Informed Delivery address change preparation after moving

Informed Delivery Address Change: A Moving Checklist

by

An Informed Delivery address change is easiest to handle as a separate moving task, even when you are already forwarding mail. The goal is simple: connect the service to the address where you now receive mail, confirm that the address is eligible, and check what actually appears after the update.

This checklist is for an individual household move within the United States. Business accounts, PO Boxes, apartments, and other shared-mailbox settings can follow different account or eligibility rules. Use the current screens on USPS.com as the final instruction.

Quick Informed Delivery address change checklist

  • Use the official USPS website, not a link from an unexpected message.
  • Have your old and new address details ready.
  • Decide whether your mail forwarding request is permanent or temporary.
  • Sign in to the USPS.com account you intend to keep using.
  • Follow the official Change of Address route for a permanent move.
  • Check the new address for Informed Delivery eligibility.
  • Complete any identity or address verification USPS requests.
  • Review email and dashboard notification settings.
  • Save the confirmation or result that USPS actually provides.
  • Check later notifications against mail received at the new address.

1. Separate the three jobs

A move can create three related but different mail tasks:

  1. Forwarding: asks USPS to reroute eligible mail from the old address.
  2. Informed Delivery: provides previews and status updates tied to an eligible address and account.
  3. Sender updates: replace your old address directly with banks, subscriptions, government services, employers, and other organizations.

The USPS Informed Delivery page tells movers to set up permanent mail forwarding and update Informed Delivery through the official Change of Address site. That does not mean forwarding updates every sender. USAGov directs movers to update government agencies separately, so keep your broader change of address checklist open too.

2. Prepare before signing in

For a cleaner Informed Delivery address change, collect only what you need:

  • the old address exactly as you used it with USPS;
  • the complete new address, including the correct apartment or unit;
  • access to the USPS.com account and its email address;
  • your move type and the forwarding choice you actually made;
  • any confirmation USPS provided for the move or account update.

Keep these details private. A confirmation code or account result belongs in your secure moving documents folder, not on a shared moving-box label or public note.

3. Start from the official moving route

Go directly to the USPS Informed Delivery page. Its moving guidance links to the official USPS Change of Address process for a permanent forwarding request and the Informed Delivery update.

Read each screen before submitting. Do not assume a dashboard profile edit, a forwarding request, and an Informed Delivery update are interchangeable. Follow the path USPS shows for your account and address, and stop if the address or account displayed is not yours.

4. Check whether the new address is eligible

USPS says Informed Delivery is available for eligible residential, business, and PO Box addresses in eligible ZIP Codes, but the mailbox must also be uniquely coded. Some apartment or condominium addresses may not qualify. Business street addresses and PO Boxes require a USPS.com business account.

That makes eligibility a hard checkpoint, not a detail to guess around. Enter the new address through the official eligibility check and keep the result. If USPS says the address is not eligible, do not alter the unit number or borrow a neighboring address just to pass the check.

Only continue the Informed Delivery address change when the official checker recognizes the address you actually use.

5. Complete the requested verification

USPS requires identity and address verification for Informed Delivery enrollment. The available path can depend on what the official system can verify. Complete only the steps shown on USPS.com. If online verification is unavailable, use the current USPS help and location information rather than an unofficial workaround.

After the Informed Delivery address change, review the account before closing the page:

  • Is the intended new address shown?
  • Is the account email one you can access?
  • Are Daily Digest or package notifications set the way you want?
  • Did USPS provide a confirmation, status, or next step worth saving?

6. Verify with real mail, not one screen

An account screen is useful evidence, but delivery is the practical test. Over the next mail days, compare the address in your account, the Daily Digest or dashboard, and the mail that reaches your box.

USPS explains that images are limited to letter-sized mailpieces processed through automated equipment. A notification and the physical mailpiece may not arrive on the same day. Therefore, one missing image or a short timing mismatch does not by itself prove that the update failed.

Keep updating important senders directly while forwarding is active. The USPS mail forwarding checklist can help you track the separate forwarding task without treating it as a permanent sender update.

If the old address still appears

  • Pause: do not create repeated accounts or submit a second change only to test the system.
  • Confirm the account: make sure you signed in with the USPS.com account you meant to use.
  • Review the move type: the USPS page specifically points permanent movers to the Change of Address route; do not assume temporary forwarding follows the same path.
  • Recheck eligibility: confirm the complete new address and unit through the official checker.
  • Check notification settings: USPS notes that email notifications must be turned on and use the correct email address.
  • Use official support: follow the current Online Support and FAQ links from the Informed Delivery dashboard or USPS page.

Record the date, the screen or message you saw, and the next step USPS gave you. Avoid saving screenshots that expose full account details in a shared folder.

If the Informed Delivery address change still does not match your account, keep the evidence and use the current official support route rather than repeatedly resubmitting the move.

Finish the move with one saved result

Your Informed Delivery address change is complete when the intended account shows the new eligible address, your notification choices are set, and later mail activity is consistent with that address. Save the actual result, then continue direct updates with important senders instead of relying on mail previews or forwarding alone.

Official sources

This independent checklist is for general information. It is not affiliated with or endorsed by USPS or any government agency. USPS procedures, account screens, and address eligibility can change; follow the current official instructions for your situation.