Change your name without losing a weekend to .gov websites.
Five questions → your plan, in the order that doesn't get you turned away. Then Name Change Plan fills your SS-5, passport form and notification letters in your browser. Free, for all 50 states.
See my plan — 5 questions →What's in the free packet
100% private. Forms are filled in your browser — your name, SSN and passport number never leave your device. Every step links its official .gov source.
I got married
Your exact order for the new name — certified copies, Social Security, license, passport, everyone else — with your state's agency, fee and deadline.
Start with marriage →I'm divorced or divorcing
Going back to your name? The decree clause check first, then the same order. If the decree didn't restore your name, we tell you before you waste a trip.
Start with divorce →The order that avoids a second trip
Social Security first
Free Form SS-5 with a certified copy. Then wait 24–48 hours — your state checks this record electronically.
ssa.govDriver's license / REAL ID
In person with the certificate, your license and the fee. Upgrade to REAL ID in the same visit if you fly.
your state agencyPassport
DS-5504 is free within a year of issue; otherwise DS-82 at $130. Never mail it before a trip.
travel.state.govEveryone else
Employer, banks, insurance, airlines — 31 places, tracked in your browser. The IRS updates itself.
trackerThe step people most often get wrong
Update Social Security first, then wait 24–48 hours. Your state's licensing agency verifies your new name against the SSA database electronically. Walk in the same day and the record hasn't propagated yet — you're sent home to come back. It's the classic do-over in this process.
What you get, free
Form SS-5, completed
The official Social Security form with your details in every box — the step that unlocks all the others.
The right passport form, completed
DS-5504 or DS-82, picked from your passport's issue date and filled.
Notification letters
Employer, banks, cards, insurance, landlord — personalized, dated, ready to sign.
Your state's instruction sheet
The order, your agency, fee and deadline, plus a who-to-notify page to tick off.
The government forms are free from the agencies and always will be — we link every one. What you're saving is the hour of finding, decoding and typing, and the second trip. Comparable services charge $30–$180 for the same printed output: honest comparison.
Why it works
Checked against the real .gov pages
Every step links the SSA, State Department or state agency page it came from, with a reviewed date. Fees not yet re-verified this quarter are marked ≈. How we verify.
Sequenced so one trip does it
DMV before Social Security fails on a name mismatch. We put the steps in order and tell you why, for your state.
Nothing stuck at the airport
REAL ID, the name on your boarding pass, and the passport timing around a honeymoon — the honeymoon checker sorts it for your dates.
Built for your state, all 51 of them
Your agency's name, fee, deadline and where the certified certificate comes from — county clerk, probate court or vital records, which differs by state.
State guides
All 50 states and DC: the exact licensing agency, fee, deadline, and where your certified marriage certificate comes from — with the plan builder on every page.
Free tools
Guides
Outside the United States
Skip the forms — get them filled in 10 minutes
The Name Change Plan Packet (free — your email is the only thing we ask for) asks you the questions once, then generates your completed official forms — SS-5, the right passport form — plus notification letters for your banks and employer, and your state's exact instructions. Built entirely in your browser: your details never touch our servers.
Get the free packet →Common questions
Is Name Change Plan really free?
Yes. The plan, the state guides, the tracker and the filled forms are free; the only thing we ask for is an email address at the packet step. The site is supported by disclosed affiliate links (NewlyNamed for mailed kits, LegalZoom for court petitions).
Why do it in this order?
Every state's licensing agency verifies your new name against the Social Security database electronically, so Social Security has to change first and needs a day or two to propagate. Banks, employers and airlines then verify against your government ID, which is why the license and passport come before them.
Where does my information go?
Nowhere. The forms are filled by code running in your browser and downloaded directly; your name, Social Security number and passport number are never sent to us. Close the tab and it's gone.
Do I need a lawyer?
Not for a marriage or divorce name change — the certificate or decree is the legal document. Only a name that isn't on either needs a court petition, and even that is designed for self-filing. See when a lawyer helps.
How long does it take?
Social Security updates in days, a temporary license the same day, banks within a week of the new ID. The passport is the slow part: 4–6 weeks routine, 2–3 expedited. Full timeline.
Are the fees on this site accurate?
Federal steps are checked against ssa.gov and travel.state.gov. State fees and deadlines come from official pages and are marked ≈ until re-verified each quarter; every state step links the official page. How we verify.