The documents you need — and the order to handle them
Pick a life event — moving, a new baby, a new job, marriage, divorce, a loss, buying a home, retiring — and Paperwork Path gives you the documents to gather, why each matters and where to get it, plus the order to handle everything so a later step never gets blocked by one you skipped. Requirements vary by location, so it flags what to confirm for your jurisdiction.
Real output from an actual run on the move below — an excerpt of a longer checklist, nothing reworded.
The situation
Moving to a new home: moving out of state to Austin, Texas, with two kids and starting a new job the same month.
Real run, 2026-10-08 — one of the tool's own built-in examples. Each deadline comes with where to confirm it.
Out-of-state move to Austin, Texas with two children while starting a new job in the same month, requiring coordinated handling of address changes, Texas licensing, school enrollment, and employer onboarding paperwork under tight timing.
Texas requires new residents to obtain a Texas DL within 90 days of establishing residency — confirm this figure at dps.texas.gov as current. Where: In person at a Texas DPS driver license office; bring your current out-of-state license, proof of Texas residency (two documents), Social Security card, and proof of citizenship or lawful presence.
Mail forwarding from your old address ensures no critical documents, tax notices, or financial statements are lost during the transition. Where: File online at usps.com/move or in person at any post office; there is a small identity-verification fee for the online option.
Austin ISD and other local districts require proof of residency, immunization records, and prior school records before children can begin attending. Where: Contact your zoned Austin-area school district directly (Austin ISD at austinisd.org or the appropriate district for your address) to confirm their specific document list and enrollment timeline.
Texas schools require immunization records that meet state-mandated schedules, and records from another state may need a physician review to confirm compliance. Where: Obtain from your children's current pediatrician before moving; if gaps exist, schedule a catch-up appointment in Austin promptly through a new pediatrician or Austin Public Health.
Leaving a state can qualify as a Special Enrollment Period for ACA marketplace plans, and your new employer plan will have its own enrollment window — missing either window can leave your family uninsured. Where: For employer coverage, enroll through your new HR portal within the window they specify; for marketplace coverage, visit healthcare.gov and confirm your SEP eligibility and deadline.
Gather all critical documents you will need in Texas: both children's immunization records and school records, your out-of-state title and registration, Social Security cards, birth certificates, and passport or citizenship documents for the DL application. Nearly every downstream step — school enrollment, Texas DL, vehicle registration, and employer I-9 — requires original documents you cannot afford to be hunting for after you arrive.
All deadlines and requirements listed here reflect commonly cited Texas rules as of this writing and should be confirmed directly with the Texas DPS (dps.texas.gov), TxDMV (txdmv.gov), Travis County tax office, Austin ISD or your local district, and your employer HR department before relying on them.
Typically a change-of-address with the postal service, updates to your license/ID and voter registration, utility transfers, and address updates with your bank, employer, and insurers. Paperwork Path builds the full checklist for your situation and the order to do it in.
Usually multiple certified copies of the death certificate first (almost everything else depends on it), then notifying Social Security/pensions, banks, and insurers, and locating the will or estate documents. Paperwork Path sequences these so you don't get stuck waiting on a prerequisite.
Often yes — many steps depend on an earlier one (you need the new address before you can update it everywhere; the death certificate before you can close accounts). Paperwork Path orders steps by dependency, not alphabetically.