Can You Get a PO Box Online? Sizes, Costs, and Access Hours

Yes, you can get a PO Box online. The USPS website lets you find an available box, choose a size and rental term, and pay by card, but the reservation only becomes an active box once you visit the Post Office in person with two forms of ID. You have 30 days from your online reservation to do that, or USPS cancels the box and refunds you in full.¹

Reserving a Box on the USPS Website

The application starts on the USPS PO Boxes page. Enter a ZIP code or street address and the site returns nearby Post Offices with open boxes, the sizes on offer, and the price at each location. Pick a Post Office and a size, then choose a 3-, 6-, or 12-month term.²

You’ll enter your full legal name, home address, phone, and email, and you can add other people who should receive mail at the box. Online reservations are card-only, credit or debit, and you can save up to three cards for future renewals. When you finish paying, save or print the confirmation. You’ll need it when you go in to pick up the keys.

Finishing the Application In Person

The online step is a reservation, not activation. Bring your confirmation and two IDs to the Post Office that holds the box: one photo ID and one non-photo ID that shows your physical home address.³

Acceptable photo IDs:

Valid driver’s license or state non-driver ID card
U.S. passport or passport card
Military ID or other government employee ID
University or recognized corporate employee ID
Alien registration card or certificate of naturalization
NEXUS or Matricula Consular card

Acceptable non-photo IDs:

Current lease, mortgage, or deed of trust
Voter or vehicle registration card
Home or vehicle insurance policy

Social Security cards, credit cards, and birth certificates don’t count for either category.³ A postal employee checks the documents, confirms your identity, and hands over the keys or lock combination. Your initial rental comes with two keys at no extra charge.⁴

The 30-day deadline is firm. If you don’t come in within that window, USPS cancels the reservation, closes the box, and refunds you.¹ Don’t reserve weeks ahead unless you can get to that specific Post Office in time.

Which Size to Choose

USPS offers five standard sizes. What matters most is whether you get mostly letters or regularly get packages and large envelopes.⁵

Extra-small (Size 1), 3″ x 5½” x 14¾”: about 10 to 15 letter-size envelopes or a couple of rolled magazines.
Small (Size 2), 5″ x 5½” x 14¾”: 10 to 15 letters or up to 5 rolled magazines.
Medium (Size 3), 11″ x 5½” x 14¾”: wide enough for large envelopes and magazines to lie flat.
Large (Size 4), 11″ x 11″ x 14¾”: two shoebox-sized packages plus letters.
Extra-large (Size 5), 22½” x 12″ x 14¾”: Flat Rate Boxes and small parcels.

If a package won’t fit, the Post Office typically puts it in a larger parcel locker and drops the locker key in your box, or holds it at the counter for pickup.

What It Costs

Pricing varies a lot by location. USPS sorts each Post Office into a fee group based on demand and local market conditions, and rates can differ by hundreds of dollars between an urban downtown office and a rural one. The online search shows the exact price at each location before you commit.

Semi-annual rates across fee groups for market-dominant locations:

Extra-small: $30 to $79 per six months
Small: $39 to $114 per six months
Medium: $57 to $196 per six months
Large: $85 to $355 per six months
Extra-large: $148 to $553 per six months

Quarterly rates run slightly more than half the semi-annual price. An extra-small box, for example, ranges from $28 to $49 per quarter.⁶ Post Offices classified as “competitive” locations, usually where private mailbox services compete nearby, charge higher rates, so don’t assume every office in the same city prices the same.

Access Hours

Most PO Box locations give 24/7 access to the box lobby, which is separate from the retail counter. You can pick up mail well before or after counter hours. Some smaller offices lock the lobby when the building closes, so check the hours for your specific Post Office during the online search.²

Packages From UPS, FedEx, and Amazon

A standard PO Box only accepts mail delivered by USPS. Packages from UPS, FedEx, DHL, and Amazon can’t be delivered to a regular PO Box address. Many Post Offices offer a free add-on called Street Addressing that fixes this: you use the Post Office’s physical street address as your mailing address, and private carriers drop packages there for placement in your box or a parcel locker.⁷

The format matters. Write it as the Post Office’s street address followed by “# [your PO Box number].” Using “Suite” or “Apt” instead of the “#” sign can get mail returned. Street Addressing isn’t available everywhere, so check during the online search whether your preferred location offers it.² One limit worth knowing: the street address option can’t be used as a physical residence or place of business on legal documents, and misusing it that way can violate federal law and cause USPS to close your box.⁷

Renewal and What Happens If You Miss the Payment

You can renew starting 30 days before your term ends, online or at the counter. USPS also offers automatic renewal through the online portal, which charges your stored card as the term is about to expire.²

Miss the renewal and USPS blocks access to the box on the first day of the new month. You then have a 10-day grace period to pay before the box is officially closed. Once closed, incoming mail is returned to senders.⁸ If automatic renewal fails because of an expired card or insufficient funds, USPS treats it the same way and may close the box.¹

1
United States Postal Service. Terms and Conditions of Use for the USPS Post Office Box Online Interface
2
United States Postal Service. PO Boxes
3
United States Postal Service. PS Form 1093 – Application for PO Box Service
4
United States Postal Service. Notice 123 – Price List
5
United States Postal Service. PO Box Sizes
6
United States Postal Service. Notice 123 – Price List
7
United States Postal Service. Customer Agreement for Premium PO Box Service Enhancements
8
USPS Office of Inspector General. Management of Post Office Box Service