Mail forwarding and a change of address are two different USPS services, even though people often use the phrases interchangeably. In the mail forwarding vs change of address distinction, forwarding is a temporary reroute that leaves your original address on file, while a change of address is a permanent update that adds your new address to a national database and signals that you have moved for good. Choosing the wrong one can delay bills, tax notices, and legal mail — and neither option tells your bank, the IRS, or anyone else that you moved.
When Temporary Forwarding Is the Right Choice
Temporary forwarding is built for people who plan to return to their original address. Think of a college student on campus for a semester, a snowbird spending winter in another state, or someone staying with family for a few months while a renovation finishes.
You pick a start date and an end date, and USPS reroutes your mail for that window. The minimum is 15 days, and the initial order can run up to six months.1USPS. Standard Forward Mail and Change of Address If you need longer, you can file a second temporary order to extend coverage up to a total of 12 months.2Federal Register. Temporary Mail Forwarding Policy
A temporary order does not update any external databases, and senders are never told about your temporary location. When the end date arrives, delivery automatically resumes at your original address.
When a Permanent Change of Address Is the Right Choice
A permanent change of address tells USPS you have moved for good. Your new address gets added to the National Change of Address (NCOA) database, a registry of roughly 160 million records that commercial mailers use to keep their mailing lists current.3USPS Office of Inspector General. National Change of Address Program Temporary forwarding does not touch this database.
After a permanent filing, USPS forwards First-Class Mail to your new address for 12 months. Magazines and newsletters are forwarded for only 60 days.4USPS. Mail Forwarding Options Those windows exist so you have time to contact each sender directly with your new address. They are not meant to be a long-term routing solution.
Quick Way to Decide
If your original address will still be yours when you come back, and you will be gone somewhere between 15 days and a year, file a temporary order. If you have moved and do not plan to return, file a permanent change of address so your new address enters the NCOA database and commercial mailers can find you.
What Mail Actually Gets Forwarded
Both temporary and permanent orders forward the same classes of mail at no extra cost:1USPS. Standard Forward Mail and Change of Address
- First-Class Mail: letters, bills, postcards, and personal correspondence
- Priority Mail and Priority Mail Express
- USPS Ground Advantage packages
- Periodicals such as magazines and newsletters (60 days only under a permanent change)
Media Mail, often used for books, is forwarded, but you pay the shipping cost from your old post office to your new address.1USPS. Standard Forward Mail and Change of Address USPS Marketing Mail — catalogs, flyers, and bulk advertisements — and Package Services Mail are not forwarded under either type of order.5USPS. Mail Forwarding Options
One important boundary: a USPS forwarding order only covers mail carried by USPS. Anything shipped through UPS, FedEx, or another private carrier is not affected. You need to update your address with those retailers and shippers separately.
What Happens When Forwarding Runs Out
Once the 12-month forwarding window on a permanent change closes, USPS does not just throw away mail sent to the old address. For the next six months, anything that lands there is returned to the sender with a label showing your new address.1USPS. Standard Forward Mail and Change of Address That gives senders a final prompt to update their records. After the six months end, undeliverable mail goes back to the sender without your new address, or is discarded if there is no return address.
You can pay to extend forwarding past the initial 12 months in blocks of 6, 12, or 18 additional months, with 18 months being the maximum extension.1USPS. Standard Forward Mail and Change of Address Extended forwarding cannot be canceled or refunded once purchased, so only buy the time you actually need.
Filing the Order
You can file either type of request online or at a post office. Have your full old address, full new address, the date you want forwarding to begin, and whether you are filing as an individual, a family sharing the same last name, or a business.1USPS. Standard Forward Mail and Change of Address
Online
Filing on the USPS website requires a valid email address and a credit or debit card. USPS charges a $1.25 identity verification fee, and the billing address on the card must match either your old or new address.6FAQ USPS. Change of Address – The Basics Once your identity is verified, USPS emails a confirmation code you can use to modify or cancel the request.1USPS. Standard Forward Mail and Change of Address
In Person
At the post office, ask for the Mover’s Guide packet containing PS Form 3575. Bring a current, unexpired government-issued photo ID such as a state driver’s license, passport, or military ID.6FAQ USPS. Change of Address – The Basics USPS may also ask for a secondary form of identification like a mortgage statement, lease, voter ID card, or vehicle registration.7USPS. USPS In-Person Identity Proofing In-person filings have no identity verification fee. Business moves must be filed in person by an authorized employee.
Check for the Move Validation Letter
After USPS processes any change-of-address order, it mails a Move Validation Letter to the old address. The letter confirms the forwarding details and is the main way USPS catches unauthorized address changes. If nobody at the old address requested the change, the letter includes a toll-free number to report possible fraud so USPS can investigate and reverse the order.8USPS Office of Inspector General. Postal Service’s Procedures to Validate Change-of-Address Orders If you filed the order and never see this letter arrive at the old address, follow up with USPS.
What USPS Forwarding Does Not Do
This is where most people get burned. Your change-of-address order only changes your mailing address with the post office.1USPS. Standard Forward Mail and Change of Address USPS does not notify any agency, bank, or company on your behalf. Forwarding buys you 12 months of grace; use it to update these records directly.
IRS
File IRS Form 8822 to update your address for individual tax returns. Filing is technically voluntary, but if the IRS does not have your current address, you may never see a notice of deficiency or a demand for payment — and penalties and interest keep accruing whether you receive those notices or not.9Internal Revenue Service. Form 8822, Change of Address
Social Security Administration
If you receive SSI benefits, you must report a change of home or mailing address no later than the tenth day of the month after the move.10Social Security Administration. Report Changes to Your Situation While on SSI You can report the change by calling your local SSA office or through your my Social Security account. Missing the deadline can lead to incorrect payments.
Voter Registration
Moving requires updating your voter registration. Most states let you file an address change if you stay within state lines; a move to a different state means registering to vote there from scratch.11USAGov. How to Update or Change Your Voter Registration
Driver’s License, Banks, and Everything Else
Your driver’s license typically must be updated within 10 to 30 days of a move, depending on state rules, and the state DMV charges a small fee for a corrected card. Banks, credit card companies, insurance providers, and subscription services each need your new address directly. The earlier you handle these, the less you have to rely on USPS forwarding as a safety net before it runs out.