Change of Address Checklist: Who to Notify When Moving Home?
Organising your change of address during a move can be stressful and time-consuming. To help you with this, we have created a full change of address checklist with all the parties and institutions you need to notify when moving home. Feel free to download or print the physical checklist, or read through our detailed guided checklist to changing address below!
Printable Change of Address Checklist:Print & Download the Change of Address Checklist here.
Change of Address Checklist – Government Organisations
Government organisations should be prioritized on the top of your change of address checklist. Everything from elections and taxes, to financial assistance and support, is tied to your address and the sooner these are updated the better.
- Australia Post
- Australian Electoral Commission
- Australian Tax Office
- Concession cards
- DonateLife
- Library
- Centrelink
- Child Support Agency
- Medicare
- Local Council
- Seniors Card
- Department of Veteran’s Affairs
- Department of Public Transportation
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Change of Address Checklist – Subscriptions & Home Services
Nobody want's to go without wifi these days. There's no quicker way to put everyone in a bad mood!
For this reason, we've prepared a detailed list of who to notify for home-related services when changing address so everyone can stay happy.
While we cover this section in detail, the complete & simplified list for organising your new address can be found in the printable change of address checklist template at the top of this page (in the link).
Change of Address for Utilities
Gas and Electricity Provider:
While some energy providers are able to offer same-day or next-day relocation for your home energy, many others need a week or two to get your electricity and gas set up when moving home. If you want to stick with your current energy provider, first double-check they’re available in your new neighbourhood (particularly if you’re moving interstate) and give them a call or go to their website to organize your relocation.
If you want to switch energy providers, inform your current provider that you will be moving home and leaving their service as soon as possible. It's also a good practice to do your research and compare providers to find the best price.
If you receive any energy rebates or concessions from the government, don't forget to notify them of your change of address.
Internet Provider & Landline:
Your internet provider will need to be informed when you move, to either cancel your service or assist you with the broadband relocation. If you do decide to cancel your internet service and switch to a new provider, make sure there aren’t any contract break fees or cancellation fees you will need to pay. It might be worth it to stick with your current internet & landline provider until the end of your contract rather than pay to end it early.
Pay TV:
Depending on what television services you have, you might need to inform them of your change of address. At the very least, you’ll need to update your billing information for your TV services, particularly if you’re switching banks when you move.
Mobile Phone:
You’ll need to remember to change your billing information for your mobile phone plans, particularly if you get physical paper bills in the post. If you’re switching banks when you move, you’ll need to make sure your new bank is connected to your mobile phone plan for direct debit.
Change of Address for Subscriptions & Programs
No one ever wants to miss a good deal or a package, so make sure to change your address for any subscriptions, loyalty programs, and groups you might be a part of. Notify the following services when moving home:
- Loyalty programs & store cards
- Frequent flyer programs
- Newspaper and magazine subscriptions
- Subscription boxes or other services
- Alumni groups and social groups
- Health club and gyms
Change Address on License & Vehicle Registration
As part of our printable change of address checklist, you will find a section on changing address for vehicle-related issues when moving home.
Below we offer you a quick preview of what's included in the checklist regarding drivers license change of address, vehicle registration change of address, and other important vehicle-related address changes.
Depending on which state you live in, you’ll often have a set period of time after you move to get your vehicle information up to date, including your license, vehicle registration, and car insurance. Changing your vehicle’s address information is especially important as failure to do so could result in hefty fines.
When moving home, make sure you change your address for your vehicle on:
- Driver’s license
- Vehicle registration (Rego)
- Car insurance
- Vehicle breakdown cover
Change of Address Checklist – Places of Work & Education
When moving home, don't forget to inform any educational institutions, work, and childcare about your change of address. Particularly for kids, it’s important that schools and childcare know where to find parents or guardians in case of an emergency. You should also notify your employer about the change of address as they will need to know your new address for payroll & tax purposes.
Notify the following work and education-related places of your change of address when moving home:
- Childcare
- School
- University
- Place of work
- Extracurricular programs or clubs
Change of Address Checklist – Healthcare, Insurance & Finances
Healthcare and insurance both fall under life care and life protections. For this reason, we have decided to include them both together in this part of our change of address checklist.
Below we have rounded up the main health & life institutions you'll need to notify when moving home.
Change of Address for Healthcare & Health Services
Regardless of if you prefer private or public healthcare, you will need to make sure that you notify health services of your change address.
Even if you are not you’re changing doctors when moving home, you will need to inform your regular healthcare providers about your change of address to keep your records up to date and for managing any zoning related issues, such as distributing vaccines during a pandemic.
It is important to notify the following healthcare-related parties of your change of address when moving home:
- Medicare
- Private health insurance
- Regular health professionals
- Dentist
- Blood bank
- Optician
Don’t forget your four-legged friends! Pet insurance, microchip information + pet registry, pet subscription boxes, and veterinary services all need to be updated for the family pets when you move.
Insurance Change of Address
Apart from health insurance, you are likely to have other types of safety nets in place in the event of a disaster.
For this reason, it’s important to update your address with all your insurance providers, not only so you can stay up to date with any bills or payments they might send you, but because some insurance providers take your postcode into account when working out the cost of cover and premiums for your plans. Depending on the insurance you have, and where you end up moving to, the cost of your insurance might go up or down.
Make sure to notify the following insurance-related parties of your address change:
- Car insurance
- Home + contents insurance
- Life insurance
- Health insurance
- Income insurance
- Renters insurance
- Travel insurance
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Change of Address for Finances
It’s important to remember to inform and update all the various financial institutions and services you use when moving home, particularly when it comes to banking.
While the larger national banks in Australia will allow you to keep your account with them, even if you’re moving interstate, smaller local institutions might not be able to keep your account. If you need to switch banks when moving, it’s important to look around and compare as many banks offer incentives for first-time customers.
- Accountants
- Banking
- Loan companies
- Credit + debit card
- Pension
- Premium bonds
- Payment services (PayPal, Google Pay, Apple Pay etc)
Changing of Address For Everything Else
If you have read through our entire Change of Address checklist, then there are very few things that have been left out. Below we cover some items that are last, but certainly not least on our change of address checklist for moving home in Australia.
Friends and family: While people used to send out “change of address” cards, these days it’s equally easy to send out a mass email or a text message to those who need to know your new address.
Religious organisations: If your religious organisation has a member directory, or often sends out newsletters or correspondence, make sure to inform them about your change of address.
Retail websites (such as Amazon, Etsy, or eBay): Make a list of your most-used online shopping platforms, and change your billing information and shipping address as soon as possible to avoid losing a package.
Food delivery: Make sure to update your delivery address and payment information for any food delivery services to ensure your sushi, burger, or curry get to your house without a hitch.
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