How to write a change of address letter

What a change of address letter is

A change of address letter is a short, clear notice that tells a company, an office, or a person that your address has changed and when the new address takes effect. You send one to each contact that has your old address on file, so your mail, statements, and deliveries follow you to the right place. It can go on paper, by email, or through an online account form, but the information it carries is the same every time.

The letter is not the same as official mail forwarding. Forwarding, arranged through the postal service, redirects mail that is already addressed to your old home. Notifying each contact updates their records so future mail is addressed correctly from the start. Most people do both, and the two steps work together rather than replacing each other.

Who to notify when you move

It is easy to remember the big accounts and forget the small ones until a bill goes missing. Work through this list so nothing slips through.

• The post office. Set up mail forwarding so anything sent to your old address still reaches you while everyone else updates their records.
• Banks and credit cards. So statements, new cards, and any fraud alerts reach you.
• Your employer. For pay records, tax slips, and benefits mail.
• Government and tax agencies. So official notices and any refunds go to the right place.
• Insurance providers. Home, auto, health, and life policies all tie to an address.
• Utilities and service providers. Power, water, internet, and phone.
• Subscriptions and memberships. Magazines, boxes, gyms, and online services that ship or bill.
• Doctors, dentists, and pharmacies. So appointment reminders and prescriptions find you.
• Schools and any professional bodies. For records and renewal notices.

A quick way to build your own list is to look through a month or two of mail and note every sender. Each one is a contact that needs your new address.

What to include in the letter

A change of address letter is short, but a few details need to be exact so the update is applied to the right account.

• Your full name, matching the name on the account.
• Any account or reference number, so the recipient can find your record.
• Your old address, so they update the correct entry.
• Your new address, written in full.
• The effective date, the day the new address should take over.
• The accounts affected, if you hold more than one with the same company.
• A contact number or email, in case they need to confirm the change.

Including both the old and the new address is the detail people most often leave out. Without the old one, a large organization may not be able to tell which record to change, especially if more than one person shares your name.

Change of address letter template you can copy

Copy the sample below, fill in your details, and send a version to each contact. Open it in the fill tool if you would rather type onto the page and download a clean copy.

[Your name]
[Your new address]
[City, State/Province, ZIP/Postal code]
[Email]  [Phone]
[Date]

[Recipient name or department]
[Company or organization]
[Company address]

Re: Change of address, account number ______________

Dear [Recipient name or Sir/Madam],

I am writing to notify you that my address has changed. Please update your
records for the account(s) listed below.

Name on account:   ______________________________
Account number(s): ______________________________

Old address:
______________________________
______________________________

New address (effective ______________):
______________________________
______________________________

Please send all future correspondence, statements, and mail to the new
address above. If you need to confirm this change, you can reach me at
[phone] or [email].

Thank you for updating my details.

Sincerely,
[Your signature]
[Your printed name]

How to fill out the letter

1. Open the template in the fill tool. Copy the text above, or load it into the fill a PDF tool to type your details onto the page.
2. Add your details and the recipient. Fill in your name, new address, and contact information, then the name of the company or department you are writing to.
3. Enter the account number. Put your account or reference number in the subject line and the body so the recipient can find your record fast.
4. Write both addresses. Include your old address and your new address in full, and state the effective date clearly.
5. Sign and date. Add the date and your signature. You can draw, type, or upload a signature with the sign a PDF tool.
6. Send a copy to each contact. Change only the recipient and account number for each one, then download or print a clean PDF to mail or attach.

Change of address in the United States

In the US, the post office side of a move is handled by the United States Postal Service. You can file a USPS change of address to forward mail from your old home to your new one for a set period, which buys you time while you notify each contact. Filing that request is separate from telling your bank or your employer directly, so treat forwarding as a safety net rather than a substitute for updating your accounts. It also helps to notify the Internal Revenue Service of a new address so tax mail reaches you, and to update your address with your state motor vehicle agency and voter registration where required.

Change of address in Canada

In Canada, mail forwarding is handled by Canada Post rather than USPS, and you can set up a forwarding service so mail follows you to your new home. As in the US, forwarding does not update your individual accounts, so you still notify each contact directly. For government mail, updating your address with the Canada Revenue Agency keeps tax slips and benefit notices flowing to the right place, and you will usually update your provincial health card, driver's licence, and vehicle registration through the relevant provincial office. The letter template above works in both countries. You simply write your address in the local format, using ZIP codes in the US and postal codes in Canada.

This is general information, not legal or tax advice. Rules and the exact offices to contact vary by state and province, so check your local postal service and government websites for the current steps that apply to you.

Forwarding versus notifying, the two steps

It is worth repeating because people often do one and skip the other. Official mail forwarding through USPS or Canada Post catches mail that is already on its way to your old address and redirects it, usually for a limited time. Notifying each contact updates their records so future mail is addressed to your new home from the start. If you only forward, the forwarding eventually ends and mail from anyone you never told goes back to the old address. If you only notify, you may still miss letters from a contact you forgot until the forwarding would have caught them. Doing both gives you the widest safety net during the weeks a move takes to settle.

Think of forwarding as the temporary net and notifying as the permanent fix. The net catches what you missed while you work through your list, but it is meant to run out. The letters you send are what make the change stick, so the goal is to have every contact updated before the forwarding period ends. If you keep a simple checklist, you can watch the two lines meet: fewer items arrive through forwarding each week as more of your contacts start sending mail straight to the new address.

Tips for a smooth address change

• Start a checklist. List every contact and tick each one off as you notify it, so nothing is missed.
• Set the forwarding first. Arrange postal forwarding early so it covers you while the individual updates catch up.
• Use the same effective date. Keeping one move date across your letters avoids confusion about when mail should switch.
• Keep copies. Save a copy of each letter and note the date you sent it, in case a company says it never received the change.
• Watch for stragglers. For a few months, note any mail that still arrives at the old address and update those senders too.

Fill and save your letter online

Writing the same letter over and over for a dozen companies is exactly the kind of task a template saves you. Open our fill a PDF tool, add the sample above saved as a PDF, and type your details onto the page for a clean copy you can print or attach to an email. The document is processed in your browser and is not uploaded, so your old and new addresses and any account numbers stay on your own device. For related paperwork, the form templates library has other letters and forms you can fill the same way.

Create a free account on fillable.ca to save your filled change of address letter, then send it to each contact by changing only the recipient and the account number. Open the fill tool, add your letter, and get your whole notify list done in one sitting.