According to statistical data, roughly 38 million Americans move house each year. And when they do, they have to make sure that their mail moves with them to the new home.
There’s only one way a person’s mail can move with them to their destination – to update their postal address with the U.S. Postal Service (USPS). Just stop for a second and think about the staggering number of Change of Address (COA) requests that the USPS receives and processes each year.
When you yourself are moving out soon, you’ll also need to check the Change of Address task as complete in your MOVING CHECKLIST. But before you do, it’s only natural that you should get interested in the change of address cost.
Does it cost money to change your address? The answer is YES and NO depending on the change of address method that you choose.
So, how much is it to change your address when moving? Read on to find the correct answer.
How much does it cost to change your address online?
Short answer: $1.10 (identity verification charge)
By far, the most convenient way to change your address is to do it online.
The best thing about it is that you can do it from the comfort of your own home whenever you find some free time – either in the evening when you’re done packing for the day or during the day while you’re taking a well-deserved break from the packing marathon.
Additionally, changing your address online only takes about 5 minutes, so you don’t need to plan too much time for the completion of that important pre-move task as well.
Is there a charge to change address online? Yes, there is.
When you visit the official USPS Change of Address webpage (http://usps.com/move), the Get Started button will invite you to start the change of address procedure. And so, after filling out all required fields with accurate information about yourself – including the full new postal address of your destination, you will be asked to provide a valid e-mail address where you will receive a confirmation mail by the USPS.
And then, you will be charged a one-time online identity verification fee of $1.10 to your debit card or credit card.
Keep in mind that the USPS will charge you a change of address fee of $1.10 for identity verification purposes only. The fee is a standard procedure to verify your own identity and to safeguard your personal information in order to avoid any potential address fraud.
How much does it cost to change your address in person?
Short answer: No charge.
The second most common method of changing address when moving is to do it in person at the nearest USPS office.
If there’s a post office near your home, then you’ll be glad to learn that it won’t cost you any money to change your address when you go to any USPS office in person. In other words, changing your address in person is free of charge.
The reason for not being charged an identity verification fee when you fill out the PS Form 3575 at the USPS office is that you can easily prove your identity to the post office personnel since you’ll be there in person. This is all good news, right?
The only downside to changing your address in person is that you will have to find the time to visit a USPS office, and that can be a problem if it’s relatively far from where you live. So, all in all, it may be a much better idea to pay the online change of address charge of $1.10 than to drive down to the post office and wait in line for your turn to initiate the COA procedure.
How much does it cost to change your address over the phone?
Short answer: $1.10 (identity verification charge)
In addition to changing your address online or in person when moving to a new home, another way to take care of that task is to do it over the phone.
If you happen to feel nervous about doing stuff online but you still can’t find time to change your address in person at a USPS office, then you can opt for the alternative change of address procedure done over the phone.
Changing address by phone is easy enough – all you have to do is call 1-800-ASK-USPS and follow the pre-recorded instructions.
So, do you have to pay to change your address over the phone?
Yes. Similar to the online COA procedure, the U.S. Postal Service will charge you an identity verification fee of $1.10 for the fraud prevention reason mentioned above. Therefore, you should have your bank card details ready before you call the USPS phone number.
How much does it cost to change your address by mail?
Short answer: $0.58 (First-Class postage)
Another alternative way to change address when moving is to do so by mail. It’s arguable the least common COA method but it might still work for you under specific circumstances.
All you really have to do is download the USPS Printable Change of Address Form – PS Form 3575, print it out, fill it out correctly, and finally mail to POSTMASTER, United States Postal Service using a First-Class postage stamp. In this case, you’ll only need to pay for the First-Class Mail letter, which should cost $0.58.
So, does USPS charge for a change of address?
In summary,
- Online: $1.10 (identity verification fee);
- In person: free;
- By phone: $1.10 (identity verification fee);
- By mail: $0.58 (First-Class postage).
See also: How to change address when moving
How to avoid being overcharged when changing your address
You should be careful when updating your address with the USPS because there happen to be third-parties websites that can charge from anywhere from $20 up to $80 and even more for the change of address services that they provide.
You must keep in mind that no matter how professional such third-party websites look, they are NOT affiliated with the U.S. Postal Service in any way. Therefore, you should never use any other websites to change your address when moving other than the USPS official website.
Here are some practical tips to avoid being overcharged for the change of address service:
- ALWAYS go directly to USPS.com to change your address online prior to the move. Double check that the website you’re on at the moment has “usps.com” somewhere in the URL. If unsure, close the current page, open a new browser tab and type usps.com
- NEVER pay more than the identity verification charge of $1.10 that the USPS charges when the change of address procedure is done online or over the phone. If you’re about to pay more than $1.10 for the change of address service, then something’s wrong and you should not proceed.
- CHECK for recurring charges. The identity verification fee requested by the USPS is a one-time charge of $1.10. Therefore, if you notice that you’re being charged monthly for the service, then something’s not right and you should contact your card-issuing bank to dispute any fraudulent charges.
Must-read: 10 Steps to select a good mover
