Key takeaways
- Treat the move as four separate records: the registered agent address, the principal and mailing address the state holds, the IRS mailing address and business location, and your virtual mailbox. Each one is changed in a different place.
- Moving your office doesn't mean changing your registered agent. The agent's address only changes if you appoint a new agent, or the agent itself moves.
- Tell the IRS on Form 8822-B. The IRS generally takes 4 to 6 weeks to process it, and a change of responsible party must be reported within 60 days. You don't need a new EIN for a new address.
- A new mailbox address means a new USPS Form 1583. USPS can't forward mail out of a mailbox service, so plan the overlap with your old provider.
- Banks and payment platforms keep their own records. Update each one in its own settings or through its support team, and expect some to ask for a document showing the new address.
On this page (9)
Four addresses, four different records
"Change the business address" sounds like one task. In practice the state, the IRS, the Postal Service and each of your providers keep their own copy, and none of them tells the others. Before you file anything, write down which addresses are actually changing. Often it's only one or two of them.
- Registered agent addressSecretary of StateChanges only if you change agent
- Principal & mailing addressSecretary of StateState update form or amendment
- IRS mailing address & locationIRSForm 8822-B
- Virtual mailbox (PMB)Mailbox provider & USPSNew Form 1583
| Address | Who holds it | What changes it | When it changes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Registered agent address | The Secretary of State | A change of registered agent filing | Only when you switch agents, or the agent moves |
| Principal office and mailing address | The Secretary of State (where the state records them) | A state update form, amendment or annual report | When your operating or mailing address moves |
| IRS mailing address and business location | The IRS | Form 8822-B | When either one moves |
| Virtual mailbox (PMB) | The mailbox provider, reported to USPS | A new PS Form 1583 | When you open a new mailbox, or details on your form change |
| Bank, payment and marketplace accounts | Each provider | The provider's own settings or support | Whenever the address they hold is out of date |
If you're unsure what each term means, our business address types glossary explains them one by one.
Registered agent address: usually it stays the same
Your registered agent's address is where legal papers and state notices are delivered. It belongs to the agent, not to your office, so moving your business doesn't change it. Delaware, for example, requires every entity to keep a registered office and agent in the state, and says the registered office "may, but need not be, the same as its place of business" (source).
It changes in two situations only:
- You appoint a new agent. The company files with the state.
- Your current agent changes its own address. In Wyoming, the agent files that update itself on a separate "Change by Registered Agent" form (source).
Delaware
To change a registered agent, the Division of Corporations says you may file a Certificate of Change of Registered Agent "or if you wish, you may file a Certificate of Amendment" (source). Its change-of-agent forms can be used only to change the agent, and each must go in with a filing cover memo (source). Filing fees are on the Division's fee schedule.
Wyoming
The company files "Appointment of New Registered Agent and Office", signed by an authorized person, with the new agent's signed consent. The form lists a $5 filing fee, says it must be mailed with payment and can't be accepted by email, and gives a processing time of up to 15 business days (form, revised June 2021). It also has two yes/no boxes that move your principal and mailing address to the new registered office. Tick "No" unless that's really what you want.
Principal office and mailing address on state records
What a state keeps on file, and how you update it, depends on the state and the type of company. Look at the formation document and the latest annual report for your company: any address printed there is one the state holds.
Wyoming
Wyoming's one-page "Update Form" changes the principal address, mailing address, phone, fax and email on record. It's signed with the signer's printed name and title, and can be sent by email to the address on the form or by mail (form, revised June 2021). An email address is required, because that's where the state sends reminders, notices and filing evidence.
Delaware
- LLCs: the certificate of formation must state the company's name and its registered office and agent, plus anything else the members choose to include (6 Del. C. § 18-201). If your certificate lists no other address, moving your office doesn't make it inaccurate. If something in it does become false, it must be amended promptly (§ 18-202).
- Corporations: the annual franchise tax report shows "the location of its principal place of business" (8 Del. C. § 502). Enter the new address on the next report. Our Delaware annual obligations guide covers the report.
