FAQ: What documents/accounts do you need to update after marriage?

Vows were taken, toasts were given and the first dances were waltzed. In any case, the big day has come and gone, and you’re finally married. Now, the real fun can begin – updating documents!

Marriage is more than a romantic union between you and the person of your dreams. It’s also a legal agreement, which means telling your financial institutions, your employer and the many other companies you do business with about your new status.

Pro Tip: To make your life easier, request multiple copies of your marriage license. You’ll need them to update nearly everything, and making a photocopy often won’t do – some places will require a certified copy. They are supposed to return it to you, but this doesn’t always happen, so you should order multiples.

Once you have your marriage license in hand, it’s time to get to work.

What we will cover:

• Your Social Security card
• Your driver’s license
• Your credit union/bank account information
• Your payroll information
• Your life insurance and retirement accounts
• Your insurance policies
• Your creditors
• Other things to update after marriage

Your Social Security card

If you’ve changed your name, this should be your first stop. You’ll need your Social Security card to change your driver’s license, and your driver’s license to change everything else. It can take a few weeks to get your new card, so do this early. To speed up the process, print out the forms before heading to your local Social Security office (you can find them here).

Your driver’s license

Once you have your new Social Security card, take it and your marriage certificate to the DMV. If your license doesn’t have your current address, be sure to bring proof of residency to update your address, too. You can call your state’s DMV office or go online to find out what constitutes proof of residency. For example, in Illinois, valid documents include a recent bank statement, a canceled check, a credit report or a utility bill, among other things.

Also, don’t forget to update your passport! If you are planning on taking a honeymoon directly after your wedding and have yet to update your passport due to not having your marriage license, make sure to book all your flights in your maiden name. Airlines will not allow you to fly if your name is different on your ticket than on your passport or ID.

Your credit union/bank account information

If you’ve changed your name, you’ll need to notify your financial institutions. At Alliant, you can change your name by filling out our name change form, supplying the requested documents and faxing or mailing us the form and documents. You may also want to open a joint account or add your spouse to one of your existing accounts after you’re married. You will likely have to provide your spouse’s name, date of birth and email address, though some financial institutions may require more information.

Your payroll information

If you’ve changed your name, your employer will need that info. Even if you haven’t, you may have to update your payroll information with your HR department – your newly combined income may put you into a new tax bracket and if so, you may need to change your withholding. The IRS withholding calculator can help determine how much to withhold for your new filing status.

Your life insurance and retirement accounts

If you haven’t done so before tying the knot, you probably want to update your life insurance and retirement savings accounts to include your spouse as the beneficiary. In the case of life insurance, you should reevaluate whether you have enough coverage, especially if you purchased a home.

Your insurance policies

Take stock of your health insurance options. Are you better off signing up with your spouse’s health insurance or vice-versa? Should you keep your separate plans? Determine the best fit for your health and what makes the most sense financially. Most employers set a time limit on how long you have after a “qualifying event,” such as marriage, to change your insurance, so have this conversation with your spouse right after you get married. And don’t forget to notify your provider if you change your name so you can get new insurance cards.

Be sure to reach out to your homeowners or renters insurance company, too. If you haven’t lived together before, you now have twice the amount of stuff to insure – not to mention some extra jewelry in the form of wedding bands. Take an inventory of what you have and call your insurance company to discuss your coverage.

Also, remember to look into your auto insurance coverage. If you both have cars, shop around to see if you’re better off insuring both cars on one policy rather than separately. You will often get a better deal bundling your home/renters insurance and auto insurance together.

Your creditors

If you change your name, notify your creditors, such as your auto loan lender, mortgage lender and credit card companies. This will ensure your new name shows up on your credit report. Remember that getting married doesn’t mean your spouse’s credit activity will appear on your report. This will only happen when you open a joint credit account.

If you can’t remember which creditors to call, pull a free copy of your credit report and review the creditors included. You may want to pull all three credit reports – Equifax, Experian and TransUnion – because not all creditors report to all three bureaus.

As a reminder, you’re entitled to one free credit report each year from each bureau through annualcreditreport.com.

Other things to update after marriage

The excitement doesn’t end once you’ve updated all these accounts. Here are other places you may need to contact to update your records (especially if you’ve changed your name).

• Doctors’ offices.
• Attorney if you need to update legal documents, such as a trust or will.
• The post office if you’ve moved after getting married.
• Airlines or hotel chains if you are part of a reward program.
• Your voter registration.

Sit down and make a list of all the accounts you have and try to make a dent in them each week. Just don’t be surprised if you discover a random magazine subscription or long-lost retail account a year or two later that you forgot to update. You’ll get to all of them eventually!