This may be difficult to fathom, but name change notification does not stop at Facebook or Twitter. There are other authorities to notify should your name change due to:
- Marriage
- Divorce
- Court order
- Certificate of Naturalization showing new name
Who to Notify of Your Name Change
To begin, focus on updating your identification by notifying:
- The Social Security Administration. Your Social Security card is your most important form of identification. Update this first before notifying other agencies, as some may require a Social Security card showing your new name.
- Your state's Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) office. Most DMVs require name change notification within a specified number of days. It's especially important to update your drivers license and identification card since both can be used for boarding at airports, cashing checks, and registering to vote.
- Your county voter registration department.
- Your State Department for the purpose of updating passport information.
After updating your identification, you'll next want to notify in no particular order:
- Your insurance companies (car, health, home, rent, life).
- All employers. This sounds obvious, but it's needed for new business cards, payroll and withholding tax forms.
- All schools, if applicable.
- Your doctor, dentist, optician, veterinarian, and pharmacist.
- Your bank or credit union and all other financial institutions.
- Your post office.
- All utility companies (electric, phone, cable, gas).
- Magazine and newspaper circulation departments.
- State and federal tax departments.
- Your landlord or mortgage company.
- Credit card companies.
- Government assistance programs, if applicable.
- Veteran Affairs Department, if applicable.
- Your county tax assessor.
- Your library.
Other Documents to Update
Though not required, to avoid possible confusion in the future, also consider updating:
- Car title
- Will
- Power of Attorney
- Health care directive
- Living trusts
Have we left anything out about changing your name? Share your smarts with our online community by leaving a comment below.
