A USPS change of address is filed on PS Form 3575, either online at usps.com/move for a $1.25 identity-verification fee or free at any post office counter with a photo ID. Standard forwarding lasts 12 months for most mail, can begin within three business days, and works for domestic moves only. The details on the form and the type of mail you receive decide whether the system actually catches everything.
How to File PS Form 3575
You need four things: your full legal name, your complete old address, your complete new address, and the date you want forwarding to begin. That information goes onto PS Form 3575, the standardized document USPS uses for every change-of-address request.1USPS. What Does PS Form 3575 (Mail Forwarding Change of Address Order) Look Like The ZIP code matters especially, because USPS routes everything through regional processing centers based on those five digits.
Filing Online
The fastest route is the USPS website. The online form validates your address in real time, which catches missing apartment numbers and wrong street suffixes before they cause misrouted mail. You pay a $1.25 fee by credit or debit card.2USPS. Change of Address – The Basics After the card is charged, USPS emails you a confirmation code. Hold onto it. You’ll need it to modify or cancel the request later.3United States Postal Service. Standard Forward Mail and Change of Address
Filing in Person
At any post office, ask the retail associate for a Mover’s Guide packet. Inside is a paper PS Form 3575. Fill it out, hand it back at the counter, and show a driver’s license, state ID, or U.S. passport. There’s no fee at the counter, and identity is verified through your photo ID rather than a card charge.
Individual, Family, or Business
Every request starts with picking a move type. An individual filing covers one person’s mail. A family filing covers everyone at the address who shares the same last name and is moving to the same destination. A business filing is for a commercial location that’s relocating or closing.
The family option is where people slip up. If two people at the address have different last names, one family form won’t catch both. Same goes if some household members are staying behind or moving somewhere else. The rule is one form per last name, per destination. For a family move, the head of household completes the form for everyone with that last name.
Permanent, Temporary, or Just a Hold
A permanent change of address is for people who don’t plan to return. Forwarding runs 12 months, and for six months after that USPS returns any First-Class mail to the sender with your new address printed on it.3United States Postal Service. Standard Forward Mail and Change of Address
A temporary change of address fits seasonal moves, extended travel, or short work assignments. An initial temporary order runs 15 days to six months. You can extend it once, but total temporary forwarding caps at 12 months (364 consecutive days), after which delivery automatically resumes at your original address.4USPS. Postal Bulletin 22219 – Policies, Procedures, and Forms Updates
If you’ll only be away a few weeks, a change of address is overkill. USPS Hold Mail pauses delivery at your address for 3 to 30 days at no charge, and everything accumulates at the post office until you’re back.5United States Postal Service. USPS Hold Mail – The Basics You need a USPS.com account to file the hold online, and at least three days must pass between one hold ending and the next beginning. Longer than 30 days away? Use a temporary change of address instead.
When Forwarding Starts and What Shows Up in the Mail
Forwarding can begin within three business days of your request, but USPS recommends allowing up to two weeks for the system to fully take effect.3United States Postal Service. Standard Forward Mail and Change of Address Filing at least two weeks before you move gives things time to settle.
After the request processes, USPS sends two letters. A Move Validation Letter goes to your old address, alerting anyone still there that mail is being redirected. A Customer Notification Letter goes to your new address, confirming the start date and providing your confirmation code. That validation letter is also your fraud alert: if one shows up for a change you didn’t request, contact your local post office immediately.6United States Postal Inspection Service. Change of Address Scams
Forwarding Rules by Mail Class
Not everything gets the same treatment. The class of mail decides how long USPS forwards it and whether you owe anything.
