You are heading out of town, you missed a package, or you need to redirect one parcel before it lands on your doorstep. USPS lets you handle all of this online, usually in a few minutes, and most of it is free.
This guide covers the online options in the order you are most likely to need them: holding all your mail, rescheduling a missed delivery, intercepting a single package, and forwarding mail for a longer absence. Each one includes the menu paths, cutoff times, and the gotchas that quietly trip people up.
One thing first. Hold Mail is free and online Change of Address costs only a $1.25 identity verification fee on the official site, so be wary of look-alike third-party sites that charge more. Always start from the usps.com domain.
Schedule a Hold Mail Request Online
Hold Mail pauses delivery of every piece of mail (letters and packages) to your address for 3 to 30 days. It is free, it applies to everyone at the address, and it is the right tool when you will be away and want everything held together.
You need a USPS.com account and a one-time identity verification for the address. If you already verified through Informed Delivery, you skip that step.
- 1.Go to the USPS Hold Mail page and select Request Hold Mail.
- 2.Create or sign in to your USPS.com account.
- 3.Follow the prompts to verify your identity (one time per address). If you cannot verify online, request an identity verification code by mail. It arrives by First-Class Mail in 3 to 5 business days and expires 90 days after it is issued.
- 4.Enter your address and choose a start date (up to 30 days in advance, or as early as your next scheduled delivery day) and an end date. The minimum hold is 3 days and the maximum is 30.
- 5.Choose how mail is returned when the hold ends: have your carrier deliver everything on the last day, or pick it up at your local Post Office.
- 6.Submit the request and save the confirmation number from the confirmation email.
To start the hold the same Postal business day, submit before 2:00 A.M. Central Time (3 A.M. Eastern, midnight Pacific). Requests after that begin the next Postal business day at the earliest. Holds start Monday through Saturday, excluding Postal holidays.
If you choose Post Office pickup, bring acceptable ID and collect your mail within 10 days or it is returned to senders. If you choose carrier delivery and the held mail does not fit in your mailbox, the carrier leaves a PS Form 3849 notice and takes the overflow back to the Post Office for pickup. Leave at least 3 days between the end of one hold and the start of the next.
Edit or Cancel a Hold Mail Request
Changes hinge on that confirmation number, so keep the email handy.
Open the confirmation email and follow the link to the Hold Mail application to edit or cancel. Changes made before 2:00 A.M. Central Time can take effect the same Postal business day.
Alternatively, call the USPS Customer Care Center at 1-800-ASK-USPS (1-800-275-8777) with your confirmation number. Hours and other options are on the USPS Contact Us page.
Without a confirmation number, a Customer Care agent can only extend the hold. For any other change, visit your local Post Office with acceptable ID or call that Post Office directly. Holds set up in person at a Post Office do not come with a confirmation number.
Schedule a Redelivery for a Missed Package
If a carrier left a PS Form 3849 "We ReDeliver for You!" notice, or tracking shows a status like "Available for Redelivery or Pickup," "Notice Left," "Receptacle Blocked," "Receptacle Full / Item Oversized," "No Secure Location Available," or "No Authorized Recipient Available," you can reschedule online any time, 24/7.
Have the USPS Tracking number or the barcode (13 to 34 characters) printed on the back of the form ready.
- 1.Go to the USPS Schedule a Redelivery page.
- 2.Enter your details: First Name, Last Name, Street Address, City, State, ZIP Code, Phone, and Email. Optional fields include Middle Initial, Company Name, Apt/Suite/Other, and Urbanization Code. The address must match the original delivery address.
- 3.Select Check Availability to confirm Redelivery is offered in your area (it is available in many but not all areas).
- 4.Enter the tracking or barcode number from the back of your PS Form 3849.
- 5.Choose an option: USPS Carrier Redelivery, Customer Pickup at the Post Office on the form, USPS Smart Parcel Locker (where available, with a one-time pickup code), or Return to Sender.
- 6.Submit and keep the confirmation.
For same-day redelivery, submit by 2 A.M. CST, Monday through Saturday; otherwise it is scheduled for the next day. You can pick a date but not a specific time. To cancel, use the confirmation-email link or the online tool, and do it no later than the day before the scheduled redelivery.
