Paperwork Path

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.

Overview

Big life events come with a pile of paperwork and a hidden dependency order — you can't change your address everywhere until you have the new one, can't update benefits until HR has your details, can't settle an estate until you have the death certificate. Paperwork Path lays out the typical document checklist for your event and, more importantly, the sequence to do it in, so you're not redoing steps or discovering a missing prerequisite halfway through.

How to use it

1. Pick the life event you're handling.
2. Add your location — it sharpens the specifics (grace periods, local offices).
3. Add anything unusual about your situation (kids, out of state, simultaneous changes).
4. Work the checklist in the order shown — it's sequenced by dependency, not alphabetically.
5. Confirm the jurisdiction-specific figures it flags before you rely on them.

Example

Scenario: Moving out of state with two kids and starting a new job the same month.

What you do: Pick 'Moving', enter the destination state, and note the kids + new job.

Result: A prioritized document checklist plus a 7-step order that starts with locking the new address (everything downstream depends on it) and slots the new-job I-9 and benefits enrollment into their real windows.

Tips

• The order is the point — doing step 4 before step 2 is how people end up redoing paperwork.
• Add your location: 'within 30 days' beats 'within a grace period'.
• Copy the whole path to a notes app or print it, then check items off as you go.

Frequently asked questions

What documents do I need when I move?

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.

What paperwork do I need after a death in the family?

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.

Does the order really matter?

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.