Post Office Change of Address: What It Actually Means
What people usually mean by this, what it costs, and a cheaper way to make sure your post follows you.
Table of Contents
Does the Post Office charge for a change of address?
The Post Office itself doesn’t hold your address, so there’s technically nothing to change with them directly. “Post Office change of address” is really shorthand for one of two things: a Royal Mail mail redirection, which is a paid service, or updating your address directly with the organisations you deal with, which can be done for free.
Royal Mail redirection costs from £45 for three months. Updating your address at the source, with the people who actually hold it, costs nothing and solves the problem more permanently.
Royal Mail redirection: cost and what it covers
Redirection forwards mail sent to your old address on to your new one, for a set period. You can set it up online, by post, or in person at a Post Office branch. Prices are per person, so two adults moving together both need to be added to redirect mail for the whole household.
Duration | One adult | Two adults |
|---|---|---|
3 months | £45.00 | £56.00 |
6 months | £66.50 | £79.00 |
12 months | £95.00 | £108.50 |
Concession rates from £22.50 are available if you receive Universal Credit or Pension Credit. Children under 16 at the same address can usually be added for free.
What redirection doesn't do
Redirection is useful, but it has real limits worth knowing before you rely on it:
- It’s temporary. Once your redirection period ends, mail sent to your old address stops reaching you, even if you never updated the sender.
- It doesn’t update your address with anyone. Redirection forwards the post, but the sender still has your old address on file. You’ll need to update it with them separately at some point regardless.
- Redirected mail is downgraded to Second Class, so it can take a little longer to arrive.
Because of this, redirection works best as a safety net while you update your address everywhere else, not as a replacement for doing so.
Updating your address at the source instead
The more permanent fix is updating your address directly with the organisations that hold it, so post goes to the right place from the start rather than being forwarded. SlothMove lets you do this for the providers you select, such as your council, DVLA, water supplier, HMRC, TV Licensing and charities, in one form.
- Go to SlothMove’s moving home portal
- Enter your previous and new address
- Select who needs to know you’ve moved
- Submit, and SlothMove updates your address with each provider you selected
Can you redirect mail for free?
Not through Royal Mail. Redirection is always a paid service. What you can do for free is update your address directly with the organisations you deal with, which fixes the problem at the source rather than temporarily forwarding it. Doing that for a dozen or more providers individually takes time, but SlothMove lets you do it in one go, at no cost, in a few minutes.
Related Guides
What our customers say:
FAQs
Does the Post Office charge for a change of address?
The Post Office doesn’t hold your address, so there’s nothing to change with them directly. If you mean Royal Mail redirection, that’s a paid service from £45. Updating your address directly with organisations like your council, DVLA or HMRC is free.
How do I do a change of address at the Post Office?
If you mean setting up a Royal Mail redirection, you can apply online, by post, or in person at a Post Office branch. If you mean updating your address with the organisations you deal with, you can do that for free using SlothMove’s online form.
Can I change my address online for free?
Yes. Updating your address directly with organisations such as your council, DVLA, water supplier and others costs nothing through SlothMove. It typically takes a few minutes for however many providers you select.
How do I redirect a letter?
The most reliable way is to update your address directly with whoever sent it, so future letters go to the right place. A Royal Mail redirection will also forward mail sent to your old address for a set period, but it’s temporary and doesn’t stop the sender using your old address indefinitely.
About SlothMove
SlothMove has helped over 75,000 UK residents update their address across government and private organisations since 2019. We are an ICO-registered data controller, GDPR compliant, and backed by Taylor Rose MW, one of the UK’s leading conveyancing firms.
Disclaimer: This information is accurate as of August 2026 and is intended for general guidance. SlothMove is not affiliated with the Post Office.