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Article Link :
http://www.321lender.com/moving/moving_art_detail-5-1.htm
Changing your
address isn’t the hardest part of moving (at least compared to
lugging your grand piano down three flights of stairs), but making
sure everyone who needs your new address has it isn’t as easy as you
might think. Unless you fill out an official US Post Office change
of address form, your mail won’t follow you to your new address. And
unless you remind yourself to mail out change of address cards to
all the companies you do business with, your magazine subscriptions
will be worthless in a few months.
Of course, that’s
all common sense. But did you know you don’t have to go down the
post office to get the change of address form? Read over the
following tips to make sure that when you move your mail will be
moving with you:
Before you’ve even begun your relocation, head down the post office
and take a minute to fill out the US postal service’s official
change of address form (also known as PS form 3575; if you don’t see
them out, just ask a clerk).
The most important part of filling out the US postal service’s
change of address card is including your old address and your new
address. However, it’s also vital you remember to include the names
of anyone else who is moving with you. If you only include your
name, your husband / wife’s mail won’t follow you.
If you don’t feel like waiting in line at the post office you can
have your mail forwarded from the comfort of your own computer by
completing a short form at the US postal service’s address change
webpage .
Think you’re done?
Sorry, nothing involving official government documents is ever that
easy. Turning in your change of address form to the post office only
means that your mail will be forwarded for a limited time. First
class mail – letters and such – are forwarded for one year.
Periodicals – newspapers and magazines – are only forwarded for 60
days. After the forwarding period expires, anything that arrives for
you will either be sent to the post office’s dead-letter room or
stay with whoever’s moved into your old place.
If you’re a college student who is moving away from school (either
for the summer or for good) check with the campus mail service to
see what their mail forwarding policies are. Colleges and
universities have their own delivery systems, separate from the post
office, and usually their own forwarding policies.
To keep receiving your mail after the US postal service stops
forwarding it, you need to send out change of address cards to
everyone you do business with. These change of address cards are
available at the post office for free.
Most of the bills you receive – from your utilities, your credit
card company, your insurance carrier – have a section where you can
update your address information. Take advantage of it and you’ll
save yourself a little trouble down the road.
Keeping track of who you’ve given your new address to and who still
needs it can get pretty confusing pretty quickly. Make a checklist
of all the companies that need your address (don’t forget the IRS)
and all the friends and relatives you want to keep in touch with
before you start mailing anything out. Keep your change of address
checklist after you’ve moved into your new home, so if a few months
down the road you can’t find your current phone bill, you’ll know
exactly why.
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