that list you as an emergency contact (moderate risk)
Verify
Step 13: Check that mail and bills follow you
Make sure forwarding works and new accounts started on the right date.
- Check that forwarded mail is arriving (moderate risk)
- Check the first bills at the new home (moderate risk)
Clean up
Step 14: Close out the old home
Final bills, deposits and returned equipment.
- Pay final bills and stop autopay for the old home (moderate risk)
- Move-out inspection and deposit (moderate risk)
Later
Step 15: Follow up over the next few months
Forwarded mail shows you who still has the old address.
- Update every sender that still uses the old address (moderate risk)
- Voter registration: update your address (low risk)
Why this change needs a plan
Moving is mostly a timing problem. Insurance, power, internet and mail all need to switch on the same day, and each has its own account and lead time.
The address itself lives in more places than most people expect: banks and card issuers, government records, your employer's payroll, online stores, subscription boxes, maps apps and even the emergency address your phone uses for Wi-Fi calling.
The safe approach is to book the things with lead times early, set up mail forwarding as a safety net, update the important records around moving day, and use forwarded mail to find everyone you missed.
Why it matters
An address change affects where bills, bank cards and government letters go, whether your new home is insured on day one, and whether your licence and registration stay valid. Missed updates usually surface weeks later as a declined purchase, a missed notice or mail in someone else's hands.
What makes it risky
Risk is highest when insurance or utilities have a gap on moving day, when you move to another province, state or country (new licence, registration and health coverage rules), and when you work from home or run a business from home.
Common mistakes
- Relying on mail forwarding instead of updating each sender, then losing mail when forwarding ends.
- Updating the address with the bank but not the billing address on cards saved in online stores and subscriptions.
- Leaving an insurance gap: the new home uninsured on possession day, or the old home uninsured before handover.
- Booking internet installation too late, especially when working from home.
- Forgetting the driver's licence and vehicle registration, which have their own time limits.
- Stopping utilities at the old home before the final meter reading, or forgetting to start them at the new one.
- Not updating the emergency address your phone uses for Wi-Fi calling.
- Leaving smart home devices at the old home still linked to your account.
Frequently asked questions
Who do I need to notify when I change my address?
Start with your postal service (mail forwarding), banks and card issuers, insurers and utilities. After the move, update your tax agency, driver's licence, vehicle registration and health card, then your employer, online stores, subscriptions, doctors and anyone who mails you things. This plan lists them in order.
Does mail forwarding update my address with my bank or the government?
No. Forwarding only redirects mail for a set period; senders still have your old address. The CRA, for example, says it doesn't share your change of address with other government departments, and the IRS recommends notifying it directly. Update each sender separately.
When should I update my address with my bank?
Close to moving day, so statements and replacement cards go to the right place. Then update the billing address on cards saved in online stores, because many stores check it against your card issuer's records.
Why was my online purchase declined after I moved?
Often because the billing address entered at checkout doesn't match the one your card issuer has on file. Update the address with your card issuer, then update the saved card in the store.
Do I need a new driver's licence if I move to another province or state?
Usually, yes. Most provinces and states expect new residents to exchange their licence and register their vehicle within a set time. Check the new licensing authority's rules for the time allowed and documents needed.
Do I need to tell my car insurance company that I moved?
Yes. Premiums are partly based on where the vehicle is kept, so a new address can change your rate, and a policy rated on the wrong address could cause problems with a claim.
When should I set up utilities and internet at the new home?
As soon as you know your dates. Book services to start on or before move-in day and stop at the old home the day after you hand over the keys, so there's a short overlap rather than a gap.
Regional notes
General information, not legal advice. Check the official source where you live.
- Canada
- The CRA says it doesn't share your change of address with other government departments. Moving between provinces also means registering with the new province's health plan and exchanging your driver's licence.
- United States
- USPS forwarding doesn't update your IRS records. Tell the IRS directly, and update your voter registration and state motor vehicle records.
- United Kingdom
- Tell DVLA, HMRC and both councils (for council tax) separately, and register to vote at your new address.
- Australia
- myGov can pass your new address to some linked services, but check each one you use.