How to Fill Out and Submit USPS Form 3546: Address Correction

USPS Form 3546 is an internal document a postal clerk completes at the counter to correct, change, or cancel an existing change-of-address (COA) order. You don’t fill it out yourself. You go to a Post Office, tell the clerk what needs fixing on your forwarding record, show ID, and the clerk enters the update through the retail terminal.¹ If you filed your original change of address online and still have the confirmation code, you can also handle many corrections and cancellations yourself at usps.com without visiting a Post Office at all.

When You Need a Correction

PS Form 3546 exists to modify or delete a forwarding record that already exists in the USPS system. Common reasons to request one include:

A misspelled name, street, or apartment number that could cause automated sorters to reject your mail.
The wrong move type on file (individual filed as family, family filed as individual, or a business filed incorrectly).
A shifted move-out date that needs the forwarding window adjusted.
Cancellation because the move fell through or you returned to the original address.
Switching a temporary forward into a permanent one, or vice versa.

Online Correction or In-Person Visit?

If you originally filed online and have the confirmation code USPS emailed you, log in to the manage-my-move portal at usps.com, enter your code and the ZIP Code of your new address, and modify or cancel from there.²³

You have to go to the Post Office, where the clerk uses PS Form 3546, in three situations:

The online identity check fails, or you don’t have a credit card matching your name and old address.
You’re acting for someone else, including as an executor or under a power of attorney.
You’re moving outside the United States. International redirects aren’t handled through the online portal.

What to Bring to the Counter

The clerk needs enough detail to pull up the existing record and confirm you’re the person authorized to change it. Bring:

Your full legal name as it appeared on the original filing. Nicknames or shortened forms can cause lookup failures.
Both the old and new addresses in full, including ZIP Codes, matching what’s already in the system.¹
The move type used on the original order (individual, family, or business).²
The effective date of the original forwarding order — the date mail actually started being redirected, not the date you submitted the form.
Your original confirmation code if you have it. It’s the fastest lookup.
A government-issued photo ID such as a driver’s license or passport.²

There is no separate customer fee for the correction itself.

Correcting a Business Change of Address

A business correction requires proof that you’re authorized to act for the company, because the person at the counter usually isn’t the business. USPS accepts any one of the following alongside your own photo ID:⁴

A notarized letter authorizing you to handle the business’s mail.
A power of attorney naming you as the company’s agent.
A letter on company letterhead signed by someone in a leadership role.

Without one of these, the clerk cannot process the correction.

Corrections for a Deceased Person or Under Power of Attorney

If you’re redirecting mail for someone who has died, you have to appear in person as the executor or estate administrator. A death certificate on its own isn’t enough; USPS wants documented proof of your legal appointment, typically Letters Testamentary or Letters of Administration issued by a court.⁵

If you hold power of attorney for someone who can’t manage their own mail, bring the POA document and your own acceptable ID to the Post Office. Online modifications aren’t available when you’re acting on behalf of another person.²

How Long the Correction Takes

USPS says forwarding changes may take effect within three business days but recommends allowing up to two weeks for the whole system to catch up.² Corrections follow the same pipeline as original filings. You won’t get a paper receipt at the counter. About five business days before a change-of-address start date, USPS mails a Customer Notification Letter with the confirmation code to the new address; if you’ve corrected an active order, watch for a revised notification. The other practical way to confirm the fix worked is simply watching for mail arriving at the corrected address with the yellow forwarding labels.

What a Correction Doesn’t Do

Correcting your record through PS Form 3546 fixes the details of the existing forwarding order. It doesn’t restart or extend the forwarding period. A permanent COA forwards First-Class Mail for 12 months and periodicals for 60 days; temporary orders run from 15 days up to one year.² It also doesn’t change which classes of mail get forwarded. USPS Marketing Mail is never forwarded. Media Mail is forwarded only if you pay the shipping cost from your local Post Office. First-Class Mail, Priority Mail, Priority Mail Express, and First-Class Packages are forwarded at no extra charge during the active period.

False Filings Are a Federal Crime

Filing false information to redirect someone else’s mail is prosecutable under 18 U.S.C. § 1001, which carries a fine, up to five years in prison, or both.⁶ That applies to corrections submitted through PS Form 3546 just as it does to original filings. The photo ID check in person and the credit card verification online exist for this reason. If you think someone has filed a fraudulent change of address in your name, contact your local Post Office and file a complaint with the USPS Postal Inspection Service.

1
United States Postal Service. Postal Bulletin 22204 – Re-emphasis of Policy on Corrections to Change-of-Address Orders
2
USPS. Standard Forward Mail and Change of Address
3
United States Postal Service. Mail Forwarding Made Easier Online at usps.com
4
USPS. Manage Your Business Mail
5
USPS.com. Mail Addressed to the Deceased
6
Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 USC 1001 Statements or Entries Generally