Moving to another state: the checklist with dates

Moving to another state is much more than packing: once you arrive, deadlines start running for the license, the plates, health coverage and voting, and when you leave you need to close out your lease properly to get your deposit back. This guide is for families moving from one state to another, renting or owning. We give you the list in order, with the dates official agencies publish, and point you to the full guide for each topic. You can do all of it yourself, without a middleman.

For a USPS change of address to take effect once approved

7-10 business days³

How long standard forwarding sends your mail to the new address

12 months³

To pick a Marketplace health plan after a permanent move

60 days¹⁰

How long the IRS generally takes to process an address change

45 days⁴

Your calendar: before, during and the first 90 days

Not everything happens on the same day. This is the list in the order things come due, from the day you decide to move until your first tax return in the new state. Car and license deadlines change by state: here we give sourced examples, and the table further down compares them.

Moving to another state, in order

1. 1. Check your lease and give written notice

   Before you move

   Your lease says how much notice you give. In Florida, if you leave early or rent month to month, it is at least 7 days in writing, with the address where you can be reached.¹

2. 2. Request a change of address for your mail

   One or two weeks before

   Once approved, it takes 7-10 business days to take effect. Online it costs $1.25 to verify your identity; at the Post Office you bring acceptable ID.³

3. 3. Hand in the keys and leave your address in writing

   The day you leave

   In Texas, the landlord does not have to return the deposit until you give your new address in writing.² Take photos of how you leave the unit.²

4. 4. Tell the IRS, your bank and your employer

   Moving week

   The mail does not forward bank statements or identity documents.³ You notify the IRS with Form 8822, in writing or by phone.⁴

5. 5. Insure and register the car in the new state

   First 10 to 30 days, depending on the state

   In Florida, 10 days with insurance from a Florida agent;¹⁴ in Texas, 30 days to register.¹⁶ In California, 20 days.¹⁹

6. 6. Get the new state's driver license

   First 30 to 90 days, depending on the state

   In Florida and New York, 30 days;¹⁷ in North Carolina, 60;¹⁸ in Texas you can drive on your old license for up to 90 days.¹⁵¹⁴

7. 7. Pick a health plan if you need one

   First 60 days

   A permanent move opens a Marketplace Special Enrollment Period; you generally have 60 days to pick a plan.¹⁰

8. 8. If you are a citizen, register to vote

   Before your state's deadline

   On vote.gov you choose your new state; the deadline can be as much as a month before the election.⁶⁵

9. 9. File for the year of the move

   The next tax season

   If you changed states mid-year, you may be a part-year resident of both.²¹²⁰

If you hire a moving company, the housing scams guide explains what to check before you sign. To see whether the first month’s money stretches far enough, build your family budget with the moving costs included.

Before you leave: notice to your landlord and your deposit

Start with your leaseleaseA lease, or rental agreement, is the contract in which the owner or landlord gives you the right to live in and use a property for a set period of time in exchange for payment, usually rent. While the lease lasts you have possession, but the landlord still owns the property. The lease says how much you pay and when, who handles maintenance and how the agreement can end. Your rights as a tenant are usually spelled out in the lease and in your state and local laws. Before complaining to the landlord, it helps to read the lease and make sure you are also following the rules you agreed to.See the full definitionClose. It says how much notice you have to give and how. If your lease does not say, or you rent month to month (a month-to-month tenancymonth-to-month tenancyA month-to-month tenancy is a rental arrangement with no end date: it continues month after month as long as you pay the rent, until you or the landlord give notice to end it. It can be in writing, but it can also start without a contract, for example if you stay after your lease ends and the landlord accepts your payment. To end it, you must give the notice your state's law requires. In New York, for example, the notice alone does not let the landlord remove you: if you do not leave, the landlord has to go to court.See the full definitionClose), state law sets the rules. In Florida, unless the written agreement says otherwise, a tenant who leaves before the term ends or rents month to month must give at least 7 days’ written notice, by certified mail or in person, and the notice must say where you can be reached. Without that notice you keep your right to the deposit, but the landlord is relieved of sending you its claim notice.¹

