Your wedding is a beautiful, exciting time. Except if you’re a female, of course. Because chances are you’re doing most of the planning and potentially changing your name afterwards, which means you’ve got a LOT of work ahead of you. But fear not, you’ll survive. Speaking as someone whose wedding is five years in the rearview mirror, everything will be just fine. In fact, I’m publishing this list solely for the purpose of making your marriage name change that much easier.
The FIRST Things You Should Update to Streamline the Process
It might seem obvious that updating your driver’s license and/or state ID cards should be at the top of this list. However, what you might not think to do right away is update your email address. If you’re planning to change your email address, have your new one in place before the name change process is underway. This way you can update your email address and name at the same time in each app to avoid doing double work as you’re preparing to retire your old email.
How Hard is it to Make a Marriage Name Change?
The answer depends completely on the agency with which you’re changing your name. To this day, I’ve still slacked on most of my airline name changes and haven’t updated my passport yet (I don’t travel internationally, really). However, within a month of my wedding and honeymoon I’d already completed about 80% of my other name changes, including most credit cards.
If I had to rank the experience from smoothest to most involved/time consuming, this would be my ranking:
- Basic services/free apps (Spotify, Instagram, LTK)
- Store rewards accounts (i.e. Starbucks, Old Navy, Express)
- Accounts that might store financial information (i.e. Google, Uber, Amazon, Etsy)
- Store credit cards (i.e. Macy’s, Victoria’s Secret, TJ Maxx)
- Utility accounts (cable, phone, Nest)
- Updating my name with my employer
- Driver’s license/state ID and banking
- Airline frequent flyer accounts
- Passport
Some places are surprisingly more particular about name changes than you’d think, and may require a photo of your new ID or some form of additional authorization before allowing the change.
For example, I never did figure out how to change my name with Shake Shack. This was almost five years ago, so maybe it’s entirely different now, but there was absolutely no way to change it and no one to contact about it. As someone who’s type A to a tee, and wants every app to be accurate, this was super annoying. Critical? Absolutely not. But annoying for sure.
General Name Change Process Advice
Keep these tips in mind to optimize your time and keep this arduous process as smooth as possible.
Update Government ID Cards First
Prioritize legally changing your name first, and immediately following you should update your driver’s license and/or state ID. This way, if any apps or companies need an ID to process their change you’re not doing double work. And as mentioned, also have your new email in place if you plan to change that too, simply to save you time down the road.
Utilize Time You’d Otherwise Just Play on Your Phone
Put down the TikTok and Candy Crush. Utilize dead time to update your apps — i.e. long car trips, plane rides, etc. I made a lot of updates on my train ride to-and-from work.
Keep an Organized List
Have a checklist accessible anywhere you are (i.e. your Notes app) and add something the second you think of it. Then, once that app/website is completely updated (both name and email) add a checkmark to indicate as much. DO NOT delete it from the list or you might forget your changed it and go back to check it later. Avoid the double work!
Taking it a step further… eventually you may also update credit cards with your new name and it may come with a new credit card number. Save this list and use a separate emoji to denote once you’ve also made a payment change. This will streamline updating your payment information as well!
Update Newsletters and Email Lists as You Get Them
As you receive newsletters, shopping emails, etc. update those agencies with your new email and name. Updating one or two people a day is much less annoying than sitting down and doing hundreds in one day. Just be sure to update your master list as you change things!
On a related note: once your new email is setup you should let friends and family know. Send one mass email with everyone you’d like to notify on BCC (blind copy, so as to not share everyone’s email addresses with each other) so you’re not spending a ton of time telling people individually.
Keep Digital Copies of IDs Handy
Keep a digital copy of your marriage certificate and the front and back of your license handy. Multiple places will request a photo of your ID with your new name and this will save you time.