- First-Class Mail, Priority Mail, and USPS Ground Advantage are forwarded free for 12 months. This is your personal letters, bills, government correspondence, and most packages sent through those services.7United States Postal Service. Domestic Mail Manual 507 Mailer Services
- Periodicals, meaning magazines and newspapers, are forwarded free for only 60 days. After that, undeliverable copies are discarded rather than returned.7United States Postal Service. Domestic Mail Manual 507 Mailer Services
- USPS Marketing Mail, such as catalogs and flyers, is forwarded up to 12 months by default, though the sender can override that with a different service endorsement.8United States Postal Service. Quick Service Guide 507 Ancillary Service Endorsements
- Package Services, including Media Mail, are forwarded up to 12 months, but you’ll owe postage due at the single-piece rate when the package arrives.7United States Postal Service. Domestic Mail Manual 507 Mailer Services
The 60-day window on periodicals catches people off guard. If you subscribe to magazines or newspapers, update your address with each publisher right after you file.
What Happens After 12 Months
When the standard forwarding window closes, USPS doesn’t immediately dump your mail. For the next six months, First-Class mail arriving at your old address is returned to the sender with your new address attached, so those senders can update their records.3United States Postal Service. Standard Forward Mail and Change of Address After the 18-month mark, undeliverable mail is returned with a “no longer at this address” notice and no forwarding information.
If you need more than 12 months of active forwarding, USPS sells extensions in 6-month blocks:
- 6 additional months: $24.50
- 12 additional months: $36.50
- 18 additional months: $48.50
The maximum extension is 18 months, for a total of 30 months of forwarding from the original move date.9USPS. Extended Mail Forwarding You can add extended forwarding when you first file or later using your confirmation code.3United States Postal Service. Standard Forward Mail and Change of Address
Premium Forwarding Service Residential
Premium Forwarding Service works on a different model. Instead of redirecting pieces one by one, USPS bundles all your mail at your old post office and ships the whole batch to your new address once a week by Priority Mail. It costs a one-time enrollment fee of $26.40 online or $28.70 in person, plus $29.70 every week for the duration of service.10United States Postal Service. Premium Forwarding Services At roughly $120 per month, it’s aimed at high-volume or time-sensitive situations where trickle-forwarding won’t do.
Changing or Canceling Your Request
Plans shift. You can edit the forwarding end date, change the new address, or cancel the order entirely using the confirmation code from your Customer Notification Letter or the online submission email.3United States Postal Service. Standard Forward Mail and Change of Address Lost the code? Contact your local post office for help, because online modifications aren’t possible without it.
When the Standard Form Doesn’t Apply
If you receive mail through a Commercial Mail Receiving Agency, such as a UPS Store mailbox or similar private provider, USPS will not process a change of address from that location. When you close the account, the CMRA itself is responsible for forwarding your mail for six months after termination, and you arrange forwarding directly with them.11United States Postal Service. Commercial Mail Receiving Agency (CMRA)
Standard mail forwarding is a domestic service. You cannot use it to redirect mail to an address outside the United States. If you’re moving abroad, the workaround is to forward to a trusted U.S. address or a private reshipping service and update senders with your overseas details.
Other Notifications Forwarding Won’t Handle
A USPS change of address moves your physical mail, but several agencies need separate, direct notification. Government checks don’t always ride along with standard forwarding, and some updates are legally required on their own timeline.
- The IRS accepts address changes through Form 8822 (or 8822-B for businesses), on your next tax return, or by phone. Processing takes four to six weeks.12Internal Revenue Service. Topic No. 157, Change of Address – How to Notify the IRS
- Social Security benefit recipients update through their “my Social Security” account or by calling 1-800-772-1213; some benefit types require calling.13Social Security Administration. Update Contact Information
- Non-citizens living in the United States must report a change of address to USCIS within 10 days, using an online account or paper Form AR-11. Diplomats on A or G visas and visa waiver visitors are exempt.14U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. AR-11, Alien’s Change of Address Card
- Voter registration typically needs updating too. The National Mail Voter Registration Form can submit a change to your state or local election office; a new state usually means registering from scratch under that state’s rules.15U.S. Election Assistance Commission. National Mail Voter Registration Form
- Most states require a driver’s license address update within 10 to 30 days of moving, with fees ranging from free to about $37.
Beyond government, the housekeeping work is with banks, insurance providers, employers, medical offices, and any subscription that reaches you on paper. The first month after a move is when this pays off, because 12 months of forwarding goes by faster than most people expect.