To request a USPS mail hold, submit the request online at USPS.com or fill out PS Form 8076 at your local post office. The service is free, runs for 3 to 30 days, and automatically covers all mail and packages for everyone at your address, so you only file one request per household.1USPS. Hold Mail – Pause Mail Delivery Online2USPS. USPS Hold Mail – The Basics
Any resident, or someone they’ve authorized, can put in the request. You’ll need your full mailing address and the start and end dates. Not every address qualifies for the online option; if yours doesn’t, the site will tell you during the process, and USPS Customer Care can’t override it. In that case, you have to submit at the post office in person.2USPS. USPS Hold Mail – The Basics
Submitting the Request Online
Sign in to (or create) a USPS.com account and go to the Hold Mail page. If prompted, complete identity verification. This is a one-time step per address; once you’ve verified, future holds at the same location skip it.1USPS. Hold Mail – Pause Mail Delivery Online If the online verification fails, USPS may mail a verification code to your address, which adds a few days. If that route also fails, you’ll need to finish the request in person.
Once verified, enter your address and pick your start and end dates. You can schedule up to 30 days in advance, or as early as the next delivery day.1USPS. Hold Mail – Pause Mail Delivery Online After you submit, USPS emails a confirmation number. Save it. You’ll need that number to modify or cancel the hold later without a trip to the post office.
Submitting the Request in Person
Go to your local post office and fill out PS Form 8076, Authorization to Hold Mail.3United States Postal Service. PS Form 8076, Authorization to Hold Mail The form asks for the same information as the online version: address, hold dates, and the names of everyone at the address. Turn it in at least one business day before you want the hold to start so your carrier gets the update in time.
When the Hold Actually Starts
Online requests can start the same day if you submit before 3:00 AM Eastern Time (2:00 AM Central, midnight Pacific), Monday through Saturday. Anything submitted after that cutoff starts on the next postal business day at the earliest.1USPS. Hold Mail – Pause Mail Delivery Online
Postal business days run Monday through Saturday, excluding federal holidays observed by USPS.2USPS. USPS Hold Mail – The Basics If your start date is a Sunday or postal holiday, the hold begins the next business day. Same rule at the end: if your end date lands on a non-business day, regular delivery resumes the next business day after that.
Getting Your Mail Back
When you set up the hold, you choose between two options for what happens on the end date. You can pick everything up at the post office yourself, or have your carrier deliver the accumulated mail on that day.
For pickup, bring a valid photo ID to the location that held your mail. A confirmation number or PS Form 3849 (the slip a carrier leaves when they can’t deliver) speeds things along but isn’t required.4USPS. Picking Up Mail that is Being Held at Your Post Office If you choose carrier delivery instead, only what fits in your mailbox gets left. Overflow returns to the post office with a notice to pick up the rest.
Watch this deadline carefully: after the hold ends, you have 10 days to collect any mail still at the post office. Miss that window and it goes back to the senders, which can mean bounced bills, lost checks, and time-sensitive documents returning to companies that may not resend them.2USPS. USPS Hold Mail – The Basics If there’s any risk you won’t make it to the counter in those 10 days, pick carrier delivery when you submit the request.
Changing or Canceling a Hold
If you submitted online and still have your confirmation number, log in to USPS.com to change the end date or cancel the hold. Without the confirmation number, you’ll need to call or visit your local post office with a valid photo ID.
You can also cancel early by picking up your mail at the post office before the scheduled end date. Regular delivery resumes the next postal business day.2USPS. USPS Hold Mail – The Basics
If You Need Longer Than 30 Days
The 30-day cap is a hard limit. You can’t extend a hold beyond it, even by calling the post office.1USPS. Hold Mail – Pause Mail Delivery Online For longer absences, USPS offers mail forwarding instead. A temporary change of address reroutes first-class mail and packages to another address for 15 days to one year.5USPS. Standard Forward Mail and Change of Address Premium Forwarding Service Residential bundles all your mail and ships it weekly via Priority Mail to your temporary location, for an enrollment fee plus a weekly charge.6USPS. Premium Forwarding Services