Name Change Kit vs Doing It Yourself
The kits are honest about one thing: they save time, not steps. You still visit Social Security, the DMV and the post office yourself. So the question is what an hour of form-filling is worth to you, and whether a free tool can do the same.
What DIY costs
Nothing but government fees: certified copies ($5–$30 each), the license ($10–$50 by state), the passport ($0 or $130). Time: about 2–4 hours to find the right forms, decode the instructions, fill them and write the letters. Every form is on ssa.gov, travel.state.gov and your state's site, and our state guides link them.
What a kit adds
The forms pre-filled from one questionnaire, the order of operations, letters to banks and employers, and in mailed tiers prepaid envelopes and passport photos. What it doesn't add: any step you can skip, any agency visit you can avoid, any form the government wouldn't give you free. Prices: $20–$180 (seller table).
The middle option
Answer one set of questions, get the SS-5, the right passport form and the letters filled — in your browser, with nothing uploaded. That's the Name Change Plan packet, and it's free because we'd rather earn a link and an email than $39. It leaves you with exactly what a $40–$70 print-at-home kit leaves you with: printed forms, a plan, letters to sign.
Choose by what you want
| You want… | Pick |
|---|---|
| To spend nothing and don't mind form-decoding | DIY with the state guides |
| Filled forms and letters, no cost, no data uploaded | Free packet |
| A box in the mail with stamped envelopes and photos | NewlyNamed or HitchSwitch mailed tiers |
| Someone to call | HitchSwitch Platinum, MissNowMrs Ultimate |
Skip the forms — get them filled in 10 minutes
The Name Change Plan Packet (free — your email is the only thing we ask for) asks you the questions once, then generates your completed official forms — SS-5, the right passport form — plus notification letters for your banks and employer, and your state's exact instructions. Built entirely in your browser: your details never touch our servers.
Get the free packet →Common questions
Is a name change kit worth the money?
For the mailed extras (envelopes, photos, a person to email), some people think so. For the forms alone, a free tool does the same job.
What can't a kit do?
File anything for you, skip an agency visit, or get you forms the government doesn't already provide free.
Is the free packet really the same as a paid kit?
For the print-at-home tier, yes: filled SS-5, filled passport form, letters, state instructions. It doesn't mail you envelopes or photos.
Where does my data go with a kit vs the packet?
Kits collect your details on their servers to print the forms. The packet fills them in your browser and never uploads them.