Other states you're registered in
If the company is also registered to do business in another state, that state keeps its own copy of your details. Check its Secretary of State site for its update or amendment process. Moving your operating base to a new state can also raise the question of registering there; ask the state or a professional adviser before you start operating from it.
The IRS: Form 8822-B
The IRS says to use Form 8822-B to tell it you changed your "business mailing address", your "business location" or the "identity of your responsible party" (source). Entities with an EIN file it whether or not they're actively trading, and it isn't attached to a tax return (form, Rev. December 2019).
| Line | What it asks |
|---|---|
| 1–2 | Which return types the change affects: business returns, employee plan returns, or both |
| 3 | A box to tick if the business location changed |
| 4a–4b | Business name and EIN |
| 5 | Old mailing address, with country fields for a foreign address |
| 6 | New mailing address |
| 7 | New business location, if it changed |
| 8–9 | New responsible party's name and SSN, ITIN or EIN, only if that changed |
| 10 | Signature of an owner, officer, LLC member manager or authorized representative, with title and date |
Where to send it
The mailing address depends on where your old business address was. Among others, Delaware and New York are on the Kansas City, MO 64999 list; Wyoming, Texas, California and "any place outside the United States" are on the Ogden, UT 84201-0023 list (form, "Where To File"). Check the full table on the current form before you post it.
Things the form tells you
- Processing: "Generally, it takes 4 to 6 weeks to process your address or responsible party change" (form, page 2).
- Responsible party changes are mandatory and must be reported within 60 days (source). For an address change alone the form is voluntary, but if the IRS doesn't have your current address you may not receive its notices, and penalties and interest keep accruing (form).
- Home address: if you're also moving house, that's a separate form, Form 8822 (form).
- Someone filing for you must attach a copy of their power of attorney, such as Form 2848; the IRS won't act on a change from an "unauthorized" third party (form).
- Foreign addresses: follow the country's format for the postal code and don't abbreviate the country name (form).
If you use a mailbox service for IRS letters, make sure the new one is open and receiving before you put its address on Form 8822-B. For your own filings, a qualified tax professional can confirm which returns the change should cover. Our foreign-owned LLC tax guide lists the federal filings that may apply.
Mail during the move: USPS and your virtual mailbox
How you keep mail flowing depends on where it's coming from.
Moving out of a street address or office
USPS lets a business file one change of address for the whole company, and up to 50 business alias names in one request if the old and new addresses are the same. Online there's a $1.25 authentication fee. First-Class Mail is forwarded for 12 months and periodicals for 60 days (USPS). Filing in person needs proof you're authorized, such as a business license or a signed letter on company letterhead (source).
Moving out of a mailbox service (CMRA)
Here forwarding works differently. "USPS cannot process a change of address request from a CMRA to another address", and mail "can be forwarded to a CMRA, but not from a CMRA" (USPS). Instead, the old provider must re-send your mail for at least 6 months after the service ends (source). Ask it how it handles that before you close the box.
Opening a new virtual mailbox
- A new PS Form 1583. Each mailbox needs its own signed form and two IDs, and "when any information required on PS Form 1583 changes, the addressee must complete a new application" (DMM 508). That includes a new home address or a renamed company at your current mailbox.
- The new address format. Mail to a mailbox must show "PMB" or "#" and your box number (DMM 508). Copy it exactly as the provider gives it, everywhere you use it.
- An overlap. Keep the old address receiving until the new one is live and the IRS, the state and your providers show it.
Our Form 1583 guide walks through the form. A Registate virtual mailbox lets you complete it online, then scan, forward or store what arrives.
Banks, payment platforms and everyone else
Your bank, payment processors and marketplaces each hold their own copy of your business address, and they aren't told when the IRS or the state updates. Each provider decides how an address is changed, what it checks and whether it asks for a document. Use the provider's own account settings or contact its support; don't rely on a general checklist, including this one, for their steps.
- Banks and fintechs such as Mercury, Relay or Wise Business. See what they publish in our Mercury, Relay and Wise Business summaries, then follow the provider's own instructions.
- Payment platforms such as Stripe, PayPal, Payoneer and Shopify Payments. An address change can trigger a fresh verification.
- Marketplaces such as Amazon. Our Amazon seller verification page covers the identity and address documents it asks for.
