Regardless of whether or not you file online, by phone or in person, you will receive information from the post office as well as coupons related to moving in the mail. Once activated, your mail will be re-routed at the post office and forwarded to your new address.

Most likely there will be some type of delay time for forwarded mail, depending on the distance between two addresses. Delays can range between a couple days to a couple weeks. It is important to notify anyone that you may be expecting mail from so that they can send the mail to the proper address and minimize delays.

The U.S. Postal Service will continue forwarding mail for up to one year for first class mail and 60 days for magazines and other periodicals.

The utility companies, financial services and any other company you may have an auto-ship program with are the first ones that should be contacted. Before the big move, it is recommended to keep a running list of anyone whose mail you would not want to miss or have delayed. Check them off of your list as you provide them with your new address. If you have forgotten anyone, you will be quickly reminded once you receive mail at your new address with a forwarding sticker on the front. This is common, but when it happens, calling to immediately change your address with the sender will slowly but surely shorten the list.

For credit cards companies and other bills, you can often fill out a form when you pay your monthly bill that will alert them of your address change. Updating medical offices, and subscription based services are the next steps, which you can do as you go. One good memory jogger may be to scroll through your cell phone contacts and your emails throughout the month to get an idea for anyone you’ve missed. Sometimes a simple email will suffice for an address change, especially for casual contacts.