A change of address is mostly a list of small tasks that are easy to forget. The mail you miss is not the problem on day one; it is the statement, the renewal notice or the tax letter that arrives a month later at a home you no longer live in.
Start with the post office
File your change of address with the U.S. Postal Service through its official Mover's Guide site. Use the official USPS site and be careful with look-alike pages that add fees for a free form. Choose a start date that matches your move, and confirm the confirmation message that arrives by email or letter.
Forwarding catches mail that senders send to the old address, but it is a safety net, not a plan. Each company and agency should hear the new address directly.
The eight groups to notify
- Government: the IRS and, if you are moving to a new state, state tax offices in the state you leave and the state you join. Social Security and Medicare records if you receive benefits.
- Money: banks, credit cards, loan servicers, brokerage and retirement accounts.
- Insurance: auto, home or renter, health, life. A new address can change coverage and rates, so call, do not only update a web form.
- Vehicles and licenses: Nevada DMV for the driver license and registration. See driver license and vehicle registration for the Reno steps.
- Work: payroll, benefits and the employer's HR system, so the W-2 goes to the right place.
- Health: doctors, dentists, pharmacies, the vet and any transfer of records.
- Subscriptions and deliveries: magazines, online stores, meal kits, streaming, charities.
- People: family, friends, schools, your child's teachers and your voter registration.
Utilities are a separate list
Power, water, gas, internet and trash service have start and stop dates, not just an address. Treat them on their own schedule; transferring utilities covers it, and the Reno utilities guide names the local providers.
Keep a record
Write each change on a list with the date you made it. When a letter still arrives at the old address two months later, you will know who has been told and who has not. Keep the checklist with your moving papers; the moving checklist tool can hold it with the rest of the plan.