- Everything you publish: your website, invoices, contracts, email signatures and online listings, plus insurers, accountants and suppliers.
Providers that ask for proof commonly want a document in the company's name for the new address. Our proof of business address guide covers what's commonly accepted, and a Registate lease-backed address comes with a commercial lease and a utility bill. Each provider still makes its own decision.
A move, in order
The order below keeps legal, mailing and operating addresses consistent while they change, so no office holds an address you can no longer receive mail at.
- 1Secure the new address firstSign the lease or open the new mailbox, including its Form 1583, and confirm the exact format, suite or PMB number.
- 2Decide what's actually changingOperating address, mailing address, or both. Your registered agent usually stays the same.
- 3Update the stateUse the state's update form, amendment or next annual report, in every state you're registered in.
- 4File Form 8822-B with the IRSAllow 4 to 6 weeks, and file within 60 days if the responsible party also changes (IRS).
- 5Cover the old addressA USPS change of address for a street address, or your old mailbox provider's re-mailing for a CMRA.
- 6Update each bank, platform and marketplaceIn each provider's own settings or through its support, with the document it asks for.
- 7Change what you publishWebsite, invoices, contracts and listings, written exactly as on your other records.
Registate's compliance reminders help you keep track of state filings such as annual reports, where an updated address is often entered.
Sources
We checked every rule above on the official source in September 2026. The IRS, USPS and the states can change their forms, fees and processing times, so confirm on the source before you file.
- IRS: About Form 8822-B
- IRS: Form 8822-B (Rev. December 2019)
- IRS: Do you need a new EIN?
- USPS FAQ: Commercial Mail Receiving Agency (CMRA)
- USPS FAQ: Change of Address, the basics
- USPS Domestic Mail Manual 508
- Delaware Division of Corporations: change of agent forms
- Delaware Division of Corporations: FAQs
- Delaware Division of Corporations: registered agent FAQs
- Delaware Code, Title 6, §§ 18-201 and 18-202
- Delaware Code, Title 8, § 502
- Wyoming Secretary of State: registered agent changes
- Wyoming: Appointment of New Registered Agent and Office
- Wyoming: Update Form
Frequently asked questions
Do I need a new EIN if my business address changes?
No. The IRS says you don't need a new EIN if you just change your business name or address. Report the new address on Form 8822-B instead.
How do I tell the IRS about a new business address?
File Form 8822-B with the old and new mailing address and, if it moved, the new business location. Send it to the IRS address for the state your old address was in, or to Ogden, Utah if it was outside the US. The IRS says processing generally takes 4 to 6 weeks.
Is Form 8822-B mandatory?
It's mandatory when the responsible party changes, and that change must be reported within 60 days. For an address change alone it's voluntary, but if the IRS doesn't have your current address you may miss its notices while penalties and interest keep accruing.
Do I have to change my registered agent when I move?
No. The registered agent address belongs to the agent, not to your office. It changes only if you appoint a new agent or the agent itself moves, and in those cases a filing is made with the state.
How do I update my address with the state?
It depends on the state. Wyoming has an Update Form for the principal and mailing address. A Delaware corporation reports its principal place of business on its annual franchise tax report, while a Delaware LLC's certificate of formation lists only its name and registered agent unless the members added more. Check each state you're registered in.
Can I forward mail from my old virtual mailbox?
Not through USPS. USPS can't process a change of address from a CMRA, and mail can be forwarded to a CMRA but not from one. The old provider must re-send your mail for at least 6 months after your service ends, so ask how it handles that.
Do I need a new Form 1583 when I change mailbox?
Yes. Each mailbox provider needs its own signed PS Form 1583 and two IDs. USPS rules also require a new form whenever information on your current one changes, such as your home address or company name.
How do I change my address with my bank or Stripe?
Through that provider's own account settings or support team. Each bank and platform sets its own process and may ask for a document showing the new address, so follow its instructions rather than a general checklist.
What does a USPS business change of address cost?
Online there's a $1.25 authentication fee. One request covers the whole company and up to 50 business alias names at the same old and new address. First-Class Mail is forwarded for 12 months.