How to Transfer Utilities When Moving to a New Home (2026)

Updated on October 25, 2026

16 min read

To transfer utilities when moving, call each provider one to two weeks ahead and give them your new address and move date. Services you can transfer — often electricity, internet, and gas within the same provider’s area — simply switch to the new home. Where a provider doesn’t serve your destination, you close the old account and open a new one instead.

The short version: two weeks before you move, call every provider — transfer service where the same company serves your new address (internet and security usually can), and schedule electricity to start the day before you arrive and stop the day after you leave. In a deregulated state, moving is also the best time to compare electricity plans at your new address.

Can you transfer utilities to a new address?

Sometimes. Whether you can transfer utilities depends on one thing: does the same provider serve your new address? Electricity, gas, and internet are tied to a service territory, so a move across town often lets you keep the same account and just change the address, while a move to a new region usually means starting fresh.

The practical rule: ask each provider directly. Give them the new address, and they’ll tell you on the spot whether it’s a transfer or a new account. Water, sewer, and trash are almost always municipal, so those are set up with the new city or handled by your landlord rather than transferred.

How to transfer utilities when moving, step by step

The process is the same for each service, so work down the list. Doing it about two weeks out gives providers time to schedule any technician visit and avoids a scramble on move day.

When should you transfer utilities before a move?

Call one to two weeks before your move date. That window lets you set the disconnect at the old home and the connect at the new one for the same day, so you never pay for two homes at once or arrive to no power. For internet, book any required install as early as you can, since appointment slots fill quickly during busy moving seasons.

Should you transfer utilities or start new?

If you can transfer and you’re happy with the price, transferring is the easy path. But a move is also the best time to compare — especially electricity in a deregulated state, where switching suppliers can beat the rate you’d carry over, and internet at a new address, where a different provider may offer more speed for less. Weigh convenience against savings before you default to a transfer.

Compare your options with our guide to comparing energy plans and the best internet providers for 2026, and check what’s available at your destination on the FCC National Broadband Map.

What to do with your old accounts

Whether you transfer or close, tie up the old home cleanly. Schedule any disconnection for the day after you leave, take final meter readings, return leased equipment like modems and routers to avoid fees, and forward your mail so final bills and any deposit refunds reach you. Keep every confirmation number together in case a charge needs disputing later.

Where utility setup fits in your move

Deciding whether to transfer utilities is one part of a much larger move. For the logistics — packing, the truck, and full-service versus DIY — professional movers publish thorough guides. College HUNKS’ full-service moving guide and U-Haul’s moving tips both walk you through the physical move in detail.

What none of those guides do is transfer utilities for you or shop a better plan. Read them and they all say the same thing — “contact your providers” — then stop. That is the gap this page closes: whether you transfer utilities or start fresh, we handle the electricity and internet decision in one place, comparison included, which is the exact step every moving guide leaves to you.

What you need to transfer utilities quickly

Have a few details ready and each call to transfer utilities takes minutes. You’ll want your current account number, the new service address, your move-out and move-in dates, and a forwarding address for the final bill. If you plan to shop rather than transfer utilities, keep a recent bill handy so you can compare your current rate against new offers. Save every confirmation number together, because a clean paper trail is what settles a disputed charge weeks later without a fight.

Renter or homeowner: how transferring utilities differs

Who you are in the move changes how you transfer utilities. Renters often find water, sewer, and trash stay with the landlord, so the accounts to transfer utilities on are usually electricity, internet, and sometimes gas. Homeowners take over everything, which means more accounts to transfer utilities across — but also more room to shop a better rate on the deregulated ones. (Still weighing a purchase? Our October check on whether it’s a good time to buy a house covers rates, supply and carrying costs.) Either way the mechanics match: confirm the provider serves the new address, then transfer or open a new account.

For the physical move, lean on the pros. Beyond College HUNKS and U-Haul, PODS’ moving blog and Bellhop’s moving resources are genuinely useful on packing, timing, and full-service versus DIY. Use them for the boxes, then finish here. The helpful hand-off is simple: those guides move your things, and this page helps you transfer utilities and compare electricity and internet in minutes, closing the one loop every moving guide leaves open.

Change of Address Checklist 2026

Start with USPS: how to change your address

The USPS filing is step one of any change of address checklist because it forwards mail from anyone you forget. You can complete it in about five minutes.

1. Go to the official USPS Movers Guide at moversguide.usps.com (or ask at any Post Office for free PS Form 3575).
2. Choose permanent or temporary, and an individual, family, or business move.
3. Enter your old address, new address, and the date you want forwarding to start.
4. Verify your identity with a credit or debit card — this is the $1.10 identity-verification fee that also blocks fraudulent address changes.
5. Save your confirmation code in case you need to edit or cancel the forward later.