Your new address is the key to your security depositsecurity depositA security deposit is money you pay the landlord when you start renting as security that you will follow the lease: pay the rent and take care of the home. The money still belongs to you. The landlord holds it and, when you move out, must return it minus the charges the law allows, such as past-due rent or damage beyond normal wear and tear. You should not be charged for damage that was already there when you moved in. The maximum amount and the deadline to return it depend on your state's law and sometimes your city's.See the full definitionClose. In Texas, the landlord is not obligated to return it or explain the deductions until you give your new address in writing; you do not lose the right by not giving it, but the money waits.² There, the landlord must refund it by the 30th day after you surrender the unit, and a clause requiring advance notice as a condition of the refund only counts if it is underlined or in conspicuous bold print in the lease.² In Florida, a landlord who claims nothing has 15 days to return it; one who claims part of it has 30 days to send a notice by certified mail to your last known address (or by email), and you have 15 days after receiving it to object in writing.¹ That is why your move-out notice should already include the new address.

Each state sets its own deadline to return the deposit. The table shows the deadline in the states we have verified, along with the typical rent and how many HUD-approved housing counseling agencies each one has.

Deposit, rent and counseling in each state

State	Time to return the deposit	Typical rent	HUD-approved counselors
Alabama	60 calendar days	$1,007	25
Alaska	—	$1,419	1
Arizona	14 business days	$1,543	21
Arkansas	60 days	$947	14
California	21 days	$2,036	81
Colorado	1 day	$1,761	26
Connecticut	—	$1,488	13
Delaware	—	$1,401	12
District of Columbia	—	$1,954	17
Florida	15 days	$1,669	98
Georgia	30 days	$1,393	42
Hawaii	14 days	$1,971	17
Idaho	21 days	$1,238	10
Illinois	45 days	$1,274	81
Indiana	45 days	$1,062	21
Iowa	30 days	$972	11
Kansas	30 days	$1,060	3
Kentucky	—	$967	19
Louisiana	1 day	$1,064	26
Maine	—	$1,139	7
Maryland	45 days	$1,705	41
Massachusetts	30 days	$1,762	37
Michigan	30 days	$1,129	59
Minnesota	21 days	$1,280	33
Mississippi	45 days	$954	16
Missouri	30 days	$1,033	18
Montana	—	$1,081	11
Nebraska	14 days	$1,072	8
Nevada	30 days	$1,597	8
New Hampshire	30 days	$1,491	5
New Jersey	30 days	$1,720	34
New Mexico	—	$1,067	7
New York	14 days	$1,621	93
North Carolina	30 days	$1,228	52
North Dakota	30 days	$954	3
Ohio	30 days	$1,034	54
Oklahoma	45 days	$1,014	6
Oregon	31 days	$1,525	25
Pennsylvania	30 days	$1,209	75
Puerto Rico	—	$578	9
Rhode Island	20 days	$1,342	5
South Carolina	30 days	$1,180	13
South Dakota	21 days	$946	13
Tennessee	—	$1,189	32
Texas	30 days	$1,403	51
Utah	30 days	$1,496	7
Vermont	14 days	$1,234	7
Virginia	45 days	$1,579	49
Washington	30 days	$1,760	15
West Virginia	—	$872	8
Wisconsin	21 days	$1,087	26
Wyoming	30 days	$992	1

The deposit deadline comes from each state's law; typical rent, from the American Community Survey; agencies, from HUD's list. Source: each state's laws · Census Bureau (ACS) · HUD

Mail, the IRS and your new address

The Postal Service asks you to submit a permanent change of address when you move. You must submit the request and verify your identity; once it is approved, it takes at least 7-10 business days to take effect. Online you pay $1.25 to verify your identity with a card whose billing address is your old or new address. If you cannot verify it online, you go to a Post Office with acceptable ID and fill out PS Form 3575 from the free Mover’s Guide packet.³

