Changing Last Name Services

I did it myself (Florida) and had no issue. I also couldn't justify paying that much for the service where you still have to fill out all of the documentation yourself anyway. I went to the SS website, downloaded the forms, filled them out, went to the SS office (Waited forever), had all my documents with me, was at the window for maybe 10 minutes and out the door I went.

Some offices are mail in only still, so just FYI

Once that was done, I went to the DMV to change my license, and started changing everything at my own pace. The two biggest ones are SS and drivers license, and passport if you have one....so three

Most people here say they’re not worth it…but I really loved using Hitch Switch! It made everything easy, especially having access to a concierge to answer some kind of tricky questions I had (I was moving states, making my maiden name my new middle name, etc.)

I had intended to do it myself and found quite a few checklists to use, but apparently one of those services is something our celebrant gives as a wedding gift to her couples when she knows they're changing their names.

From what she said, the service generates email templates including where they need to go, and what you need to say. You just need to put in your details and press send. So... I think it could speed things up quite a bit, since you don't have to do the research to find out what you need to do, and where you need to send them - that stuff is already done for you.

I've also heard of services where they literally do it all for you - you give them the appropriate documents and they do everything.

I remember reading somewhere the number of hours it takes to change your name, roughly, and it is a LOT, so if you're time poor and can afford one of these services I can totally see the appeal.

If you do a search, you will find multiple threads on this. I changed my name without the service and it was incredibly simple. The only forms were for Social Security, passport, and the DMV. You can fill out the SS and passport forms online and then print/mail them. They have all the instructions and forms right there for free. I had to go in person to the bank. Otherwise, for credit cards, utility accounts, etc., I just sent an email to the customer service department (easily found in the contact us section of the website) stating that I got married and needed to change my name. I attached a scanned copy of my marriage certificate and new driver's license. I honestly wrote the email once and basically copy and pasted it to everyone else. The process really did not take long, and these services don't take away much of the leg work. You still have to send everything in. They just pull together the (3) free forms for you and provide some instructions you can mostly find online yourself for free with a quick Google search.