What it costs: filing online costs $1.10; filing in person with PS Form 3575 is free. How long it takes: USPS asks for at least three business days’ notice, and forwarding is fully active in about 7–10 business days — so start roughly two weeks before you move. How long it lasts: first-class mail forwards for 12 months, giving you a year to work through the full change of address checklist; magazines and other periodicals forward for 60 days.

Watch out for copycat sites. Only moversguide.usps.com and USPS.com are official. Third-party “change of address” sites often mimic the Postal Service and charge $40 or more for the exact same forward USPS provides for $1.10 — if a website asks for a large fee, close the tab and go straight to the source. There is never a reason to pay more than $1.10, so keep it near the top of your change of address checklist.

Who you need to tell when you move

Mail forwarding is temporary, so the heart of any change of address checklist is notifying each organization directly. Here is the master list of who to tell, when to tell them, and how — grouped so you can knock out a whole category at a time.

Frequently asked questions

Can I transfer utilities to my new house?

You can transfer utilities if the same provider serves your new address. If not, you open new accounts instead. Ask each provider with your new address to confirm.

How do I transfer utilities when moving?

Call each provider one to two weeks ahead with your new address and move date. They’ll either move your service or set you up with a new account.

How far in advance should I transfer utilities?

One to two weeks before your move. That lets providers schedule the disconnect and connect for the same day and book any internet install.

Do I have to transfer electricity or can I switch providers?

In a deregulated state you can switch suppliers instead of transferring, which often saves money. In a regulated state, you transfer or open an account with the assigned utility.

Is water transferred when you move?

No. Water, sewer, and trash are municipal, so you set them up new with the city serving your new address or your landlord handles them.

Will I lose service if I transfer on moving day?

Not if you schedule it. Set the disconnect and connect dates to line up with your move so there’s no gap.

Is there a fee to transfer utilities?

Some providers charge a small transfer or connection fee. It’s usually less than starting a brand-new account with a deposit.

What utilities should I transfer first?

Electricity and internet, because they take the longest to schedule. Handle water and gas closer to the move.

How far in advance should I transfer utilities?

Start two to three weeks before your move. Internet installations can book out a week or more in busy months, while electricity and water usually need three to five business days. Schedule the new service to start the day before you arrive so the lights are on when you get there.

Can I transfer my internet to a new address?

Yes, if the same provider serves your new address — most let you schedule the move online or by phone and keep your plan. If they do not serve the new address, cancel, return the equipment and compare the providers available there.

Transferring utilities: the questions people ask, answered

What people type when they are in the middle of a move, in their own words, answered as of October 2026.

Can I start utilities at the new house before the old ones end, so I have service at both?

Yes, and you should. Electric, gas and water accounts are tied to an address, not a person, so you can open the new address a few days before you move and keep the old one running until the day after you hand over the keys. You pay for both for the overlap, which at a few dollars a day is cheap insurance against moving into a dark house. Internet is the exception: most providers treat a move as a transfer of one account, so the old address goes dark on the transfer date; if you need both, order new service at the new address under a second account and cancel the old one after.

When I transfer utilities, will I still have service at my old place until the end of the month?

Only until the stop date you give the utility, not automatically to month end. A transfer order has two dates: a start at the new address and a stop at the old one, and the old account is final-billed as of the stop date, prorated to the day. If your lease runs to the 31st and you move on the 20th, set the stop date for the 31st (or the day you return keys) so the final walk-through and cleaning happen with the lights and water on.

Does someone have to be home when electricity or water is switched to a new address?

Usually not for electric and water: both are switched remotely or at the meter outside, and a smart meter is turned on from the utility’s office. Gas is the exception, because a technician must enter the home to relight pilot lights and check for leaks after the meter is turned on, so a gas start requires an adult at the property and is scheduled in a window. Internet installs also need someone home unless the address is already wired for self-install.

What information do I need to transfer utilities?

Have these ready before you call or go online: the full new address including unit number, your move-in date and the stop date at the old address, your existing account number, a government ID number or the last four of your Social Security number for the identity check, a phone number and email, and for renters a copy of the lease or the landlord’s name in case the utility asks for proof of occupancy. New customers to a utility may also be asked for a deposit or a letter of credit from the previous utility showing 12 months of on-time payments, which waives the deposit.

I am moving within the same apartment complex. Do I have to go to the electric and gas company, or can I just call?