Standard forwarding lasts 12 months, but it does not forward everything. Government agencies and banks do not allow sensitive documents to be forwarded: identity documents (especially licenses and voter registration), credit cards, bank statements and insurance or medical information. And the change of address only covers the mail: you have to tell every agency, company and person who writes to you.³

The IRS is one of those senders. If you move before filing your tax returntax returnA tax return is the yearly form you use to report your income to the IRS and figure the tax you owe, so you can pay what is due or get a refund. The federal return for individuals is Form 1040. In general you must file if your gross income is above the minimum the IRS sets for your filing status, or if you had a certain amount of net earnings from self-employment; even when you do not have to, filing can pay off. You need your SSN or ITIN, and those of everyone else on the return, plus documents such as your W-2s and 1099s.See the full definitionClose, put the new address on it. If you already filed, you can send Form 8822, write or call with your name, both addresses and your Social Security number, ITIN or EIN. The IRS notes that not all post offices forward government checks and that the change generally takes 45 days to process.⁴

The car: license, plates and insurance in your new state

This is the task with the shortest deadlines, and sometimes the order matters. In Texas, for example, your vehicles must be registered before you apply for the license;¹⁵ in North Carolina it is the other way around: license first, then registration.¹⁸ This is what the official pages we checked say:

State	Register the car	License	Insurance
Florida	Within 10 days of establishing residency14	Within 30 days14	From an agent licensed in Florida, before registering14
Texas	30 days from the time you move16	You can drive on your old license for up to 90 days; register the car first15	Minimums of $30,000 per injured person, $60,000 per accident and $25,000 for property damage16
New York	With New York insurance17	Within 30 days of becoming a resident17	Out-of-state insurance is not accepted for a car registered in New York17
North Carolina	When you take a job or the reciprocity period ends (usually 30 days), whichever comes first18	Within 60 days of establishing a permanent residence18	North Carolina insurance; out-of-state policies are not accepted18
California	Within 20 days of becoming a resident or getting a job19	See the driver’s license by state guide	See the driver’s license by state guide

If you are leaving New York, the order is different: surrender the registration and plates to the DMV before you cancel your New York insurance. If the insurance lapses while the plates are active, the registration is suspended and the license may be too, even after you live in another state.¹⁷ The driver’s license by state guide explains the documents each state asks for, what REAL ID is and which states license people who cannot show lawful presence.

Voting in your new state

If you are a citizen, your registration does not travel with you. USAGov says that if you move outside your state, you must register in the new one. On vote.gov you choose your state and see the deadline and how to register; every state except New Hampshire, Wyoming and North Dakota accepts the national mail-in form. Most counties and states do not require you to cancel the old registration.⁵ Each state has its own deadline, which can be as much as a month before the election.⁶

Health coverage: a move opens a Special Enrollment Period

Outside Open Enrollment (November 1 to January 15), you can only enroll in or change a Marketplace plan if you qualify for a Special Enrollment Period. Moving to a home in a new ZIP code or county can give you one; moving only for medical treatment or staying somewhere on vacation does not.⁸ You generally have 60 days from the move to pick a plan. For a permanent move, the rule asks that you had coverage for at least one day in the 60 days before, unless you lived in a foreign country or a U.S. territory.¹⁰ Medicaid and CHIP take applications any time.⁹

Mixed-status families should know one rule: citizens, nationals and lawfully present immigrants can get Marketplace coverage if they are eligible; undocumented immigrants cannot, but they can apply for family members who have documents, such as their children.¹¹

Your children’s school

Apply at the new school as early as you can. Under the federal school records privacy rule (FERPA), the old school may send the records, without asking your permission, to the school where your child is enrolling.¹² The old school must try to notify you at your last known address, unless you made the request, and give you a copy of what it sent if you ask.¹³ Ask for that copy: if something gets lost along the way, you have the backup. Keep it with the vaccination records and report cards.

