What’s the difference between mail forwarding and changing your address, you ask? Well, nothing, really. They’re essentially the same thing.
You change your address with USPS to ensure that mail is forwarded from your old address to your new one. Then you change your address with everyone else to ensure you mail gets to the right place after USPS’ forwarding ends (one year).
To say it in another way, in order to forward your mail, you must change your address with USPS. They are the same thing.
Now, you can choose to only forward for a specific amount of time (let’s say six months), in which case you aren’t changing your address permantly. Nevertheless, this is the only distinction, and it does not apply to most people who move.
Learn more about how to change your address with USPS online.
