The short answer
Moving to another state affects benefits in two different ways. Federal benefits, including Social Security retirement, disability and survivor benefits, the federal SSI payment and Original Medicare, continue wherever you live in the United States; you only need to report your new address. Benefits run by states, including SNAP, Medicaid, TANF and a state SSI supplement, do not transfer: you close the old case and apply in the new state, under its rules. A few programs sit in between. WIC honors your current certification in the new state, a housing voucher can often move with you, unemployment is still paid by the state where you earned the wages, and Medicare Advantage, Part D and Marketplace plans give you a special enrollment period to choose a plan in the new area. Planning the move program by program is the surest way to avoid a gap.
Who runs it decides what happens
Federal agencies pay the same benefit in every state, so their programs move with you. State agencies run their own programs, with their own income limits and rules, even when federal money pays for them, so you start again in the new state. A handful of programs sit in between, with rules written specifically for people who move.
Swipe sideways to see the whole table.
| Benefit | What happens | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Social Security retirement, disability and survivor benefits | Continue unchanged | Report your new address |
| Original Medicare and Extra Help | Continue unchanged | Report your new address |
| Federal SSI payment | Continues, but can change with your living arrangement | Report the move before you go |
| State SSI supplement | Usually ends | Ask what the new state pays |
| SNAP | Ends; cannot be received from two states | Close the old case, apply in the new state |
| Medicaid and Medicare Savings Programs | End | Apply in the new state |
| TANF | Ends | Apply in the new state |
| WIC | Honored until your certification ends | Get a Verification of Certification |
| Housing Choice Voucher | Can often move with you | Ask both housing agencies about portability first |
| Unemployment insurance | Still paid by the state where you earned the wages | Update your address with that state |
| Medicare Advantage, Part D, Marketplace plans | Your plan may not serve the new area | Choose a new plan in the special enrollment period |
What moves with you
Social Security retirement, disability and survivor benefits are paid by the federal government, so the amount does not change when you move. The same is true of Original Medicare, Parts A and B, which works with any provider in the country that accepts Medicare, and of Extra Help with drug costs, which Social Security decides.
Tell Social Security your new address as soon as you know it, through your my Social Security account, by calling 1-800-772-1213 or at a local office. Moving does not change your deposit date or bank account unless you change them too.
SSI is the exception that needs care. The federal payment continues without a new application, but it can change if your living arrangement changes, for example if you move in with family who pay for your housing. Report the move before you go; our SSI guide explains how living arrangements affect the amount.
What you apply for again
SNAP
You can receive SNAP only from the state where you live, and never from two states in the same month. Ask the old state to close your case as of your move and to send a closing notice, which helps prove to the new state that the old case has ended. Any balance left on your old EBT card stays yours and can be spent in any state. Apply in the new state as soon as you have an address; most states let you apply online, and households with very little money may qualify for expedited SNAP within seven days.
Medicaid and Medicare Savings Programs
Medicaid is run by each state, and you qualify in the state where you live. Coverage in the old state ends after you move, and the new state's income limits and covered groups may differ, especially between states that did and did not expand Medicaid to adults. Medicare Savings Programs, which pay Medicare premiums for people with limited income, run through state Medicaid agencies, so they must be applied for again too. See our guide to Medicare and Medicaid.
TANF
Cash assistance under TANF is a state program with state-set amounts and rules. Months of federally funded TANF received in another state generally count toward the 60-month federal lifetime limit, and the new state may contact the old one to confirm them. Our TANF guide explains the limits.
State SSI supplements
Many states add a supplement to the federal SSI payment, paid under that state's rules, so it usually ends when you leave. The new state may pay its own, a different amount, or nothing.
Other state-run help
Energy assistance through LIHEAP, child care assistance and state tax credits are run by states too, so apply again after the move. A Lifeline phone discount is the exception: it moves with you if your phone company serves the new area, and otherwise can be transferred to one that does.
What follows you, with conditions
WIC. If you move during a certification period, ask the old clinic for a Verification of Certification. The new state must accept it and keep serving you until that certification ends, even if its own criteria differ. See our WIC guide.
Housing Choice Vouchers. A voucher can usually move with you to any area with a housing agency that runs the program, a feature called portability. If you did not live in the issuing agency's area when you applied, it may require you to stay there for the first 12 months. Talk to both housing agencies before you sign a new lease; our Section 8 guide explains the process.
Unemployment insurance. Benefits are paid by the state where you earned the wages, not the state where you live. You keep filing with that state after you move, update your address, and follow its work-search rules, which may include registering with the workforce agency where you now live. See our unemployment guide.
Plans tied to where you live
Medicare Advantage and Part D drug plans cover specific service areas. If you move out of your plan's area, you get a special enrollment period. Tell your plan before you move, and the period begins the month before the move and lasts two full months after it; tell the plan after you move, and it begins the month you tell it and lasts two more full months. If you do not choose a new plan, you can be returned to Original Medicare and left without drug coverage. Compare plans with Medicare's plan finder using your new ZIP code.
Marketplace coverage works the same way. Moving to a new ZIP code or county usually opens a 60-day special enrollment period, provided you had qualifying health coverage for at least one day in the 60 days before the move, with exceptions for people moving from abroad and a few others. The new area's plans and premium tax credits may differ. See our guide to special enrollment periods.
The order to do things in
- List every benefit you receive and the agency that pays it.
- A month ahead, report the move to Social Security, tell your Medicare or Marketplace plan, and ask your housing agency about portability.
- Ask your WIC clinic for a Verification of Certification.
- Ask the old SNAP and Medicaid offices to close your cases as of your move, and keep the closing notices.
- The week you arrive, apply for SNAP, Medicaid and any state supplement in the new state, without waiting for the old benefits to run out.
- Choose a new plan within your special enrollment period.
- Update your mailing address and phone number with every agency, so that renewal letters reach you.
Leaving a case open in the old state can lead to an overpayment you must repay, and telling Social Security does not update any other program; see our guide to reporting changes. If you are applying for several programs at once, our guide to applying for benefits lists the documents most offices ask for.
What the new state decides
This article describes federal rules and the general pattern in the states; the forms, waiting times and income limits in the state you move to are set there. Moving abroad follows different rules, especially for SSI and Medicare, and is not covered here.
Official sources
A month before the move
List every benefit you receive and who pays it, and make the calls in the order above. Once you have an address, estimate your SNAP benefit and apply in the new state the same week.
