To change your legal name on a Computershare account, complete the standard Transfer Request form — Computershare does not use a separate change-of-name form. You sign it with your current (old) name, add a Medallion Signature Guarantee, attach a completed IRS Form W-9 in your new name, include certified proof of the name change, and mail the package to Computershare’s processing center. Processing takes about ten business days from receipt.1Computershare. Transfer Request Form Package Instructions Your account number and Investor Center login stay the same.
Update Your Name With Social Security First
Before you touch the transfer form, change your name with the Social Security Administration. Computershare reports dividends and sale proceeds to the IRS under the name and TIN on your account, and the IRS matches those against SSA records.2Internal Revenue Service. Changed Your Name After Marriage or Divorce? A mismatch between the new name on your W-9 and SSA’s records can flag your account for 24 percent backup withholding on dividends and sale proceeds until it is resolved.3Internal Revenue Service. Backup Withholding
File Form SS-5 at a Social Security office or by mail. The updated card typically arrives within two to four weeks. Wait until you have it before you submit anything to Computershare.
What to Gather Before You Start
Pull these items together first:
- Certified proof of the name change: a certified marriage certificate, the relevant pages of a divorce decree authorizing your name restoration, or a court order granting a petition for a name change. Computershare references marriage, divorce, and court orders as the standard reasons.1Computershare. Transfer Request Form Package Instructions
- Your most recent Computershare statement, so you have the exact account number and the registered name as it currently appears.
- A completed IRS Form W-9 showing your new legal name and Social Security Number. The transfer package includes one.
- A government-issued photo ID for the Medallion appointment.
Send originals or certified copies of the legal documents, not plain photocopies. A certified copy carries the seal or stamp of the clerk of court or vital records office that issued it. If a document is in a language other than English, include a certified translation with the translator’s signed certification.
Filling Out the Transfer Request Form
Computershare treats a name change as a transfer from “Old Name” to “New Name” on the same account, which is why the transfer form is the right one even though nothing about ownership is actually changing. You can download the package from the Computershare Investor Center printable forms area, or start online at transferstock.computershare.com. The package contains instructions, the form, and a W-9.
Check the box for a legal name change at the top of the form so the processing team knows this is administrative. The instructions specify that Sections 2, 3, 8, 9, and 10 are required for a name change.1Computershare. Transfer Request Form Package Instructions
- Section 2: a daytime phone number where Computershare can reach you if something is unclear.
- Section 3: check replacements, so future dividend checks are issued in your new name.
- Section 8: sign using your old name, exactly as it appears on the account. The Medallion Signature Guarantee stamp goes here.
- Section 9: enter your new legal name in subsection 9B, spelled exactly as it appears on your legal document.
- Section 10: check “No Change of Ownership.” This confirms the transfer is administrative and does not trigger a taxable event or reset your cost basis.
All book-entry shares on the account transfer automatically. You do not need to list individual holdings or ticker symbols.1Computershare. Transfer Request Form Package Instructions
The W-9
On the W-9 included in the package, enter your new legal name on Line 1, your Social Security Number in Part I, and sign and date Part II. A missing signature or blank TIN field stalls the request. A name that does not match SSA records opens the door to backup withholding.3Internal Revenue Service. Backup Withholding
If You Hold Paper Stock Certificates
Book-entry shares update automatically once the form is processed. If you hold physical certificates, send them in with the transfer form so new ones can be issued in your new name. If the originals are lost, a surety (indemnity) bond is required before replacements can be issued; premiums run roughly 2 to 3 percent of the shares’ current market value, with a minimum near $100. Call Computershare’s shareholder services line before mailing anything, because specifics vary by issuing company.
Getting the Medallion Signature Guarantee
Computershare requires a Medallion Signature Guarantee on the transfer form. A notary seal is not acceptable.1Computershare. Transfer Request Form Package Instructions A Medallion stamp is stronger than a notarization because the stamping institution takes on financial liability if the signature is forged.4Investor.gov. Medallion Signature Guarantees: Preventing the Unauthorized Transfer of Securities
Banks, credit unions, and brokerage firms that participate in one of the approved programs — STAMP, SEMP, or MSP — can provide the stamp.4Investor.gov. Medallion Signature Guarantees: Preventing the Unauthorized Transfer of Securities Most institutions offer the stamp free to their own account holders; for non-customers, fees range from $10 to $100.5PNC. What is a Medallion Signature Guarantee and How Do You Get One Call ahead. Not every branch has an officer authorized to apply the stamp.
Match the Stamp to Your Share Value
Every Medallion stamp carries an alpha prefix corresponding to a maximum coverage amount. If the prefix does not cover the total market value of your holdings, Computershare will reject the form. Common limits:
- Prefix E or F: up to $100,000
- Prefix D: up to $250,000
- Prefix C: up to $500,000
- Prefix B: up to $750,000
- Prefix A: up to $1,000,000
- Prefix X: up to $2,000,000
- Prefix Y: up to $5,000,000
If your holdings exceed your bank’s stamp limit, ask about a higher-coverage stamp or try a brokerage firm, which is more likely than a local credit union branch to carry a high-prefix stamp.
At the Appointment
You have to sign the form in person, in front of the certifying officer. Bring the unsigned Transfer Request form, a government-issued photo ID, your most recent Computershare statement, and the legal document proving the name change. The officer verifies your identity, watches you sign Section 8, and applies the stamp. A pre-signed form will be rejected.
Where to Mail the Package
The completed package includes the signed and stamped Transfer Request form, the W-9, and your certified legal documents. Send everything to:6Computershare. Contact Us
- Standard mail: Computershare, P.O. Box 43006, Providence, RI 02940-3006
- Overnight or courier: Computershare, 150 Royall Street, Suite 101, Canton, MA 02021
For shares held through an employee stock purchase plan, use the ESPP addresses instead: P.O. Box 43021, Providence, RI 02940-3021 for standard mail, or the same Canton street address marked “Attn: ESPP Correspondence Team” for courier.6Computershare. Contact Us
Use a trackable shipping method. You are mailing original legal documents, your Social Security Number, and a Medallion-stamped signature. A certified mail receipt or courier tracking number gives you proof of delivery and a start date for the ten-business-day processing window.
After You Submit
Computershare completes transfers within ten business days of receipt.1Computershare. Transfer Request Form Package Instructions You will receive a new statement of holdings showing the updated name and current balance, and your original legal documents are typically returned by mail after processing.
Log in to the Investor Center once the confirmation statement arrives. Verify the name, address, and tax information, and check that dividend reinvestment elections and any direct deposit instructions carried over. If anything looks off, call the shareholder services number for your issuer, listed under Contact Us in the Investor Center.
Why Packages Get Rejected
Most rejections trace to a small set of avoidable errors:
- Signing with the new name in Section 8. You must sign with your old name as it appears on the account; the new name only goes in Section 9B.
- A notary seal instead of a Medallion stamp, or a Medallion stamp whose prefix does not cover the value of the holdings.
- An incomplete W-9 — missing signature, blank TIN.
- A name on the W-9 that does not match SSA records, which can trigger backup withholding.
- Plain photocopies of the marriage certificate, divorce decree, or court order without a clerk’s certification.
A rejection means going back for a new Medallion stamp, because the guarantee is tied to a specific signing event and cannot be reused. Double-check every field before you seal the envelope.