You are heading out of town, you missed a package, or you need to redirect one parcel before it lands on your doorstep. The good news is that USPS lets you handle all of this online, usually in a few minutes, and most of it is free.
This guide covers every verified online method, ordered by how quickly and commonly you will need them: holding all your mail, rescheduling a missed delivery, intercepting a single package, and forwarding mail for a longer absence. Each one has exact menu paths, cutoff times, and the gotchas that quietly trip people up.
One thing first. Hold Mail and Change of Address are free or near-free on the official site, so be wary of look-alike third-party sites that charge a fee. 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, 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 usps.com/manage/hold-mail.htm 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 mailed to you; it arrives in 3 to 5 business days and expires after 90 days.
- 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. Minimum hold is 3 days, 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; requests after that begin the next business day at the earliest. (The hold-mail page phrases this cutoff as 3 AM ET / 2 AM CT / 12 AM PT.)
If you choose Post Office pickup, collect your mail within 10 days or it is returned to senders. And enter your name exactly as it appears in USPS delivery records for that address; a mismatch can flag the request for manual review, delay it, or get it rejected, and mail may keep arriving while the request shows as active.
Edit or Cancel a Hold Mail Request
Changes hinge on that confirmation number, so keep the email handy.
- 1.Open the confirmation email and follow the link provided to edit or cancel.
- 2.Alternatively, call the USPS Customer Care Center with your confirmation number.
Without a confirmation number, a phone agent can only extend the hold. Any other change has to be made in person at your local Post Office.
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," or "Receptacle Full / Item Oversized," 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 tools.usps.com/redelivery.htm.
- 2.Step 1, enter your details: First Name, Last Name, Street Address, City, State, ZIP Code, Phone, and Email. Optional fields include Middle Initial, Company, Apt/Suite/Other, and Urbanization Code. The address must match the original delivery address.
- 3.Use Check Availability to confirm Redelivery is offered in your area (available in many but not all areas).
- 4.Step 2, 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. If you need to cancel, do it through the confirmation-email link or the online tool as soon as possible; a cancellation deadline applies ahead of the scheduled redelivery date, so check the cutoff stated on the cancellation page.
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, then put the form back in your mailbox.
- Scan the form's QR code with an internet-enabled smartphone to schedule online.
- Go to the Post Office location written on the back of the form to pick up the package.
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 with a USPS Tracking or extra-services barcode, under 130 inches in total length plus girth, and not yet out for delivery or already delivered.
- 1.Sign in to or create a USPS.com account.
- 2.Open Retail Package Intercept and choose a redirection option: return to the original sender, hold at the destination Post Office, or hold at a new Post Office location.
- 3.Review the estimated total (the $19.45 intercept fee plus Priority Mail postage).
- 4.Submit.
USPS attempts the intercept and only charges your card if it succeeds, but the $19.45 fee itself is non-refundable. 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.
- 1.Go to the official Change of Address site, linked from usps.com/manage/forward.htm.
- 2.Select Individual, Family, or Business and complete the form; choose Temporary (15 days up to 1 year) or Permanent.
- 3.Verify your identity via a mobile phone verification code or link.
- 4.Pay the $1.25 identity verification fee online.
- 5.Save the confirmation code emailed to you so you can modify or cancel the request later.
First-Class mail and periodicals plus Priority and Ground Advantage forward free, Media Mail forwards if you pay shipping, 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.
What if online Hold Mail is not available for my address?
USPS does not offer online submission at every address. If yours is not eligible, you must submit the Hold Mail request in person at your local Post Office.
I lost my Hold Mail confirmation number. Can I still change the request?
A phone agent can only extend the hold without it. For any other change, you will need to visit your local Post Office in person.
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.
How do I cancel a scheduled Redelivery?
Use the confirmation-email link or the online Redelivery tool to find and cancel the request. A cancellation deadline applies before the scheduled redelivery date, so cancel as early as you can and follow the cutoff shown on the cancellation page.