Reschedule Redelivery Without the Website
You do not strictly need a browser to reschedule a missed item. Any of these work:
Fill out the back of your PS Form 3849 with when and where you want the carrier to leave the package, sign it, and put the form back in your mailbox. Allow at least 2 delivery days. This method does not work for items that need a signature on delivery.
Another option is to scan the form's QR code with an internet-enabled smartphone to schedule online. This is the quickest route.
You can also go to the Post Office location written on the back of the form to pick up the package. Bring the notice and a valid photo ID.
You can also call 1-800-ASK-USPS to request carrier redelivery, Post Office pickup, or return to sender (Smart Parcel Locker delivery is online only). Phone requests follow the same 2 A.M. CST (Monday through Saturday) cutoff for same-day service.
Intercept a Single Package Before Delivery
Hold Mail cannot stop just one package; it holds everything. To redirect or stop a single parcel, use Package Intercept instead.
First confirm the item is eligible: a domestic USPS service (such as Priority Mail Express, Priority Mail, USPS Ground Advantage, or First-Class Mail) with a USPS Tracking or extra-services barcode, no more than 130 inches in total length plus girth, and not yet out for delivery or already delivered.
Sign in to or create a USPS.com account, then open the USPS Package Intercept page and select Intercept a Retail Package.
Choose a redirection option: return to the original sender, hold at the destination Post Office, or hold at a new Post Office location.
Review the estimated total (the $19.45 intercept fee plus applicable postage), then submit.
USPS attempts the intercept and charges your card only if it succeeds, but the $19.45 fee itself is non-refundable once charged. You may also be billed for any postage above the estimate. Package Intercept does not work on USPS Marketing Mail, periodicals, items to Commercial Mail Receiving Agencies, items redirected to PO Boxes, or hazardous or nonmailable items.
Forward Mail for a Longer Absence
Hold Mail tops out at 30 days. For a stay of 15 days up to 1 year, use temporary mail forwarding (Change of Address) instead.
Go to the official Change of Address site, linked from the USPS Forward Mail page.
Select Individual, Family, or Business and complete the form; choose Temporary (15 days up to 1 year) or Permanent. Use Family only if everyone moving shares the same last name and is going to the same address.
Verify your identity with a code or link sent to your mobile phone, then pay the $1.25 identity verification fee by credit card. The card's billing address must match your old or new address. If online verification fails, you can file in person at a Post Office with photo ID.
Save the confirmation code emailed to you. To modify or cancel later, go to managemymove.usps.com and enter your new ZIP Code and that code.
First-Class Mail and periodicals forward free, as do Priority Mail Express, Priority Mail, and USPS Ground Advantage. Media Mail forwards, but you pay the shipping cost from your local Post Office to your new address, and USPS Marketing Mail is not forwarded. If you buy Extended Mail Forwarding (an extra 6, 12, or 18 months), note that it cannot be canceled or refunded once purchased.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Hold Mail cost anything?
No. USPS Hold Mail is a free service. If a site asks for payment to hold your mail, you are not on the official usps.com domain.
Can I hold just one package instead of all my mail?
No. Hold Mail covers every letter and package for the address. To stop a single item, use Package Intercept, which redirects or returns one specific parcel for a $19.45 fee plus postage, charged only if the intercept succeeds.
What if online Hold Mail is not available for my address?
Some addresses cannot use the online form. In that case, go to your local Post Office and fill out PS Form 8076, Authorization to Hold Mail.
I lost my Hold Mail confirmation number. Can I still change the request?
A Customer Care agent can only extend the hold without it. For any other change, visit your local Post Office with acceptable ID or call that Post Office directly.
What happens to my mail when the hold ends?
You choose at submission: your carrier delivers the accumulated mail on the last day, or you pick it up at the Post Office. If you pick the Post Office option, collect it within 10 days or it goes back to senders, and regular delivery resumes the next Postal business day.
How do I cancel a scheduled Redelivery?
Use the confirmation-email link or the online Redelivery tool to find and cancel the request, no later than the day before the scheduled redelivery. Canceling removes the whole request, so reschedule if you still need the item delivered.
