How to Change Your Business Address With USPS: Online or PS Form 3575

How to file a business change of address online

The USPS forwarding page lists the online steps. You go to the Official USPS Change of Address website. Then you “Choose an option for either an “Individual,” “Family” (where everyone has the same last name), or “Business” move, and complete the form.”

Identity verification is part of every online request. USPS says “As of May 1, 2023, when you submit a change of address request online, you need to take additional steps to verify your identity.” The page says to “Opt in online to receive a verification code or link on your mobile phone.”

The online filing has a fee. The page says: “Pay the $1.25 identity verification fee. The billing address on your credit card must match either your old or new address.” For a business, check the billing address on the card before you start. If the card bills to a home address that is neither the old nor the new business address, the page says the address must match one of the two.

USPS says that if verification succeeds, it “will email you a confirmation code.” You use that code “if you need to modify or cancel your request.” If you cannot verify online, USPS emails instructions and a barcode. You then bring that email and acceptable photo ID to a Post Office.

1. 1Open the Official USPS Change of Address website from usps.com.
2. 2Choose the “Business” option and complete the form with the old and new addresses.
3. 3Verify your identity with the code or link USPS sends to your mobile phone.
4. 4Pay the $1.25 identity verification fee with a card that bills to the old or new address.
5. 5Save the confirmation code from the USPS email.

How to file PS Form 3575 at a Post Office

The in-person steps are short. USPS says to visit your local Post Office “with acceptable photo ID and any other required documents.” You request “a free Mover’s Guide packet.” Then you “Fill out the PS Form 3575 found inside the packet, and give it to the retail associate.” The associate uses your photo ID to verify your identity.

A business needs one more document at the counter. The forwarding page says that for a business request made in person, “you must have documentation, like a notarized letter, power of attorney, or letter on company letterhead (signed by someone in a leadership role) that shows you’re an “Authorized Agent” who can submit a change of address request for the business.” The business mail page says the same thing.

The DMM has the same rule in Section 507.2.1.5. It says individuals may not file a change of address “for a business, without authorization (i.e., notarized letter or letter on company letterhead) showing they are an authorized agent of the person(s) or business that is moving.”

USPS says some requests must be made in person. The forwarding page lists three cases: you are moving outside the United States, you are filing for someone else, or you are unable to verify your identity online. The USPS pages we read for this guide do not name a fee for the in-person form.

What USPS forwards and what it does not

The forwarding page says “First-Class Mail is forwarded for free.” Priority Mail Express, Priority Mail, and USPS Ground Advantage items are also forwarded for free. The page says Media Mail is forwarded, but “you must pay the cost for shipping” from your local Post Office to the new address. USPS Marketing Mail “is not forwarded unless the sender has paid forwarding postage.”

Some sensitive mail does not follow you. The page says “mailers like government agencies and financial institutions do not allow forwarding of sensitive documents.” Its list includes “Credit cards, bank statements, insurance info, and other financial or medical information.” USPS says to “Contact the sender directly to change your address with them.”

Mail at a mailbox service is handled differently. DMM 507.2.2.7 says “Mail addressed to an addressee at a commercial mail receiving agency (CMRA) is not forwarded through the USPS.” A CMRA is a private business that receives mail for its customers. The section says the customer “may make special arrangements for the CMRA operator to remail the mail with payment of new postage.” It also says the CMRA must remail mail to former customers “for at least 6 months” after the relationship ends.

Forwarding also has a time limit. The forwarding page says “Standard mail forwarding lasts 12 months,” and you can pay to extend it up to 18 more months. Our guide to how long USPS forwards mail covers those limits and the DMM record periods.

Can you forward business mail to your home?

A business that is moving can file a business change of address to its new address. The USPS pages we read do not say the new address must be a commercial address. They also do not say whether a home address is allowed. If your new address is a home, ask your local Post Office before you rely on forwarding.

One rule is clear. DMM 507.2.1.5 says an addressee “may not file a change-of-address order for mail originally addressed to the addressee at an organization, business, place of employment, or other affiliation.” So an employee cannot forward mail that comes to them at their employer. The same section says “The organization or business may change the address (but not the addressee’s name) on a mailpiece to redirect it to the addressee.”

Forwarding also does not make the home address your business address on any record. USPS says the order “only changes your mailing address with the Post Office.” Your state filing and IRS record keep the old address until you change them.

A USPS change of address does not update the state, the IRS, or your bank

The USPS forwarding page puts this limit in an “Important Note.” It says: “Your change of address order only changes your mailing address with the Post Office. You are responsible for telling government agencies, companies, and any other senders that your address has changed.”

For an LLC or corporation, the state record is a separate filing with the Secretary of State or a similar office. Our guide on how to change your LLC address lists the records that hold an LLC’s address and how to update each one.

The IRS has its own form. The IRS says businesses with an Employer Identification Number use Form 8822-B “to notify the Internal Revenue Service if you changed” the business mailing address, the business location, or the identity of the responsible party. Our Form 8822-B guide walks through the form. Banks, payment processors, and customers also need the new address. The USPS page says you are responsible for telling them.

What to check after you file

Watch for the USPS letters. The forwarding page says that after online verification succeeds, “You’ll get a Move Validation letter to the address you’re moving from.” It also says that “About 5 business days before your change of address start date,” you will get a Customer Notification Letter with your confirmation code at the new address.

Keep the confirmation code. USPS says you use it to modify or cancel the request. If you want forwarding longer than 12 months, the page says you can add Extended Mail Forwarding when you file or when you edit the request later. USPS says it sends a reminder email “when you have 1 month left in your mail forwarding.” The page also says “You can’t cancel or request a refund for Extended Mail Forwarding.”

If you want USPS to ship all of your mail to you instead, USPS has Premium Forwarding Service Commercial. The business mail page says the service lets business customers “with an active PO Box or street address to temporarily forward all mail to their domestic business address using Priority Mail Express or Priority Mail.” The page lists an Annual Enrollment Fee of $26.40, plus postage for each shipment.

Before you file, you can run the new address through our free address checker to see how USPS classifies it. If you are still choosing where your business mail should go, our Silicon Valley virtual office address and Los Angeles business address pages describe the business addresses save office offers.