You can call or do it online; there is nothing to do in person. Ask for a transfer of service to the new unit with the same stop and start dates, and give the unit number exactly as the utility has it (some complexes use building-and-unit codes that differ from the mailbox number). If the complex bills water or gas through the landlord, that part transfers with the lease and the leasing office handles it; only the accounts in your own name need the call.

How do I transfer utilities when moving from one state to another?

You cannot transfer the accounts themselves, because the utility at the old address does not operate in the new state. Close the old accounts with a stop date and a forwarding address for the final bill and deposit refund, then open new accounts with the utilities that serve the new address, which you can identify from the address check above. If the new state has a deregulated electricity or gas market (Texas, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Illinois, New York, Maryland and others), you will also choose a supplier and plan at that point, and a letter of credit from the old utility can waive the new deposit.

What happens if I move with a past-due utility bill?

The balance follows you, not the address. The utility will final-bill the old account and, if it serves the new address too, it will usually require the past-due amount to be paid or put on a payment plan before it opens the new account; if a different utility serves the new address, the old one can send the balance to collections and report it, which can raise the deposit the new utility asks for. The practical move is to call before the move, set up a payment arrangement on the old balance, and ask for a letter confirming it; most utilities will then open the new account without a deposit.

How do I switch the electric account from my landlord’s name (or a relative’s name) into mine at the same address?

Call the utility and ask to ‘establish service in my name’ at the address, giving the date you want to take over. The utility closes the existing account as of that date and opens a new one for you; the previous holder gets a final bill and you get a new account with a new number. You will go through the identity and deposit check as a new customer. The landlord or relative does not have to be on the call, but telling them the date avoids a gap where nobody is responsible and a disconnect notice goes out.

Can you transfer utilities on weekends or outside business hours?

Online transfer requests can be submitted any time and are processed on the next business day, so a request made Saturday for a Monday start is usually fine. The actual connection happens on business days: electric and water starts are scheduled Monday to Friday, and gas starts need a technician appointment on a weekday. If you are moving on a weekend, set the start date for the Friday before so the house is live when you arrive, and the old stop date for the Monday after.

How far ahead of a move do I need to cancel internet and power?

Two weeks is comfortable; five business days is the minimum for most electric, gas and water utilities to schedule a stop, and some require 48 hours. Internet is the one to handle earliest: providers typically need 7 to 14 days for a transfer or new install appointment, and the fastest slots go first during the busy summer moving season. Order internet at the new address as soon as you have a confirmed move date, then schedule power, water and gas.

I am on a utility assistance program (CARE, LIHEAP, Lifeline). Does it transfer to my new address?

Within the same utility, yes: the discount is tied to your account and household eligibility, so ask the utility to carry the program enrollment to the new account when you request the transfer, and confirm the discount appears on the first new bill. If the move takes you to a different utility, you re-enroll with the new one; income-based programs such as CARE (California), LIHEAP (federal, via the state) and Lifeline (phone and internet) all accept proof of current enrollment elsewhere, which speeds approval.

Do municipal utilities carry over to the new homeowner, or do I need my own account?

You need your own account. A city-run water, sewer, trash or electric service stays attached to the property, but the account holder changes at closing: the seller requests a final read for the closing date and the buyer opens an account in their name from the same date, usually through the city utility billing office with the deed or closing statement as proof. Unpaid municipal balances can become a lien on the property, so the title company typically confirms a zero balance at closing. Do this the week before closing; some cities need a form rather than a phone call.

How do I transfer utilities to a new business location or into a business account?

Commercial accounts are opened separately from residential ones, under the business’s legal name and tax ID, and usually require a deposit based on the location’s past usage or a letter of credit from the business’s previous utility. Ask the utility for a ‘commercial move’ or ‘new commercial service’ and give the lease start date; continuity with the same provider at a different location is handled as a transfer and the credit history carries over. Business internet is quoted differently from residential service, so compare commercial providers at the new address rather than reusing a home plan.

Also searched as: utilities transfer new home, change utilities when moving, move utilities, switch utilities to new address and how to change water and power over. They all mean transferring utilities when you move.

The complete moving checklist library

Moving is the one moment all three services are in play at once — electricity, internet, and security all get decided in the same two weeks. Every checklist, in order of when you need it:

• Change of address checklist

Context for 2026: with household mobility at record lows, the people who do move are moving deliberately — lock your internet install date first (longest lead time), start electricity service effective move-in day (same-day in deregulated states), and decide security after you’re in.

Keep going

• Moving with College HUNKS? Set up internet, power & security at your new place
• First apartment utilities checklist
• How to compare energy plans and save money
• Compare the best internet providers for 2026
• Average electric bill by state and home size