Anticipate Fees During the Name Change Process
Remember, my name change was in November 2018, so it’s been a while. However, these were the associated fees I paid when I completed my name change:
- Social Security Administration (SSA) = Free
- DMV (driver’s license or state ID) = $5, plus a $1 fee if using a card). This will also update your voter registration, which is free.
- Passport = $110 if you initially got your passport more than one year prior, or $170 if you need it expedited (per this website). The fees may be different if you got a passport within one year of your name change.
End of Year Newlyweds, DO NOT Procrastinate
If your wedding is towards the end of the calendar year do NOT procrastinate. Your year-end tax documentation is usually underway before the year is over and may have your old name on it if you don’t act quickly (my wedding was mid-October, I changed everything big i.e. driver’s license, social security, my employer’s records, etc. by mid-November and everything was processed correctly). Alternatively, you can wait until your taxes are all filed in the spring to start the name change process, but I didn’t want to wait several months, so I got on that.
Store Credit Cards and Rewards Accounts are Separate Updates
In hindsight, this is clear as day, but at first I didn’t understand why I’d update a store credit card but my shopping account still had my maiden name. The credit card is part of a financial institution and the login you use to shop at the associated store website is simply that, a shopping/reward account. These will likely be two different updates so be sure to note both on your master list!
Marriage Name Change Checklist
This is my fairly comprehensive list of places to change your name when the time comes. Now, some of these may not apply to you, and you’ll likely have other ones that do apply that aren’t listed. However, these are meant to get your mind jogging (i.e. maybe you don’t have AMC Stubs Rewards but have rewards with a different movie theatre) so you can identify everywhere that applies to your specific update.
These are listed with like instances as best as possible to make it more easily digestible for you. Hope that helps!
Name Change Locations (name and email)
SSA
Driver’s License
Bank
Employer
Doctor’s Office(s)
Transit Accounts (Pay to Park apps, train passes)
Home Ownership/Lease Records
Car Payment
Cell Phone
Utilities
Cable/Internet
Student Loans
Library Card/Apps
PayPal
Venmo
Cash App
Google
Nest
Yahoo
I-Pass
Apple
Walgreens
CVS
Alma Mater Alumni Records
Sorority/Fraternity Alumni Records
Gym
Fitbit
MyFitnessPal
Beachbody
Hair Dresser
Nail Salon
Yelp
Nextdoor
Zillow
Trulia
Instagram
Facebook
TikTok
Threads
Pinterest
YouTube
Twitter
Snapchat
LTK
LinkedIn
Discord
Uber
Lyft
Waze
SpotHero
Delta SkyMiles
United Rewards
Southwest Airlines
American Airlines Rewards
Kayak
Hopper
Spotify
iHeartRadio
GoodReads
AMC
RedBox
Eventbrite
Nintendo
Victoria’s Secret
Banana Republic
Macy’s
Kohl’s
Target
Amazon
Amazon Credit Card
Walmart
Etsy
Bloomingdales
Athleta
Lululemon
Spanx
JC Penney
Express
Wantable
Bath and Body Works
Office Depot
Joann Fabrics
Michael’s
Poshmark
Mercari
The Knot
Cannon
Julep
Door Dash
Grub Hub
Postmates
Uber Eats
Groupon
Lettuce Eats
No Wait
Starbucks
Dunkin Donuts
Lou Malnati’s
Giordano’s
Aurelio’s
Chick-Fil-A
Shake Shack
Which Wich
Roti
Potbelly
Jimmy John’s
Jersey Mike’s
Subway
Insomnia Cookies
Wildberry (local restaurant)
Miscellaneous Name Changes
5k/Race Records
Volunteer Work Records
Charitable Donations
Name Changes Apps Creators
Quickbooks
WordPress
Bluehost (or wherever you host your website)
Canva
Planoly
Mailchimp
Flodesk
Fiverr
Later
InShot
LTK Creator
Amazon Influencer Records
Microsoft/OneNote
Adobe/Lightroom
Any photo editing apps/subscriptions
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