You can cancel a USPS change of address two ways: online at managemymove.usps.com using your 16-digit Confirmation Code and the new ZIP Code, or in person at any Post Office with a valid photo ID. Either way, the cancellation takes about 72 hours to fully process, so mail may keep routing to the forwarding address during that window.1FAQ USPS. Change of Address – The Basics
What You Need Before You Cancel
For the online route, two pieces of information are required: the 16-digit Confirmation Code and the ZIP Code of the forwarding address you entered when you filed.1FAQ USPS. Change of Address – The Basics USPS sends the Confirmation Code twice: once by email immediately after you submit the request online, and once in a printed Customer Notification Letter inside the Welcome Kit mailed to your new address about five business days before your forwarding start date.2USPS. Standard Forward Mail and Change of Address
Don’t confuse the Confirmation Code with the 13-digit Change of Address Key printed on the front of the official Validation Letter. The Key activates your change of address; the 16-digit Confirmation Code is what modifies or cancels it.1FAQ USPS. Change of Address – The Basics If the email confirmation isn’t in your inbox, check spam and promotions folders before giving up on it.
Can’t find the Confirmation Code at all? You won’t be able to cancel online. Go to a Post Office instead, where a clerk can look up your forwarding order using your photo ID.1FAQ USPS. Change of Address – The Basics
Canceling Online
Go to managemymove.usps.com. Enter the new ZIP Code and the 16-digit Confirmation Code, then click Submit. The portal pulls up your active forwarding order and shows the editable fields. Choose the option to cancel.1FAQ USPS. Change of Address – The Basics
The screen will confirm the cancellation was accepted. Give it 72 hours to move through the USPS system.1FAQ USPS. Change of Address – The Basics Some mail may still land at the forwarding address during that window, so watch delivery at both locations until everything is reaching your original address again.
If you’d rather adjust the order than end it, the same portal lets you edit the forwarding end date or other details. USPS allows up to two modifications per forwarding order, and you can still cancel even after using both modification slots.1FAQ USPS. Change of Address – The Basics
Canceling in Person
Any Post Office can process the cancellation. Speak to a clerk at the retail counter and bring a current, unexpired government-issued photo ID. Acceptable forms include:
- State-issued driver’s license or non-driver ID card
- U.S. passport book or passport card
- Uniformed Service Identification Card
- Permanent resident card (Green Card), certificate of naturalization, or certificate of citizenship
- U.S. university ID card, Matricula Consular card (Mexico), or NEXUS card (Canada)
The clerk uses your name and address to locate the active forwarding order in the system.1FAQ USPS. Change of Address – The Basics You don’t need the Confirmation Code for an in-person cancellation. The photo ID is enough. Processing still takes about 72 hours, the same as an online submission.
Canceling a Business Change of Address
Business forwarding orders cancel the same way: online with a Confirmation Code, or in person. The wrinkle is authorization. When a business files a change of address on paper (PS Form 3575), USPS requires a business license or a letter on company letterhead, signed by someone in a leadership role, confirming the person submitting the form is authorized to act for the business.1FAQ USPS. Change of Address – The Basics If you’re canceling in person and you weren’t the person who originally filed, bring similar authorization documentation so the clerk can confirm you have the right to make changes.
Canceling for a Deceased Person
Mail matters for a deceased person can only be handled in person at a Post Office. A death certificate on its own isn’t enough. You’ll need documented proof that you are the appointed executor or administrator authorized to manage the deceased person’s mail.3USPS. How to Stop or Forward Mail for the Deceased In practice that means letters testamentary or letters of administration from a probate court, plus the death certificate and your own photo ID. The clerk reviews the documents at the counter before changing anything on the forwarding order.
If You Suspect the Change of Address Was Fraudulent
Someone filing a change of address in your name without permission is a form of identity theft, and the standard cancellation steps aren’t the whole response. Go to your local Post Office with photo ID to cancel the unauthorized order, then report the fraud to the U.S. Postal Inspection Service. USPIS handles mail-related identity theft investigations and takes complaints at mailtheft.uspis.gov. Filing a report creates a record that can help protect you if the fraud spreads to other misuse of your personal information.
Fees and What You Won’t Get Back
When you filed online, USPS charged a $1.25 credit card authentication fee to verify your identity. That fee is not refundable, even if you cancel right away. USPS does not charge anything for the cancellation itself. If you were charged more than $1.25 when you filed, USPS advises returning to the website where you entered the request or disputing the charge with your credit card company, since third-party sites sometimes add their own fees on top of the USPS charge.4FAQ USPS. Change of Address Refund Request
If you paid for Extended Mail Forwarding, the add-on that extends the standard 12-month forwarding period by 6, 12, or 18 months, you cannot cancel just the extension. Stopping Extended Mail Forwarding means canceling the entire underlying change of address, and you are not entitled to a refund of the extension fee if you do.5FAQ USPS. Extended Mail Forwarding