Topic no. 157, Change your address – How to notify the IRS

If your address has changed, you need to notify the IRS to ensure you receive any tax refunds or IRS correspondence. There are several ways to notify the IRS of an address change:

When filing your tax return

If you change your address before filing your return, enter your new address on your return when you file. When your return is processed, we'll update our records. Be sure to also notify your return preparer.

Notifying the post office

If you change your address after filing your return, you should notify the post office that services your old address. Because not all post offices forward government checks, you should also directly notify the IRS as described below.

By form

To change your address with the IRS, you may complete a Form 8822, Change of Address (For Individual, Gift, Estate, or Generation-Skipping Transfer Tax Returns) and/or a Form 8822-B, Change of Address or Responsible Party — Business and send them to the address shown on the forms. For information on changing the "responsible party," see Form 8822-B.

In writing

You may also write to inform us that your address is changing. Tell us you're changing your address by providing us your:

  • full name
  • old and new addresses
  • Social Security number, individual taxpayer identification number, or employer identification number, and
  • signature

Joint filers - If you filed a joint return, you should provide the information and signatures for both spouses. Send your written address change information to the IRS addresses listed in the instructions to the tax forms you filed.

Separated - If you filed a joint return and you now have separate residences, each joint taxpayer should notify us of your new, separate addresses.

Include your SSN (and the name and SSN of your spouse if you filed a joint return) in any correspondence with the IRS.

By phone

You may also call us to inform us that your address is changing. Tell us you're changing your address by providing us your:

  • full name
  • old and new addresses
  • Social Security number, individual taxpayer identification number, or employer identification number

We may request additional information to verify your identity.

Employment tax returns

If the change of address relates to an employment tax return, the IRS issues confirmation notices (Notices 148A and 148B) for the change to both the new and former address.

Processing

It can take four to six weeks for a change of address request to be fully processed, however there may be delays. Get up-to-date status on current IRS operations and services.