State taxes in the year of the move

Each state decides its own income taxes. If you move mid-year, you may owe a return in each state. California explains that someone who lived inside and outside the state during the year may be a part-year resident, paying tax on everything received while living there and on California-source income afterward.²⁰ New York says something similar: if you were a resident for only part of the year, your income is split between resident and nonresident rules.²¹ Florida does not impose a personal income tax.²²

You do not have to sort this out alone. The IRS VITAVITA (free tax preparation)VITA (Volunteer Income Tax Assistance) and TCE (Tax Counseling for the Elderly) are IRS programs that offer free basic tax return preparation by IRS-certified volunteers. They are meant for people with moderate income, people with disabilities and limited-English speakers; TCE focuses on people sixty and older. The IRS sets no program-wide income limit, but individual sites may set their own. Many sites serve in Spanish and help with ITIN applications and renewals. Filing taxes every year builds the record lenders ask for.See the full definitionClose and TCE programs prepare basic returns for free for people who qualify, including limited English speakers; you find the nearest site with the VITA Locator Tool or by calling 800-906-9887.²³ Bring the W-2s from both states and the dates of the move.

What it costs to live in your new state

Before you sign a new lease, compare. The chart shows each state’s typical rent according to the Census Bureau; county numbers are under Places.

With your new county’s rent, the how much rent can I afford calculator shows what fits your income, and the guide to a family budget with several incomes helps you split the first month’s costs. If you will open electricity, gas or internet accounts in your new home without a Social Security number, read setting up utilities without an SSN before you call the company.

If this is you

What matters most for your situation

You rent and are moving out

Give written notice with your new address¹ and keep proof that you delivered it. In Texas, without that address in writing the deposit can sit and wait.²

You are moving with children

Ask the school for a copy of the records it sends¹³ and check the Marketplace Special Enrollment Period; Medicaid and CHIP take applications all year.⁹

Your family has mixed status

You give the IRS your new address with your ITIN.⁴ On the Marketplace, an undocumented parent can apply for coverage for children who have documents.¹¹

You want free help

A HUD-approved housing counselor can guide you on renting in your new state,²⁴ and legal aid can help if your deposit is not returned.²⁵

Costly mistakes

The mistake and what to do instead

• Mistake: Leaving without giving your new address in writing.

  Instead: Give it to the landlord in writing: in Texas, without it the landlord does not have to return your deposit yet.²

• Mistake: Counting on the mail to forward everything.

  Instead: Licenses, voter registration and bank statements are not forwarded; update your address with every sender.³

• Mistake: Canceling New York insurance before surrendering the plates.

  Instead: Surrender the registration and plates first; otherwise the registration is suspended and maybe the license.¹⁷

• Mistake: Waiting for Open Enrollment to get health coverage.

  Instead: A move opens a Special Enrollment Period: you generally have 60 days to pick a plan.¹⁰

• Mistake: Assuming you only file in one state.

  Instead: If you moved mid-year, you may be a part-year resident of both.²⁰

What to do this week

1. Read the notice clause in your lease and give written notice, with your new address and a copy for yourself.¹
2. Request a permanent USPS change of address one or two weeks before the move.³
3. Make a list of senders (bank, employer, IRS, insurance, school) and notify them yourself, because the mail does not forward everything.³
4. On your new state’s official motor vehicle page, look up how many days you have for the car and the license, and put them on your calendar.¹⁴
5. If you need health coverage, mark 60 days from the move on your calendar.¹⁰
6. If you want help renting or buying in your new state, search by ZIP code for a HUD-approved housing counselor; it is often free.²⁴ The HUD-approved housing counselors guide explains what to expect, and free legal aid explains how to ask for help with a deposit problem.