The start of a marriage comes with it’s own set of challenges, none of which may be more frustrating than changing your name. Whether you’re sticking with tradition or hyphenating, if you’re planning on legally changing your name after the wedding bells stop ringing, its important to make sure you change your name everywhere to avoid any missteps with paperwork or travel in the future.
We’ve put together a Name Change Checklist to get you started, but before we share those, keep in mind that it might not be beneficial to rush straight to the Social Security office the moment your marriage license is certified.
If you’ve already booked travel under your maiden name, are making a purchase that requires a credit check (like a home or car), or are in the midst of any other legal processes, you may need to wait until those are finalized before making the change official.
Now that we got those details out of the way, here’s our checklist for changing your name:
____ Certified Copies of your Marriage License
____ Social Security Administration
____ New Driver’s License
____ Passport Office
____ Work Records and Benefits
____ Notify Creditors, in order to link credit files
____ Landlord or Mortgage Company
____ Utilities
____ Investment & Bank Accounts
____ Insurance Accounts (auto, life, home, etc.)
____ Physicians’ Offices.
____ Professional Licensing Board
____ Your Attorney (to update legal documents)
____ IRS
____ Post Office
____ Voter Registration Board
____ Alumni Association
____ Email
____ Social Media Profiles
____ Gym Membership, Luggage Tags, Etc.
Be sure to download our handy version of the checklist to keep track as you work through the process of making your new last name official.
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