Moving day has a way of burying the small, unglamorous tasks under the big ones — and a USPS change of address is usually the first casualty. It shouldn’t be: the filing itself takes about 10 minutes, whether you do it on USPS.com for a $1.25 fee or in person, free, with Form 3575. What trips people up isn’t the form. It’s assuming USPS forwarding handles everything, when in reality it’s only a temporary bridge while you separately update your bank, your employer, and everyone else who mails you.

What Filing With USPS Actually Does

A USPS change of address tells the Postal Service to redirect mail from your old address to your new one for a set period. That’s the entire scope of it. It doesn’t notify your credit card company, your landlord’s insurer, or your state’s DMV — those relationships live outside USPS’s system entirely. So while filing is essential, treat it as one step in a longer address-update checklist rather than the whole job.

Filing Your Change of Address: Two Options

Option 1: USPS.com (Online)

This is the faster route if you’re comfortable paying a small fee for the convenience:

1. Navigate to USPS.com/move directly — steer clear of look-alike third-party sites, which can charge $40 or more for the same request.
2. Indicate whether you’re filing as an Individual, a Family, or a Business.
3. Provide your name, a working email address, and a phone number.
4. Choose permanent or temporary relocation; temporary filings ask for both a start and end date.
5. Enter your old and new addresses carefully — typos here mean misdirected mail.
6. Pay the $1.25 identity-verification fee using a card billed to either address on file.
7. Submit, then hold onto your confirmation number.

The fee is often misunderstood as a forwarding charge. It isn’t — it exists purely so USPS can confirm the request is coming from you, not someone attempting to reroute your mail without your knowledge.

Option 2: Form 3575 (In Person)

Prefer to skip the fee altogether? Walk into any Post Office and request Form 3575 from the Mover’s Guide, or have a clerk fill it out with you on the spot. You’ll need a valid, government-issued photo ID — a driver’s license, passport, or military ID all qualify. This is the only completely free way to change your mailing address when moving.

Mail Forwarding Timelines You Should Know

USPS doesn’t forward every category of mail for the same length of time:

• First-Class Mail, Priority Mail, and Priority Mail Express: 12 months
• Periodicals like magazines and newspapers: 60 days
• USPS Marketing Mail: forwarded only if the original sender opts in — otherwise it stops reaching you immediately

If a year isn’t enough, USPS sells Extended Forwarding as an add-on: about $24.50 for six extra months, $36.50 for twelve, or $48.50 for eighteen. Because postal pricing gets revised from time to time, double-check current figures at USPS.com before budgeting around them.

The Accounts USPS Forwarding Never Touches

Here’s where most people miss a step. Even if you change your mailing address when moving with USPS, you’ll still need to notify these places separately.

• Your bank, credit card issuer, and any lender or brokerage
• The DMV, for your license and vehicle registration
• Your state or county election office — a postal filing doesn’t update voter registration, and with 2026 midterm elections coming up, it’s worth checking your polling address directly
• Insurance carriers covering your car, health, home, or life
• Your employer’s HR or payroll department, so W-2s and direct deposits land correctly
• Utility companies, internet providers, and any recurring subscriptions
• Medical and dental offices, plus your pharmacy

A good filter: anything that would cost you money or cause a real headache if you missed one mailing shouldn’t rely on USPS forwarding — update it directly instead.

Timing Your Filing Around Moving Day

USPS suggests submitting your request roughly two weeks before you relocate. You’re not required to wait until after the move — the system lets you set a future start date, so mail keeps arriving at your current address right up until forwarding is scheduled to take over.

What About Your Belongings, Not Just Your Mail?

Sorting out mail is only one piece of a move. The other piece is what happens to everything that doesn’t have a spot in your new place yet — furniture between homes, seasonal items, or boxes you’d rather not unpack immediately. Amarillo Self Storage, at 700 N. Houston St. in Amarillo, TX, rents units month-to-month with no long-term commitment, which makes it a practical option if your move timeline is uncertain or your new space is smaller than expected. It’s one less logistical knot to untangle while everything else is in motion.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does it cost anything to file a USPS change of address? Only if you file online — that costs $1.25 as of 2026 for identity verification. Filing with Form 3575 at a Post Office counter is free.

How soon after filing does mail actually start forwarding? Usually within a few business days of your chosen start date, which is exactly why USPS recommends filing about two weeks ahead of moving day.

Will my voter registration or driver’s license update automatically? No. Both are handled by separate agencies — your state DMV and your local election office — and require their own updates independent of anything you file with USPS.

Is there a temporary version of the change-of-address filing? Yes. You can select a temporary move and specify an end date, which suits short relocations, seasonal living situations, or extended trips.

What happens once my forwarding period expires? Mail addressed to your old home is typically sent back to whoever mailed it rather than delivered to you, so ongoing senders need your new address directly before that window closes.

Where do I actually get Form 3575? It’s part of the free Mover’s Guide packet at any Post Office, though you can ask a clerk for just the form itself without taking the entire packet.