Married Name Change

Looking for name change advice or some tips for newlywed life? The MissNowMrs experts have created state-specific name change articles and checklists for you. We’ve chronicled our recommendations for how to travel while changing your name AND how to handle voting during the transition.

We’ve also compiled our best guidance for how to handle difficult sister in laws, holidays as newlyweds, the ever-annoying baby questions, and much more. Why? Because, while we are name change experts, we’re also newlywed wives, moms, and sisters.

We hope our name change advice articles help smooth your transition to your new name, and a whole new phase of life. Congratulations and best wishes from the entire MissNowMrs team!

5 Reasons to Take Your New Married Name in the New Year

Ready to take your new married name in the New Year? We’re twelve days into January, and sadly many newlyweds’ New Year’s resolutions are already falling by the wayside. Did you resolve to change your maiden name after getting married? That’s one resolution that should be easy to keep and there are many benefits to changing to your married name in the beginning of the year.

Take Advantage of Available Options – Not all states allow all variations of married name change (ex: Ohio doesn’t allow maiden to middle name change). If plan to change your name, the sooner you begin the transition, the more options you’ll have as most states make legislature changes in early spring. It would be terrible to decide upon a specific married last name combination and find out that you missed your chance in your state by a few weeks.

Travel – Thinking about booking a trip for Spring Break or over the summer? Now is the time to apply for a new passport in your married name. The State Department is taking ~5 weeks to issue new passports, and you’ll need your new passport number before you book your flights somewhere warm! The other reason to get a new passport now? You’ll get to keep track of all of your trips as a Mrs. instead of having them split between two books.

Taxes – No one wants to think about taxes, but changing your name in the beginning of the year will make filing taxes under your new name much simpler next year. After working a full year as a Mrs, your accountant will thank you and you won’t have to stress about which amounts were made under which name.

Employment Ease – Employers need to be notified of married name changes and if that notification comes in the new year, odds are in your favor that you’ll get prompt attention from HR, new business cards, email etc before everyone is bogged down with projects. Another pro: you’ll receive credit in your new name. As someone who received a president’s club trophy and trip in a hyphenated name (as HR guessed)…I really wish I had notified them of my new non-hyphenated last name in the New Year!

Now or Never – Name change is one of those life changes that fall into the now or never category. The sooner you start the married name change process the sooner it will be finished and you’ll be an official Mrs. The longer you wait, the more your maiden name gets attached to important things like leases, mortgages, degrees, etc. and the harder it becomes to make the switch to a new last name.

If your New Year’s resolution was to change your name, hopefully these five benefits give you the boost you need to start the process. MissNowMrs is an easy online name change service that will streamline the paperwork and pain from 13 hours into 30 minutes for $29.95. How’s that for a great deal and a way to ensure you check that particular resolution off your list?!

Same Sex Marriage Equality in 2014 and the New Year

Looking back on 2014, there have been great strides made in same sex marriage equality. In the last month South Carolina, Wyoming, Nevada and Arizona have legally recognized same sex marriages, bringing the total number of states that recognize same sex couples’ right to marry to 35.

Same sex couples marrying in these 35 states can apply for a marriage license at their county clerk’s offices, have an officiated legal wedding ceremony and will receive a certified marriage certificate. With a certified marriage certificate, the newlywed couple can file for a name change via the married name change process. This saves them the headache of navigating the legal name change process and petitioning the U.S. court system for the right to change their last names.

A big trend in same sex name-change in 2014 was the blending of two last names into a new married last name. For example, Miss Greenland marries Miss Burnbury and they opt to become Mrs. and Mrs. Greenbury. **Please note that only California residents have the option to blend their last names using the married name change process. Regardless of sexual orientation, newlywed couples who do not live in California will need to petition the courts to blend their last names.

2015 is around the corner and has the potential to bring marriage equality and the ability to use the married name change process to same sex couples residing in the remaining 15 states. You can check the legal marriage status of any state at any time at GayWeddings.com. Information on the marriage license application process for same sex couples can be found via MarriageLicenseNow.com.

The IRS 8822 Form: To File or Not to File

Do you know about the IRS 8822 form? Newlywed and exploring the idea of name change? Now is the perfect time to make the transition to Mrs.! If you file for your Social Security card and alert the Internal Revenue Service to your new name via the IRS 8822 form prior to December 31st, you can use your new married name on your taxes. No one wants to think about mundane things like taxes in the warm glow of newlywed bliss. But, taxes and impending tax season are a reality.

