Wedding Planning - Changing Your Name After Marriage

Whether or not a bride changes her name after marriage is usually a decision discussed by her and her soon-to-be husband. Whichever route the bride decides to take (changing her last name, using a hyphenated last name or sticking with her maiden name) should be something the couple discusses with each other before the wedding day. From there, both the bride and groom should obviously go the route that they are both most comfortable with. The majority of brides will of course decide to change their last names. For those brides changing their names after marriage (and taking their husbands' surname) they will have a small, but simple, task at hand. You will basically want to notify the world about this change--meaning everyone from your gym and employer, to the IRS and your creditors. Begin thinking about this task early so you can begin filling out any necessary forms before your wedding and honeymoon. Then, you can mail out, or walk forms into the necessary places upon your return. Use our checklist and helpful links to get you started.

If marked with an asterisk, be sure to look below the checklist for related links and more information.

__ Social Security*
__ Bank accounts
__ Business cards and letterhead
__ Car loans
__ Creditors*
__ Doctor/dentist/any other health care provider
__ Employee records/forms/401k
__ Insurance records (home, auto, property, etc)
__ Passport*
__ Leases
__ Memberships (clubs, gyms, etc)
__ Post office*
__ Property titles
__ Investment accounts
__ Tax forms/IRS*
__ Utilities
__ Voter registration*
__ Department of Motor Vehicles*
__ Will/other legal documents


* Tips and Related Links

Social Security card-- It's a very important first step to change your name on your social security card-- you'll probably want to do this before making this change anywhere else. The form you will need in order to change your name is available online to download. You may also visit your local social security office. The following link will give you the information you need to download the form or to contact your local office.
Download form and get more information, click here

Creditors-- You'll want to notify your creditors of your name change and make sure they report this change to the credit reporting agencies. The following is a list of the three most commonly used credit reporting agencies and their phone numbers to contact them as well. You may want to get in touch with them in the future to make sure they have any changes on your credit report up-to-date (including your new address if you are moving into a new residence after marriage).
Experian- 1-888-397-3742
Equifax- 1-888-532-0179
Trans Union- 1-800-916-8800

Passport-- If you travel abroad often and maintain a passport, you'll need to change your name on this important travel document as well. For more information, and to access the form online, use the following link below.
Download form and get more information

Post Office-- If you will be moving to a new residence, you'll need to fill out a change of address form. And until you've established your new name with everyone that sends you correspondence, you will want to notify your postal carrier of your name change. It would be a good idea to inform him of the different last names being delivered to the same address in order to eliminate any confusion. You can leave a letter for the carrier in your mailbox if you wish.
Contact your local post office, or access change of address form online, click here

IRS-- To change your name with the IRS, you will need to fill out form 8822. This form is a change of address form, but includes any name changes as well, located on line 5 of the form.
Download form 8822, click here

Voter Registration-- For more information and to obtain forms for your state, call your county voter registration office. For more information online, use the link listed below. Remember, you can also get information for voter registration in your state when you change your name with the Department of Motor Vehicles in your area.
For more information, click here

Department of Motor Vehicles-- To locate the Department of Motor Vehicles in your area and to access more information for changing your name on your license and registration, use the link below.
Find the DMV in your area,click here