You can pay for a PO Box online at usps.com using a credit or debit card, either to rent a new box or to renew one you already have. A free USPS.com account handles both. Renting a new box still requires one in-person trip to the Post Office within 30 days to show ID and pick up your keys, but the payment itself happens online.
What You Need Before You Start
You need a USPS.com account, which is free to create with an email address and password. For a renewal, have your PO Box number and the ZIP code of the Post Office where the box is located.1USPS. Post Office Boxes Online (POBOL) – General Information
Online payments accept credit and debit cards only. USPS takes Visa, MasterCard, American Express, and Discover, among others.2United States Postal Service. Sign 145 – Payment Acceptance Policies Cash and checks aren’t accepted for online transactions. The billing address on your card has to match the address on your card statement, or the payment will be declined.3USPS. PO Boxes Online Key Steps Guide
Paying for a New PO Box Online
Go to usps.com/manage/po-boxes.htm and search by ZIP code or city. USPS shows the boxes available at nearby Post Offices, along with sizes and prices. Pick a box, choose a rental term of 3, 6, or 12 months, and enter your card details.4USPS. PO Boxes
During checkout, you’ll see the automatic renewal option. On a 3-month term, auto-renewal is required and can’t be turned off. On 6-month and 12-month terms, it’s switched on by default but you can opt out and pay manually each cycle.5United States Postal Service. Terms and Conditions of Use for the USPS Post Office Box Online Interface
Once the online reservation goes through, you have 30 days to visit the Post Office where the box is located. Bring two forms of ID: a primary photo ID (driver’s license, passport, state-issued ID, or military ID) and a secondary document showing your physical address (a lease or mortgage document, voter registration card, vehicle registration, or insurance policy). Digital copies aren’t accepted, and the second form has to be a different type of document than the first, so two photo IDs won’t work.6USPS. Acceptable Forms of Identification
If you don’t visit within 30 days, USPS cancels the reservation and refunds the payment automatically.5United States Postal Service. Terms and Conditions of Use for the USPS Post Office Box Online Interface
Paying to Renew an Existing PO Box
Log into usps.com and open the PO Box management section. If your box is already linked to your account, select it, choose a renewal term, and confirm your card. Payment posts immediately, your renewal date updates in your account, and you get a confirmation email.1USPS. Post Office Boxes Online (POBOL) – General Information
If you originally rented the box in person, you can link it to your online account using the box number and Post Office ZIP code, then handle future renewals online.3USPS. PO Boxes Online Key Steps Guide
With auto-renewal turned on, USPS charges your card on the 15th of the month your term expires. If that charge fails, they retry on the 25th, which gives you time to update your card in your account or pay in person before the box lapses.
Rental Terms and the Auto-Renewal Rule
PO Boxes rent in 3-month, 6-month, and 12-month terms. There’s no month-to-month option. Only the 3-month term forces auto-renewal enrollment; the longer terms let you opt out.4USPS. PO Boxes The 3-month term costs more per month than the longer terms, so a 6- or 12-month rental is cheaper overall if you plan to keep the box.
What You’ll Pay
Price depends on box size and location. USPS assigns each Post Office to a fee group based on demand, so the same box size can cost very different amounts in different places. A small box at a rural Post Office might run $39 for six months, while the same size at a high-traffic urban location can run $219 for six months. The largest boxes in the priciest locations can exceed $650 for six months.7USPS. Notice 123 – Price List
The reliable way to see your price is to search on usps.com/manage/po-boxes.htm; each available box at your chosen location shows its exact price before you commit.
If Your Payment Fails or You Miss the Deadline
After a rental term expires, USPS gives a 10-day grace period. During those 10 days, box access is blocked but the box isn’t closed. Pay within the window and service resumes.8About USPS. Policies, Procedures, and Forms Updates
If no payment comes in by day 11, USPS closes the box and returns incoming mail to senders. There’s also a $25 lock replacement and late payment fee once the box goes delinquent.9USPS. January 2025 Price Change – Notice 123 If you rely on the box for business mail, watch the renewal date and confirm that the card on file hasn’t expired before the 15th of your renewal month.
When You Can’t Pay Online
Online payment covers most situations, but a few don’t fit it. If you want to pay with cash or a check, you have to pay at the Post Office counter, at a self-service kiosk in the lobby, or by mailing a check or money order payable to “U.S. Postal Service” to the Postmaster at your Post Office, with your box number on the memo line.4USPS. PO Boxes Mailing a payment is the slowest route, so send it well before your term expires.
Refunds also have an online limit. If you originally paid in person and later linked the box to your account, you can renew online but you can’t request a refund online; you’d need to go back to the Post Office. Refunds follow a sliding scale in either case: no refund on a 3-month term, 50% during the first three months of a 6-month term, and 75%/50%/25% across the first nine months of a 12-month term, with nothing after that.5United States Postal Service. Terms and Conditions of Use for the USPS Post Office Box Online Interface