Checked against official SSA, State Department, IRS and USAGov pages and forms on 2026-10-07. Agency rules and fees change; the agency's current instructions win.
Changing your last name? USAGov's advice is to tell the Social Security Administration early, because "Other agencies learn of name changes through the SSA," and then update your driver's license, because "Having an updated license or state ID will make changing your name with other agencies easier." After that come the passport, payroll and taxes, voter registration, and a long list of accounts. This kit puts every step in order, with what each agency asks you to bring, and gives you trackers so nothing is missed.
A new Social Security card in your new name is free from the Social Security Administration (ssa.gov). Official passport and agency forms are free from the agencies. This kit is a paid planning guide; you don't need it to change your name.
Instant download. 14-day no-questions refund. Edition 1.0, dated 2026-10-07. Federal steps for every state; state steps you look up.
What's inside
The order that saves trips: certified copies first, then Social Security, your license or state ID, passport, payroll and taxes, voter registration and the rest.
Social Security: how to apply (online in some states, by appointment, or on Form SS-5), the documents SSA lists, when it wants an ID in your old name, and what you get back.
Passport: a one-minute chooser for DS-5504 (no fee for routine service if your passport is less than a year old and your name changed within that year), DS-82 renewal by mail, or DS-11 in person.
Taxes and payroll: what the IRS says about names that don't match SSA records, filing jointly before your name is updated, and W-2s in your old name.
Voter registration, the Post Office and other government records, from USAGov's list.
7 forms, printable and editable in Word: plan and timeline; certified-copy tracker; document packets for SSA, the DMV and the passport; passport form chooser; correspondence log; accounts and places tracker; and a name-change notice letter for companies.
Who it's for
Anyone in the U.S. taking a spouse's last name, hyphenating, or going back to a former name after divorce. Federal steps for every state; state steps you look up: for the state steps (marriage records, driver's license, voter registration), it tells you exactly what to look up on your state's own site.
What it isn't
It's general information and blank worksheets, not legal advice, and it doesn't file anything for you. The official forms come from the agencies' own websites. Free official guidance exists, and we link to it on every page: USAGov, SSA, the State Department and the IRS. This kit pulls the steps into one order with checklists and trackers.
A new Social Security card in your new name is free from the Social Security Administration (ssa.gov). Official passport and agency forms are free from the agencies. This kit is a paid planning guide; you don't need it to change your name.