How Long Are Postal Money Orders Good For? Fees and Cashing Rules

Domestic postal money orders are good forever. A USPS money order you bought last month or twenty years ago is still worth its full face value, and any Post Office in the country will cash it. There is no expiration date, no dormancy fee, and no service charge that eats into the amount over time.

No Expiration, No Fees Over Time

The Postal Service’s own rules say domestic money orders carry no expiration date and do not accrue interest.¹ Unlike gift cards or some commercial checks, USPS does not deduct anything from an uncashed money order, no matter how long it has been sitting in a drawer.

A worn or yellowed money order is still valid as long as the security features and serial number are legible. USPS rolled out a redesigned money order in 2025 after a vendor change, but the older “legacy” design remains fully valid and should be accepted at any Post Office.²

Cashing an Old Money Order

Take it to any Post Office, including APO and FPO locations. Bring a primary photo ID. Do not sign the money order in advance. You have to sign it at the counter while a USPS employee watches, and if you sign it beforehand the Post Office may refuse to cash it.¹

Many banks will also cash a postal money order, but policies vary by institution, especially if you don’t have an account there. Call first. Check-cashing stores and some retailers accept them too, usually for a percentage fee.²

Checking Whether It Was Already Cashed

If you found an old money order and aren’t sure whether it was ever redeemed, USPS runs a free status tool at tools.usps.com. You’ll need three things from the purchase receipt:³

The 10-digit serial number printed on the money order⁴
The Post Office number where it was bought
The issued dollar amount

All three appear on the original receipt. Without the receipt, the online tool won’t help, and you’ll need to file a formal inquiry.

If the Money Order Is Lost, Stolen, or Damaged

The original purchaser (and only the original purchaser) can request a replacement by filing PS Form 6401, the Money Order Inquiry. Pick one up at a Post Office or download it from usps.com.⁵ The form asks for your name and address, the payee’s name, the 10-digit serial number, and the exact dollar amount.

Bring the completed form to any retail counter. The inquiry fee is $21.00 per money order, and each money order needs its own fee.¹⁶ The investigation can take up to 60 days. If USPS confirms the money order was never cashed, it issues a replacement check for the full face value, mailed to the address on your form. If it was already cashed, USPS sends you a copy of the redeemed document so you can see who endorsed it, which helps if you suspect fraud.

International Postal Money Orders Are a Different Story

Everything above applies to domestic money orders. International postal money orders followed different rules and are no longer part of the program. USPS stopped selling them on October 1, 2024, and the foreign postal operators that participated (including those in Albania, Belize, Bolivia, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guinea, Guyana, Honduras, Mali, Peru, and Sierra Leone) stopped cashing them as of October 1, 2025.⁷

Unlike the domestic version, international postal money orders carried an expiration date printed on the face, typically one year from the date of issue.⁸ The window to cash one at a U.S. Post Office closed on September 30, 2025. If you still hold an unredeemed international postal money order, the remaining route is PS Form 6401 to request a replacement or refund.⁷

1
USPS. Money Orders
2
USPS. Money Orders – The Basics
3
USPS. Money Orders – USPS Tracking
4
USPS About. Missing, Lost, or Stolen U.S. Money Order Forms
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United States Postal Service. PS Form 6401 – Money Order Inquiry
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Postal Explorer. Notice 123
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USPS About. IMM Revision: Elimination of International Postal Money Order Service
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TFX: Treasury Financial Experience. Chapter 7000 Procedures For Processing Postal Money Orders