To change your address with USPS, file a change-of-address request online at usps.com for a $1.25 identity-verification fee, or do it free in person at any Post Office. Submit it at least two weeks before you want mail arriving at the new place, because forwarding doesn’t kick in the moment you file.
Pick the Right Move Type First
USPS asks you to classify the move as individual, family, or business, and the choice matters. A family request redirects mail for everyone at the address who shares the same last name and is moving to the same new address. One filing covers the whole household.
The in-between cases are where people slip up. If family members have different last names, each person needs a separate individual request. Same if only some people in the household are moving, or if members are splitting off to different addresses. You can’t convert an individual request into a family request after the fact, so a wrong pick means canceling and starting over.
Business moves follow the individual process, except you enter the business name instead of a personal one.
What You Need Before You Start
Have this on hand no matter how you file:
- Your full legal name (or every name sharing the last name, for a family move, or the business name)
- Your old address
- Your new address
- The date you want forwarding to begin
- Move type: permanent, temporary, or seasonal
- An email address and phone number for confirmation
If you’re filing in person, bring a current, unexpired government-issued photo ID. If that ID doesn’t show your old address, bring a second document that does.
The paper form is PS Form 3575, and it isn’t available for download. You can only get it at a Post Office, inside the free Mover’s Guide packet.
Filing Online
Go straight to usps.com/manage/forward.htm. Choose your move type, enter the old and new addresses, pick a start date, and add your contact information. USPS charges $1.25 to a credit or debit card to verify your identity. The billing address on the card has to match either the old or the new address, or the verification will fail.
Once you’re verified, USPS emails a 16-digit confirmation code. Save it. You’ll need that code to change or cancel the request later.
Filing in Person
Walk into any Post Office, ask for the Mover’s Guide, and fill out PS Form 3575 there. Hand it to the retail clerk with your photo ID. The clerk verifies you and processes the request on the spot. No fee.
Filing by Mail
Pick up PS Form 3575 at a Post Office, fill it out at home, and mail it to the Postmaster at your local Post Office. The form is free; you pay for the stamp. This is the slowest route, because mailing time adds to the normal processing window.
Avoid the Scam Sites
Third-party sites advertise change-of-address services and charge up to $40 for something USPS handles for $1.25 online or free in person. The Postal Inspection Service has found that some of these sites never actually submit the request, so mail keeps going to the old address while you assume it’s done.
The only legitimate site is usps.com. If the URL doesn’t end in “.usps.com,” close the tab. Any site asking $10, $20, or $40 to “process” your change of address is a third party at best.
What Happens After You File
USPS sends three separate confirmations. If you filed online, an email arrives with your 16-digit code. A Move Validation Letter goes to your old address as a fraud check; if you receive one and didn’t request a move, contact USPS immediately. About five business days before your forwarding start date, a Customer Notification Letter with a welcome kit arrives at the new address.
Forwarding can start within three business days, but reliable delivery to the new address usually takes up to two weeks. A few pieces still reaching the old address during that transition is normal.
Which Mail Gets Forwarded
Not everything follows you.
- Forwarded free: First-Class Mail (letters, bills, statements), Priority Mail, Priority Mail Express, and USPS Ground Advantage packages.
- Forwarded for 60 days only: periodicals, such as magazines and newsletters.
- Forwarded, but you pay: Media Mail gets redirected, and you owe the postage at your local Post Office to complete delivery.
- Not forwarded at all: USPS Marketing Mail, the bulk advertising and coupon mailers.
First-Class forwarding lasts 12 months from your start date. For the six months after that, USPS returns your mail to the sender with a label showing your new address. After those six months, undeliverable mail goes back to the sender with no forwarding information at all.
Extending Past 12 Months
If you need more time, USPS sells extensions in six-month blocks, up to 18 additional months on top of the original 12:
- 6 months: $24.50
- 12 months: $36.50
- 18 months: $48.50
Buy a 6-month extension first and you can add more 6-month blocks at $24.50 each until you hit the 18-month cap. Two conditions: extended forwarding is only available for permanent moves, and you have to sign up before the original 12 months expire. Once that window closes, the option is gone. You can cancel an extension, but USPS doesn’t refund the money.
Changing or Canceling Your Request
Go to managemymove.usps.com with your new ZIP code and the 16-digit confirmation code from your email or Customer Notification Letter.
USPS allows up to two changes per day, and only one of those can involve a street address edit. After two, you’re locked out for 48 hours. Cancellations take about 72 hours to process.
Some edits can’t be done online. You can switch a family move to individual, but not the other direction. You can change a temporary move to permanent, but not the reverse. If you’ve lost your confirmation code, you’ll need to go to a Post Office in person and talk to a clerk.
USPS Forwarding Isn’t an Address Change Everywhere Else
A USPS change of address only redirects your mail. It doesn’t update your records with government agencies, and that trips people up. The IRS, your state DMV, the Social Security Administration, and your voter registration each need a separate notification. Banks, insurers, doctors’ offices, and subscription services all need direct updates too. Forwarding buys you time to get those done; it isn’t a substitute for any of them.
For the IRS, that means filing Form 8822 from irs.gov. For voter registration, start at vote.gov, which routes you to your state’s rules. For Social Security retirement, disability, survivor benefits, or Medicare, update your address through your my Social Security account or by calling 1-800-772-1213; SSI recipients can’t update online and have to call or visit a local office. If you don’t receive any Social Security benefits or Medicare, you don’t need to notify SSA at all. Most states also require a driver’s license address update within a set window after moving, often 30 days.