Thursday, December 09, 2010

Action items for moving out of state

You just got married, or you simply moved out of state for a new job.  It's exciting.  New town, new faces, and new things.  But, don't let your old town get you down by not telling them you have left.

One of the things to be on the look out for after leaving a state is to make a clean break with them.  This means not only changing your address, but notifying the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV), your local municipality, and any other pertinent organizations.  As states are hungry for revenue (something that won't change for a long time), it's all too easy to get caught in a trap of forgetting to perform the proper procedures after moving, only to get hit with fines and penalties.

While it's a good idea to check with your state directly to see what is required of former residents in order to get out of the myriad databases utilized to track your residence, a good place to start is the Unofficial DMV Guide.  There, you can select which state you are moving out of and follow the basic instructions.  It may be surprising to you all of the different organizations that might come after you: DMV, local munipalities, tax authorities, and others.  Everyone wants a piece and they are just hoping to ensnare you in a trap of having forgotten to file the appropriate paperwork, send in your license plates, or simply notifying them that you have moved.  Don't get trapped.

The bonus tip and benefit about moving is that once you change your address, the United States Postal Service will send you a load of valuable coupons.  It's almost worth moving every now and again just to get them.

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