Hold Mail - Pause Mail Delivery Online | USPS (2024)

FAQs

What happens if hold mail is not delivered? ›

Note: There is a 10 day period in which to pick up mail at the end of a USPS Hold Mail^® service request. If not picked up by this deadline, it will be returned to sender. If your delivery does not resume as requested please Contact Us.

To provide you with greater security, the USPS Hold Mail process requires you to create or sign in to your USPS.com account and verify your identity before you submit an online request to hold your mail.

The United States Postal Service offers a complimentary hold service. This will hold all of your mail at a local post office for a minimum of 3 days, and a maximum of 30 days. To hold mail longer than 30 days, the Post Office recommends their mail forwarding service.

For longer trips, submitting a USPS mail hold request is the best practice to prevent mail theft or a stuffed mailbox. If you're going to be away from home for more than 30 days, consider utilizing a temporary change of address request to forward your mail to wherever you are.

What if my mail is on Hold? Your mail will be held in accordance with your USPS Hold Mail® request, but you will still receive Informed Delivery notifications.

If you have not received any mail within a two (2) day period or if you are not receiving mail regularly (i.e. on a specific day of the week) for two (2) or more weeks in a row, please Contact Us. Customers are required, as a condition of delivery, to ensure that proper access is provided to mail receptacles.

Where can the customer go to pick up mail that is being held? Customers may go to their local Post Office pickup location based on the information on the back of their Redelivery Notice. Customers may go to the Post Office to pickup the item on or after the date and time indicated on the PS Form 3849 delivery notice.

Holding Mail Delivery FAQ

USPS will hold your mail for up to 30 days at the post office. To hold your mail longer, sign up for a forwarding service. How many times can you put your mail on hold? There is no limit to how many times you can put your mail on hold.

You can plave a hold mail request via phone by calling 1-800-ASK-USPS (1-800-275-8777). Any request submitted via phone must be done one business day in advance.

Decide how you'll get your mail once your Hold Mail® service ends. Either pick up your held items directly from your local Post Office or request that your postal carrier deliver the accumulated mail to your home after your Hold Mail® service end date.

Can I extend my hold mail request? ›

To change or cancel a Hold Mail service request submitted by contacting the Customer Care Center, customers must contact the Customer Care Center and provide the Hold Mail confirmation number. Without a confirmation number, a Customer Care Center agent can only extend the Hold Mail service request.

For other issues or more information, you can e-mail the Postal Service's Customer Care Center at USPS® Customer Service or call 1-800-ASK-USPS (1-800-275-8777).

Temporary forwarding is ideal for short-term travel, ensuring your mail reaches you during your absence. Permanent forwarding suits those who fully embrace the snowbird lifestyle and want a continuous, streamlined mail management solution.

In general, mail delivery resumes on the scheduled date following the end of a mail hold period. If you have placed your mail on hold with the postal service for a specific period, mail delivery will typically resume on the first scheduled delivery day after the designated hold end date.

If you plan to be out of town on business or vacation, you may want to temporarily stop delivery of your mail. To have the Postal Service™ hold your mail up to 30 days,visit www.usps.com, call 1·800·ASK·USPS, or fill out a “Hold Mail” form at the Post Office™.

Undeliverable mail determined to be of value, meaning the content is worth more than $25.00 ($20.00 for mailpieces containing cash), will be held for 60 days if the mailpiece is barcoded, or 30 days for non-barcoded mailpieces.

The USPS will continue looking for your Missing Mail Search Request through their system until the search expires, typically 3 months after the request was submitted. If they're unable to locate your item, they'll send you an email notification to let you know the search has ended unsuccessfully.

Submit a Missing Mail search request at MissingMail.USPS.com. File a claim (for insured items meeting the appropriate timeframe). Visit your local Post Office™ location for assistance in filling out a Missing Mail request.

If a customer cannot provide a Hold Mail confirmation number, that individual must visit the local Post Office and present a form of identification that is acceptable under 608.10.