Name Change After Marriage for Newlyweds

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!

Married Name Change & the IRS 8822 Form Video

Watch this video for the full scoop on why newlyweds should file the IRS 8822 form & tips for answering the tricky questions!

Why Is Married Name Change SO Hard?!

You’re newlywed, and freshly home from your honeymoon. As you unpack and begin married life, you start thinking about name change. It can’t be that hard can it?” Why is married name change SO hard? It shouldn’t be difficult, and it would be wonderful if there was a name-change fairy. You could place your marriage license under your pillow and wake up with a new driver’s license, passport, and social security card in the morning. Poof…instant Mrs!

In reality, name-change it a total time-suck, and pain in the rear. A newlywed has to make a list of places she should change her name, collect all of the appropriate forms (note there are multitudes for each office depending on your current status), complete those forms, determine the right order to file the forms, determine and collect all of the required items and fees needed to be filed with each form, and then go wait in line and physically file the forms in-person at each office.

After federal forms are filed, a newlywed needs to file state-level forms for a new driver’s license, to update her voter registration, and vehicle title/registration. When those forms are filed, it’s on to notifying all creditors that have your maiden name on file. This group includes: banks, credit cards, insurance providers, student loan providers, professional licenses, associations, gyms, magazines. The list is never ending. Have I made my point? Name change shouldn’t be hard, but it is.

The Solution to Married Name Change Hassle

Fortunately, MissNowMrs.com was created by a bride fed up with name-change redundancy and bureaucracy. The simple service condenses the tedious 13 hours associated with name change into 30 minutes for $30. Or, you can opt to purchase their premium service and all of your completed forms will be mailed to you. Along with pre-stamped, pre-addressed envelopes, and detailed instructions on where to sign and what to send where. Not quite a name-change magic wand…but pretty close!

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Married Name Change & Summer Vacation

It’s almost Memorial Day! Have you thought about married name change & summer vacation yet? In the blur of BBQs, parties, and your new life as a newlywed don’t forget about your name change. If you’re planning to change your maiden name after marriage, or have already started the process, now is the time to file all of your legal forms!

The worst thing you can do is partially change your name, or tell your spouse you changed it (but sorta haven’t). True story: I started changing my name and after three failed trips to get my new driver’s license in my new name, I had the idea for MissNowMrs. I wanted to be the first person to beta test my name-change service, so I put my personal transition to Mrs. on hold.

Everything was fine until my husband surprised me with a trip to Mexico. Which, he booked in my married name. But, my passport was in my maiden name. Cue the running around frantically calling the State Department and spending an entire day in line getting an expedited passport. I still have the worst-possible frazzled passport photo and cannot wait to file for a new passport next year.

Don’t let this happen to you! Learn from my married name change & summer vacation misadventures and change your name completely. It’s like pulling off a band aid. It’s so much more painful if you slowly drag it out. Just do it! The best news is, you can use the MissNowMrs app or easy online name change service to streamline the 13 hour process into 13 minutes and enjoy your summer travel with zero drama as a Mrs.

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Christine Bleakley Changes Her Name to Mrs. Lampard!

Another woman in the spotlight is changing her name after marriage! Christine Bleakly, a television presenter across the pond, recently married a former English soccer player, Frank Lampard. We just heard the rumor that Christine Bleakley changes her name to Mrs. Lampard after a gorgeous December wedding.

There a several key factors in a woman’s life that influence her name change decision. Age is a telling factor, as statistics show the older a woman is when she marries, the more likely she is to keep her maiden name. Christine is 37, so that would lean her towards keeping her name. She is also a media person, with name recognition. Studies have found that the more a women uses her name in her profession, the less likely she is to change it after saying “I do.”

Christine has a younger sister, and no brothers which is another factor that plays into name change decisions. When women do not have brothers to carry on the family name, they can be more inclined to carry it on themselves.

Education is yet another factor that plays into name change (complicated right?). Christine pursued a degree in politics, but did not finish her college education. The less education a woman has, the more likely she is to change her name. This doesn’t imply that women who change their names are unintelligent. It is more along the lines of women with their maiden names on advanced degrees are less likely to go through the hassle of changing to a married name. If you’re curious how the various scientific factors weigh in for your ideal name change, play the Married Name Game!

The final factor is the one that trumps all others…love. Many a name-change nay-sayer has met the love of their life and shocked everyone (including themselves) by joyfully changing their names. Mrs. Amal Clooney is a wonderful example of a professional woman who changed her name and seems all the happier for it.

While we’ll have to wait to see if Christine Bleakley change her name. We wish the new Mrs. Lampard a wonderful marriage filled with love, happiness, and adventure!

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Name Change After Marriage & the IRS 8822 Form

First comes love, then comes marriage, often followed by name change after marriage, and a ton of complicated name-change forms. The IRS 8822 is hands down the form that MissNowMrs customer support receives the most calls and emails about. No newlywed wants to make a mistake involving their taxes and their new married name, but the form isn’t exactly easy to understand (no surprise there).

The title of the form is the first confusing factor. It’s labeled as a change of address form, buuuuuuuuuut if you read the fine print on the second page of the form, it is also used to notify the IRS of your new married name. Why they cannot add name change to the title is beyond us (and yes, we’ve asked for the change).

So, even if you are not changing your address as a newlywed, you should file the IRS 8822 form if you are changing your name. There isn’t a fee to file it, and it provides peace of mind that you have informed the IRS that you Miss YXZ are now Mrs. ZYX and they can send your tax returns to you at your new name.

The decedent question is another confusing part of the IRS 8822. Everyone newlywed wants to know “What is a decedent?” Well, to be straightforward, it’s a dead person. Not something you really want to think about in your post-wedding bubble, but a decedent is important to the IRS. Why? If a dead person has left you money in your maiden name, the IRS wants to keep tabs on that as your name changes.

The good news is that if you don’t have a decedent in your life, you can simply skip that question. But, it is totally fine to feel bummed that you’re not a trust fund kid.

Should you want access to name-change experts who can answer any and all questions about the IRS 8822 and the other name change forms. Sign up for the MissNowMrs online name change service!