Learn 2 Ways to Send Out New Address Notifications After a Move
One in seven individuals change his or her address every year, creating a challenge for the United States Postal Service. There are a few simple steps that can be taken to ease the burden on them and the resident who moves. There are numerous reasons why an individual moving should consider changing his or her postal address to the new address right away. For example, the mail recipient may have important and private information arriving in the mail, such as bank or loan statements, and delivering this mail to the new resident may be a security risk.
There are a few different ways to send out new address notifications after moving. First, the mover can change his or her address with the United States Postal Service by requesting mail going to the old address be forwarded to the new one for a certain period of time. The second way is to change the address on all important accounts by contacting companies directly.
Changing an Address With the United States Postal Service
There are a few different methods for changing an address with the United States Postal Service. The first method is to fill out an official change of address request form, the PS 3575 form, in person at a local post office. This form can be filled out online or over the phone as well. However, the most popular way is to fill out the form at the local post office.
The United States Postal Service admits there are complications with the change of address process occasionally. While office employees are directed to reject forms without proper signatures, some unsigned forms may still be processed. The post office recommends changing an address over the phone or on the internet instead. Digital methods are electronically matched against a requestor’s credentials, resulting in a secure transition. This is important because unauthorized changes of address may result in mail being directed to locations where identity thieves can find sensitive information.
Once a change of address form has been processed, a Move Validation letter is sent out within three to 10 days of request approval. This letter is sent out to the old address to notify the mover the request has been processed and his or her mail will be diverted to the new address. However, if an individual were to receive one of these letters in the mail and did not request a change of address, the postal service should be notified immediately that a potentially fraudulent situation may be occurring.
The other method to changing an address is to notify important companies directly of the address change. In many cases, this should be done in addition to a form being filled out at the post office to avoid any confusion. The form filled out at the post office simply notifies the post office worker to forward the mail, but companies should still be contacted to change the addresses they have on file. Some important companies to consider contacting immediately include government agencies, such as the Internal Revenue Service, Social Security Administration, Department of Veterans Affairs, U.S Citizenship and Immigration Services, State Motor Vehicle Agencies and State Election Offices.
There are a few different methods to changing an address with one of these government agencies. For the Internal Revenue Service, a form, tax return, written statement or oral notification will complete the change. The Change of Address form, Form 882, must be completed and submitted. To change the address using a written statement, be sure to include the mover’s full name, old address, new address, Social Security Number and a signature with the written statement. To use oral notification, either visit an Internal Revenue Service office or call and be sure to have the mover’s full name, both addresses, date of birth and Social Security Number available.
If an individual is receiving Social Security benefits, Department of Veterans Affairs information, or U.S. Citizenship or Immigration Services information, he or she can go online, call or mail in a form to change his or her address. In addition, he or she should contact the local Department of Motor Vehicles to request an address change on a photo identification card or driver’s license. The state election office should be notified to change the resident’s address on his or her voter registration record.
Lastly, be sure to contact any creditors or utility companies, such as a cell phone company, to be sure the bill is sent to the proper address. Utility companies need to be notified of cut-off dates and provided with a forwarding address for any remaining bills. Start-up dates should be arranged with new companies and new addresses provided for future bills. Banks should be notified of an address change either over the phone or through the mail to ensure statements arrive at the proper address. Insurance companies, medical companies, credit card companies, investment companies, lawyers, realtors, accountants, workplace and any associations should be notified over the phone, through the mail or in person of an address change. Some of these companies may allow address changes to be made online with a simple electronic form. Finally, when a piece of mail comes in that was marked forwarded from the old address, contact the sending company and provide it with the new address.
