Q&A for How to Put Your Mail on Hold While You're Away

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Can a registered letter be held while I am on vacation?

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A Hold Mail request applies to all mail and packages delivered to your address during the period you specify in the request.

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Do I have to pay when putting my mail on hold?

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There is no charge for a Hold Mail request or for forwarding through a change of address (COA). If you want premium forwarding, you will have to pay an enrollment fee plus a weekly service charge.

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When you submit a hold mail request, does USPS leave a note in your mailbox or anything of that sort?

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USPS will not leave any notices in your mailbox regarding your Hold Mail request. When your Hold Mail request ends, USPS will leave a delivery notice if all of the accumulated mail wouldn't fit in your mailbox.

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I live at two properties off and on. If I hold mail for one, will it cause issues with verifying my identity later?

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Submitting a Hold Mail request for one property shouldn't have anything to do with verifying your identity. To verify your identity online, the USPS asks a series of questions based on information in your credit report. To verify your identity in person, you simply need a government-issued photo ID and a lease, mortgage, or piece of mail with your name and address on it.

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Why do I need a USPS account to hold mail online?

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This is simply the way the USPS website is set up. You must create an account if you want to access any of the online services USPS offers, including Hold Mail. USPS accounts are free. All you need is a valid email address, which you can also set up for free.

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If there are two people at an address, can one have mail on hold while the other's is forwarded to another address?

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Forwarding requests only apply to an individual name. The person who wanted their mail forwarded would have to place their request first. After that, if the other person wanted to submit a Hold Mail request, they would be free to do so. However, if the forwarding request isn't processed first, the Hold Mail request would apply to all mail at the address.

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After the 30 day hold period expires, how long will my mail be held at the post office to be picked up?

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You have 10 days from the date your Hold Mail request ends to pick up your mail at the post office. Any mail remaining after that date will be returned to the senders.

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Do I need to pick up my mail that's on hold at a certain post office?

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If you've chosen to pick up your mail, pick it up at the local post office that delivers your mail. It won't be at any other location.

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I had my mail on hold and I have collected it, but I have to leave town again. How many days must elapse before I can have my mail held again?

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There's no requirement of time between separate Hold Mail requests. As long as you've picked up your accumulated mail from your previous request, you can start a new request at any time. However, keep in mind the new holding period can't start until at least one business day after you submit the new Hold Mail request.

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How do I put my mail on hold when several other people live at the residence?

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Specifying an individual is only possible for mail forwarding, not for mail holding. For mail holds, the USPS will hold all mail for the address, not just the individual's.

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Question

Can i have my mail held for more then 30 days?

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Yes, you have to request a holding period in person and pick the mail up in person.

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How do I extend the length of my mail hold?

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You can contact the post office directly to extend your mail hold.

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Can I pick up my mail before the end of the time period?

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Yes, you can go into your local post office, cancel the hold request, and pick up your mail.

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Question

How do I take my mail back off hold?

Community Answer

Normally when you put your mail on hold you either fill out a form with the start and re-start dates and mail it in or do the same form online. If you for some reason did not include a re-start date when you suspended your mail delivery, the easiest way to get your mail delivered again might just be to go to the post office and request it.

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How do I stop a hold that was placed on both my daughter's and our mail?

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Go to your local post office to cancel the hold and pick up your mail.

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Question

How do I designate someone else to pick up my mail that is on hold?

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You would need to ask the post office what they require from you in order to do this. You probably just need to add their name to a list.

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If I am expecting an important letter, can I pick it up from my local postal office while my mail is on hold?

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Go to your local post office during business hours. Fill out PS Form 8076. Submit the completed form to the clerk at the front desk. Keep the confirmation number for your hold mail request.

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Will USPS charge me to hold mail?

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No, it will not. Holding mail is a free service. If you have a PO box and it becomes full, however, they will return new items to the sender rather than hold them.

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How much does this service cost?

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The service is free.

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Question

When will the accumulated mail be delivered to me?

Community Answer

You can fill out a hold mail card online, or at the USPS location near you. It will ask for a start and stop date. Accumulated mail with be delivered to you on the stop date.

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How can I find out if my wife put a hold on my mail?

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Go to your post office ask if there is a hold on your mail. If so, ask who did this.

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Should I be worried about giving hold dates to a possible scam website?

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Yes, you should only be putting mail hold requests through the official USPS website.

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Question

I put in all my address information, but I can't access the second section with the dates information. I've tried on different computers. Is there something wrong?

Community Answer

The Step 2 section of the USPS Hold Mail Service form is grayed out until you fill out all of the required fields in Step 1 and then click the Check Availability button.

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Question

Will another person who lives at the address that I put on hold also have his mail held?

Community Answer

If you submit a Hold Mail request, it holds all the mail for that address, regardless of the name of the recipient. You can only specify individual names if you're having mail forwarded to a different address temporarily.

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Question

Traveling to Canada 7 weeks. Not sure exactly where and when in Canada so I can’t provide forwarding address. Can I place a 7 week hold on my mail?

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No, it has a 30-day maximum. You could file a temporary forward to some other address for the three weeks after the hold expires, or have someone collect your mail at your home during that time.

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I canceled my mail hold request prior to the end date. Will the mail that was held by the post office be delivered to my mailbox?

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In theory, yes.

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If I sumbit a mail foward while a mail hold is in place, will the mail already being held be forwarded?

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In theory, yes.

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Question

We are moving to a new address. We have to be out of our current house by 6/30/20 and can't move into our new house until 8/5/20. We won't have a mailbox in the meantime. What forms should we use?

Donagan

Top Answerer

Fill out a regular hold order, but be sure to apply it only to yourselves as individuals (rather than to all names at that address -- such as anyone who might soon move into the address). Pick up your held mail at the post office at your convenience. Then when you move into your new address, file a change-of-address form from the old address to the new one (and pick up the last of your held mail).

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How to hold mail for a relative who cannot get to the post office?

Donagan

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You can file a hold order on behalf of your relative, but someone will have to pick up the mail at the post office periodically. Alternatively, you could have the mail permanently or temporarily forwarded to some other address.

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