Free name change checklist, personalized to your state
Most name change checklists are the same printable list for everyone. This one asks a few questions first, then builds your actual plan: the right steps for your state, in the order that keeps you from being turned away.
What's the occasion?
This shapes your entire plan.
What you get
Everything on a name change checklist
These are the tasks the tool draws from. Your version is trimmed to what actually applies to you, with your state's agency, fee, and links filled in.
Government (do these in order)
Sequence matters here: get it wrong and you'll be sent home.
Get your certified marriage certificate
You'll need multiple certified copies. Every agency wants to see an original.
County / State Vital Records · Usually $10–$30 per copy · Same day in person, up to 8 weeks by mail
Get your certified divorce decree
Order certified copies. It helps if your decree names the name you're going back to.
County Court / Clerk · Set by your court clerk, often $5–$50 per copy · Varies by court
Update your Social Security card (Form SS-5)
Always first. It's free, and the DMV and most other agencies check your SSA record.
Social Security Administration · Free · 5–10 business days for card
Update your driver's license / state ID
Wait 24–48h after SSA so their systems can sync. Going too early is a common reason people get turned away.
State DMV · $10–$40 · Same-day (in person)
Update your passport
The form depends on your situation, so we auto-pick DS-82, DS-11, or DS-5504.
U.S. Department of State · Free–$165 · 4–6 weeks processing, plus mail time
Update your voter registration
Some states pass your DMV update to the voter rolls and many don't, so confirm it went through.
State Election Office · Free · 5 minutes online
Match your name with the IRS
There's nothing to file with the IRS. Update Social Security first, then use that name on your tax return.
Internal Revenue Service · Free · Nothing to file
Money & work
Once your new ID is in hand, update anything tied to your income.
Update your bank & credit cards
Do this after you have your new license, since most banks require the new ID.
Your Bank · Free · About 15–30 min
Update employer / HR & payroll
Update payroll and your W-4 so the name on your W-2 matches your Social Security card.
Your Employer · Free · About 15 min
Update health insurance
Tell your insurer about your new name, and check whether you can add or change coverage.
Insurer / HR · Free · About 20 min
Update auto & home insurance
Keep your policy name matching your license to avoid claim issues.
Insurer · Free · About 15 min
Update investments & retirement
IRAs and brokerage accounts are updated with each firm, usually a form plus a copy of your certificate.
Brokerage / 401k · Usually free · Varies by firm
Notify the credit bureaus
Your lenders usually pass your new name to the bureaus themselves. You can also ask each bureau directly.
Equifax · Experian · TransUnion · Usually free · About 15 min each, results can take up to 30 days
Update mortgage / lease / landlord
Update the name on your mortgage statements or lease.
Lender / Landlord · Free · About 20 min
Update professional licenses
Nursing, real estate, legal, medical, and other boards require updates.
Licensing Board · Varies · Varies
Everything else
The long tail, knock these out in any order.
Update utilities
Power, water, gas, and internet accounts.
Power · Water · Internet · Free · About 20 min
Update your phone carrier
Your wireless account and any device financing.
Mobile Carrier · Free · About 10 min
Update subscriptions & memberships
Streaming, gym, warehouse clubs, and loyalty programs.
Various · Free · Ongoing
Update email & digital accounts
Display names, recovery info, and important logins.
Various · Free · Ongoing
Update travel loyalty & TSA PreCheck
Book flights in the name on the ID you'll carry. If you have TSA PreCheck, update it early, because it can take up to 45 days.
Airlines · TSA · Global Entry · Airlines are free, PreCheck and Global Entry vary · Airlines: minutes. PreCheck: up to 45 days
Update your children's records
School enrollment, emergency contacts, and medical records.
School · Pediatrician · Free · About 30 min
Update your business / DBA
Business registration, DBA filings, and banking. Where you file depends on your state and how the business is set up.
State or county business office · Varies · Varies
Why it is not a PDF
A generic checklist cannot tell you the part that matters
The hard part of a name change is not remembering who to call. It is sequence. Social Security has to be updated before your driver's license, because most DMVs check your new name against the SSA record electronically, and there is a 24 to 48 hour sync in between. That single rule is a common reason people get sent home from the DMV and have to take a second morning off work.
A printable checklist cannot enforce that. It also cannot know that your state charges a different license fee than the one next door (our fee table lists every state), that some states now let you file the SS-5 entirely online while most do not, or that your passport form depends on a date printed inside your passport.
So this one asks first. Marriage or divorce, which state, do you hold a passport, do you have children or a business, which accounts are in your name. Then it builds the list, puts it in order, marks what is blocked until something else is done, and fills in your state's agency, fee, and official links.
It is free, there is no account, and you can email yourself the result. If you would rather not fill in the paperwork by hand afterwards, the name change kit pre-fills your forms from the same answers, but the checklist stands on its own.
By state
Name change checklist by state
Every state has its own agency, fee, and document list. Pick yours for the specifics, or use the tool above for a plan built around your answers.
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