It’s free to file the IRS 8822 form. So, there is no reason to skip it when you change your name! The form title may read “Change of Address”, but if you read the fine print, it also serves as a notification form for name change. Is filing the IRS 8822 required? No, but we consider it a CYA form. You answer 7 questions and mail the form in, and that will ensure that the IRS knows of your new married name prior to tax season. The alternative is to not file the form and hope the Social Security Administration alerts the IRS to your new name.

If there is any confusion about your name, your tax returns will be held until the IRS sorts out the matter (and we all know how fast government offices are). So, when in doubt, file the free form! If you have questions about how to answer some of the IRS 8822 questions, which are tricky, you can always call or email the MissNowMrs name change experts.

Did you file the IRS 8822 when you changed your name? If you didn’t, did you run into any snafus during tax season? Let us know in a comment!

How To Change Your Name Change After Playing the Married Name Game

Curious how to change your name? Whether you decide to use an online name change service or handle the tedious 13 hour process yourself, there are a series of steps to change your name after marriage. As with any project or challenge, understanding the process is the key to its successful completion. Use our eight steps below for the process of going from Miss to Mrs.

Step 1: Select Your Ideal Name Change Option
Whether you opt for two last names, take your maiden name as a middle name, or use your spouse’s last name, knowing all of the name change options available to you in your particular state is critical. Hopefully playing the Married Name Game helped you narrow your choices and encouraged you to talk with your spouse about the concept of changing your name and how you feel about your new name.

Step 2: Marriage License/Marriage Certificate Details
Depending on your state, the name you write on your marriage license request form can dictate the married name change options available to you. Read the name section of the application form carefully and write exactly the name asked for.

If you live in California, and wish to take your maiden name as a middle name or blend your last name with your spouse’s, you will need to write the exact married name you desire on your marriage license in order to affect either of those name change options. If you write your maiden or spouse’s last name, you will no longer be able to use the married name change process to take your maiden name as a middle name or take a blended last name.

Step 3: Federal Name Change Forms
Once you receive your certified marriage certificate, you can begin filing your federal name change forms. The Social Security Administration, IRS, State Department and United States Postal service all have name forms that must be completed and filed with specific forms of identification as well as a certified copy of your marriage certificate.

Step 4: State Name Change Forms
After filing federal name change forms for a new social security card, U.S. passport and to update your name with the IRS and USPS, it is time to change your name at the state level. You will need to file a form at your motor vehicle administration for a new driver’s license in your married name, and a new photo will be taken (hooray). Next in the filing process are vehicle title and registration forms as well as a voter registration form to update your maiden name in your home state.

Step 5: Notifying Creditors
Following federal and state level name change forms comes the rather daunting task of updating your name with your banks, credit cards, insurance providers, utility providers, health care offices, investments, 401ks, professional licenses, magazines and gym memberships, to name a few. Many companies require written notice and proof of your marriage, while others will change your name over the phone.

Step 6: Update Your Virtual Existence
As you wait for your name change forms to be processed and your new forms of identifications to be issued, it is time to update your moniker across your social media platforms and email addresses. Everything from twitter to instagram to facebook and tumbler should be transitioned to match your new married name. Regardless of the option you choose, consider keeping your maiden name and adding your spouse’s name on your accounts so that friends and colleagues can search for and find you.

Step 7: Save Time & Stress
Feeling overwhelmed by the process? There’s a simple solution that condenses the 13 hour process into 30 minutes. Use the MissNowMrs app or easy online service to auto-complete all of the necessary government name change forms and letters and then follow their simple instructions on how to file by mail and skip endless office lines! Their API allows you to send notification letters to over 6 million creditors and ensure that you won’t forget any step along the way. With over 500,000 customers they are truly the one stop shop for transitioning to Mrs.!

Help Me Change My Name

Step 8: Celebrate Your New Name
You’ve filed all your forms, submitted all of the appropriate supporting documents and now have a new Social Security card, driver’s license and passport showing your new married name. Now what? It’s time to celebrate your new status as a Mrs! Indulge in monogrammed jewelry, stationary or soap. Print new business cards and begin signing and saying your new name. You are officially a Mrs.