What order should I change my name in?

Social Security first, then your state driver license, then your passport, then everyone else. Every agency downstream checks against the Social Security record, and most companies want photo ID in the new name.

How many places need my new name?

Between thirty and fifty for most people. Seven of those are government agencies; the rest are banks, insurers, employers, utilities, subscriptions and loyalty programs.

Does anyone notify other organizations automatically?

Almost nobody. Some states update your voter registration from the DMV, and some do not. Every other organization has to be told separately.

The name change checklist

Everywhere a name change has to be updated, in the order that works. Government agencies first, because everyone downstream checks against them.

A name change is roughly forty separate notifications, and nobody tells anybody else.

The government agencies come first: Social Security, your state license, your passport.

Everyone else comes after, because almost all of them want photo ID in your new name.

The most commonly missed items are payroll and HR as separate updates, beneficiary designations on retirement accounts, and airline loyalty accounts.

Your credit file is its own job, and each of the three bureaus handles it differently.

First

Government — do these in this order

Social Security — form SS-5, free, and it blocks everything else.
Driver license or state ID — your state sets the fee and the deadline.
Passport — DS-5504, DS-82 or DS-11 depending on your dates.
Vehicle title and registration — usually the same counter as the license.
Voter registration — free everywhere, and not always automatic from the DMV.
IRS — nothing to file, but your return must match the Social Security record.
TSA PreCheck and Global Entry — separate, and they are not updated for you.

Then

Money — once you hold ID in the new name

Every current account and savings account.
Every credit card, including the ones you never use.
Brokerage and retirement accounts — and check the beneficiary designations while you are there.
Your mortgage or landlord, and any loan servicer.
The three credit bureaus, which each have a different process.
Payment apps and anything holding a balance.

Then

Work, cover, and everything else

Your employer — payroll and HR are usually two different updates. Ask for confirmation of both, or your W-2 arrives in the old name.
Your professional license or registration body, where you hold one.
Health insurance, and every named dependent policy.
Car, home, renters, life and disability insurance.
Your doctor, dentist, pharmacy and any specialist.
Utilities, phone, internet, and your energy supplier.
Airline loyalty programs — the name has to match the ID you travel on.
Subscriptions, memberships, and anything on a recurring payment.
Your will, any power of attorney, and any trust you are named in.

Commonly missed

The ones people find out about months later

Beneficiary designations are the expensive one. They sit on retirement accounts and life policies, they do not update when the account name does, and nobody discovers the mismatch at a convenient moment.

Payroll and HR being separate systems is the most common surprise. A name updated in one and not the other produces a W-2 that does not match the tax return.

Airline loyalty accounts are the most common travel-day problem, because the name on the ticket has to match the government ID you present.

Common questions

Questions people ask

What order should I change my name in?: Social Security first, then your state driver license, then your passport, then everyone else. Every agency downstream checks against the Social Security record, and most companies want photo ID in the new name.
How many places need my new name?: Between thirty and fifty for most people. Seven of those are government agencies; the rest are banks, insurers, employers, utilities, subscriptions and loyalty programs.
Does anyone notify other organizations automatically?: Almost nobody. Some states update your voter registration from the DMV, and some do not. Every other organization has to be told separately.

How to change your name Requirements by state What companies require

When you’re ready to do it

Everything above is free. The forty letters is the work.

You can do all of this yourself with the links on this page — every underlying form is free. What we sell is the evening back: the official forms filled in from your answers, the steps in the order that works, and a written letter for every bank, employer and insurer you have to tell.

Two questions about your situation first, because there is one answer that means we can’t help — and we would rather tell you that before you pay than after.

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