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Slip 1
The electoral roll
The Australian Electoral Commission says that when you move house you must update your enrolment details. You are eligible to enrol at your new address once you have lived there for at least one month.
What to have ready
One of these:
- an Australian driver licence number
- an Australian passport number
- Medicare card details
- an Australian citizenship number
- someone who is enrolled to confirm your identity.
18+ and proof of age cards are not accepted. The AEC also has paper forms, which you can print or pick up at an AEC office.
One roll, several elections
The AEC’s enrolment form covers federal elections, by-elections and referendums, as well as any relevant state, territory or local government elections. The AEC itself runs only federal events.
As at October 2026
Moving to Victoria? The AEC’s page says enrolment updates are required before the close of rolls for the 2026 Victorian state election, at 8pm AEDT on Tuesday 3 November 2026. The Victorian Electoral Commission runs that election. -
Slip 2
Services Australia and Medicare
Services Australia asks to be told when you move, so it can get in touch with you. It says to update your address within 14 days whether or not you get a payment from it, and that if you do get a payment, you need to tell it within 14 days.
Where to update it
- In your myGov account. Updating your address there sends the new details to some of your linked services automatically.
- Separately, in your Medicare, Centrelink or Child Support online accounts. For Medicare, sign in through myGov if your Medicare online account is linked, or use the myGov app.
Two cases the page singles out
If you rent and get a payment, updating online through your Centrelink online account lets Services Australia assess you for Rent Assistance automatically; updating another way does not.
If you are between homes, you can tell it a future address, but mail only goes there from the date you said you would be living there. Until then, give it a secure mailing address, or your mail goes to the last mailing address it has.
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Slip 3
The Tax Office
The ATO lets you update your residential address, postal address, home and mobile phone numbers and email address. It calls updating online the quickest way, and it needs a myGov account linked to the ATO.
Three ways online
- myGov. Under My Account, Profile, then Contact details, edit your address and choose which linked services to share the update with. This is the route that updates several government services at the same time.
- ATO online services, through the Australian Taxation Office under Linked services in myGov. This updates the ATO only.
- The ATO app, under More, then My details. This also updates the ATO only.
By phone or post
The ATO can update your details over the phone once you establish your identity, and it suggests having your tax file number ready. By post, use the Change of details for individuals form; the ATO says it can take up to 28 days to update your records after it receives the form.
An order that saves steps
As this guide reads the three pages, the myGov profile is the one place where a single change can travel: the ATO describes choosing which linked services share the update, and Services Australia says a myGov change reaches some linked services automatically. The electoral roll is a separate form on the AEC’s site, and it waits until you have lived at the new address for a month.
So a household might do myGov in the first fortnight and the electoral roll after the first month. Check each service’s own page for what it received, because “some linked services” is not all of them.
If your safety is part of the move
Services Australia says that anyone living with violence or abuse, or separating from a partner, should review every address it has recorded for them, to help keep their information secure. The AEC lists special enrolment options for people whose circumstances affect their enrolment, among them silent electors.