USPS employees use PS Form 1216 to change the mailing address the Human Resources Shared Service Center (HRSSC) keeps on file. That address controls where your W-2 and other personnel mail lands, so it’s worth getting right before tax season. Active employees can also update the address in LiteBlue and skip the paper form entirely.
What to Have Ready Before You Fill It Out
Form 1216 is a single page. Before you start, pull together:
- Your eight-digit Employee Identification Number (EIN), which appears on your pay stubs and LiteBlue login.
- The last four digits of your Social Security Number, used with the EIN to match your record.
- Your previous mailing address, so HRSSC can locate the record it needs to replace.
- Your new mailing address, with apartment or suite number and the full ZIP+4 if you have it. A P.O. Box is acceptable.
There’s also a field for an emergency contact name. Fill it in even if nothing has changed there; leaving it blank can cause processing hiccups. Print legibly, or type into the PDF if your facility hands out a fillable copy. Every form needs your handwritten signature and the date. An unsigned form won’t be processed, which can leave the old address active straight through W-2 season.
Where to Download the Form
PS Form 1216 lives on the Postal Service’s internal PolicyNet site. Log in to the Blue page at blue.usps.gov and click “Forms” under Essential Links on the left. It isn’t posted on the public usps.com site, so you’ll need internal network access or a working LiteBlue session to pull the PDF.
Where to Mail the Completed Form
Send the signed form to:
HRSSC Compensation and Benefits
PO Box 970400
Greensboro, NC 27497-0400
Write the ZIP+4 clearly; a truncated ZIP slows delivery to the processing center. Some post offices and mail processing facilities keep postage-paid envelopes on hand for personnel paperwork, so ask your supervisor or admin clerk before buying your own postage.
There is no publicly listed fax number for Form 1216 submissions. If you’re up against a deadline, for example a move right before W-2s go out in January, call HRSSC at 877-477-3273, option 5, and ask whether fax or email submission is available for your area. The center is staffed Monday through Friday, 7:00 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. Eastern.
What Happens After You Send It
HRSSC staff verify your identity against the EIN and partial SSN on the form, then update your Official Personnel Folder. USPS has not published a guaranteed turnaround for paper submissions, so expect some lag between mailing the form and seeing the new address in your records. HRSSC does not send written confirmation.
To check that the change took effect, log in to LiteBlue after a couple of weeks and look at the mailing address in your Self-Service Profile. If the old address is still showing, call 877-477-3273, option 5, and ask a representative to confirm receipt.
The Faster Option: Change It in LiteBlue
Active employees can update the address directly through LiteBlue. The change feeds the same personnel database as Form 1216, but it takes effect faster because nothing is in transit and nothing is being keyed in by hand. That matters most in December and January, when a slow paper update can push your W-2 to the wrong address.
The steps:
- Go to liteblue.usps.gov and sign in with your EIN, your Self-Service Profile password, and your multi-factor authentication method.
- Select “Apps” at the top of the screen, then “Change address.”
- Choose “Mailing Address” and enter your new street, city, state, and ZIP+4.
The portal is available around the clock, and you can update phone numbers and emergency contacts in the same session. If a login problem is blocking you, submit the paper Form 1216 in the meantime so the address change isn’t held up while you sort out access.
Retirees Use OPM, Not This Form
Form 1216 is for active postal employees and those who recently separated. If you’re already drawing a federal retirement annuity, your address is maintained by the Office of Personnel Management. Update it at servicesonline.opm.gov under Profile, on the Communication tab, by clicking “Change” under Home Address. You can also submit a help request through OPM’s contact portal and pick “Change of Mailing Address” as the topic.
There’s a gap that catches people: you’ve left USPS but haven’t started receiving an OPM annuity yet. In that window your records may still sit with HRSSC, and mailing Form 1216 to Greensboro is the safer route for making sure your final W-2 or any corrected tax documents reach you. Once OPM starts paying your annuity and mailing your 1099-R, move your address updates to the OPM portal.