Q: Does USPS charge for redelivery when you miss a package delivery? → A: No, USPS offers completely free redelivery service with no additional charges – but beware of scammers who send fake texts and emails claiming you need to pay a $3 or $0.30 “redelivery fee.”
The United States Postal Service (USPS) provides free redelivery for missed packages as part of their standard customer service. USPS has built this service into their operations at no extra cost to customers. However, scammers frequently exploit confusion about this policy by sending fraudulent messages demanding payment for redelivery services. Understanding the real USPS redelivery policy protects you from unnecessary fees and helps you access legitimate Usps Services And Shipping Options efficiently.
For more information, see our complete guide to USPS shipping services and solutions. For more answers to common questions, see our comprehensive USPS Frequently Asked Questions guide. ParcelPath users benefit from discounted USPS shipping rates starting 60% below retail, plus free scheduling tools that make managing deliveries even easier.
How Much Does USPS Redelivery Cost in 2026?
USPS redelivery service is free for all standard mail and package deliveries — see current USPS pricing for other service fees. The postal service does not charge customers any fee to reschedule delivery attempts, regardless of how many times you miss the original delivery.
This policy stands in contrast to some private carriers who may impose redelivery charges. USPS maintains free redelivery as part of their commitment to accessible postal services across America.
What Services Include Free Redelivery?
- First-Class Mail packages requiring signatures
- Priority Mail and Priority Mail Express deliveries
- USPS Ground Advantage packages
- Certified Mail requiring recipient signatures
- Registered Mail and insured packages over $200
- Special delivery services like Adult Signature Required
Mini Q&A:
Q: Are there limits on free redeliveries? A: USPS allows up to two free redelivery attempts before requiring package pickup at the post office.
Q: Does package value affect redelivery costs? A: No, redelivery remains free regardless of your package’s declared value or insurance amount. If you need to understand how USPS insurance works for valuable packages, we have detailed coverage information available.
How Do You Schedule a Free USPS Redelivery?
USPS offers multiple ways to request free redelivery service, available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week through their online system. For same-day redelivery, you must submit requests by 2:00 AM Central Standard Time, Monday through Saturday.
The process requires information from PS Form 3849 (the pink or white redelivery notice your carrier leaves). This notice contains your tracking number and delivery address details needed to schedule redelivery.
Step-by-Step Redelivery Scheduling Process
- Visit tools.usps.com/redelivery.htm on any device with internet access
- Enter your ZIP code and delivery confirmation number from Form 3849
- Select your preferred redelivery date (next business day or specific future date)
- Choose delivery location preferences (front door, back door, specific instructions)
- Submit the request and receive email confirmation with your redelivery details
Alternative methods include calling your local post office directly or completing the paper form PS 3849 and leaving it for your mail carrier. However, online scheduling provides the fastest confirmation and most flexible timing options.
Mini Q&A:
Q: Can I schedule weekend redelivery? A: Redelivery follows normal postal delivery schedules – typically Monday through Saturday for most addresses. Learn more about weekend postal operations and service availability.
How Many Redelivery Attempts USPS Makes Before Return to Sender
USPS does not keep trying indefinitely. For most parcels that could not be delivered, the carrier leaves a PS Form 3849 notice and holds the item at the local Post Office, where it typically waits about fifteen days before being returned to sender if nobody schedules redelivery or picks it up.
You generally get one free scheduled redelivery attempt per request, which you can book online for the next available day. Accountable mail that requires a signature — such as items sent with signature confirmation — follows its own attempt pattern, with a second notice left before the hold clock runs out. Scheduling promptly after the first notice is the surest way to avoid the parcel bouncing back to the sender.
What the PS Form 3849 Notice Tells You
When USPS cannot complete a delivery, it leaves a PS Form 3849 — the “we tried to deliver” slip — and reading it correctly is the key to a fast redelivery. The notice records the article or barcode number you need to schedule online, the reason delivery could not be completed (no authorized recipient for a signature item, no secure location, or a package too large for the receptacle), and whether the item is being held at the Post Office or is available for redelivery.
Using the barcode from the slip on the USPS redelivery scheduler links your request to the exact parcel, so it is worth keeping the notice rather than discarding it. If the slip indicates the item is held for pickup, it also lists the retaining Post Office and the date by which you must collect it before it is returned to sender.
FAQ: Does USPS Charge for Redelivery
Does USPS charge for redelivery?
No.
USPS redelivery is completely free — you can schedule it online at tools.usps.com/redelivery.htm using the barcode on PS Form 3849. Any text or email demanding a small “redelivery fee” is a scam, since the Postal Service never charges to reschedule a missed delivery.
Free Redelivery vs Paid Package Intercept and Pickup on Demand
Standard USPS redelivery — where a parcel couldn’t be delivered and you request another attempt — is free, and that surprises people who assume any second attempt costs money. Where charges do appear is with adjacent services that people confuse with redelivery. Package Intercept, which lets you redirect or hold a parcel that’s already in the mailstream, is a paid service plus any additional postage.
Pickup on Demand, where a carrier makes a special trip to collect outbound packages, carries a fee. And if a parcel is returned to sender and you want it sent out again, that’s new postage, not a free redelivery. The word “redelivery” gets stretched across all of these, which is why the “does it cost?” answer feels contradictory depending on who you ask.
Why a Package Ends Up Needing Redelivery in the First Place
USPS redelivery is usually triggered by a failed first attempt, and the reasons are specific: a signature or age-restricted item with no one home to sign, a parcel too large for the mailbox or parcel locker with no safe drop location, a restricted delivery item, or a package sender who marked it for hold.
When the carrier leaves a PS Form 3849 “we missed you” notice, that slip is your key to scheduling the free second attempt — it carries the barcode that ties the request to your specific parcel. Signature-required items are the most common redelivery cause, and no amount of rescheduling changes the fact that someone has to be present, so for those, choosing a redelivery to a time when you’ll be home matters more than the reattempt itself.
Scheduling the Free Redelivery Without a Trip to the Post Office
- Use the barcode on the PS Form 3849 notice or your tracking number to schedule the reattempt online through USPS Redelivery — no counter visit and no fee.
- Redelivery can usually be scheduled for the next delivery day; requests made after the daily cutoff roll to the following one, so submit early.
- If you won’t reliably be home, redirect the parcel to hold at your local Post Office for pickup instead of repeating failed attempts that eventually return the item to sender.
- For signature items, either arrange to be present or authorize the delivery instructions in advance — a free redelivery to an empty house just loops the problem.
Redelivery vs Hold-for-Pickup vs Authorized Release
Free redelivery is one of several no-cost ways USPS lets you resolve a missed delivery, and the best choice depends on your schedule. Redelivery reattempts to your address on a chosen day — good if you can be home. Hold for Pickup routes the parcel to your local Post Office so you collect it on your own time with ID, which beats repeated failed attempts when your hours are unpredictable.
For non-signature items, you can leave standing delivery instructions or authorize the carrier to release the parcel to a safe location, avoiding the failed-attempt loop entirely. Informed Delivery — USPS’s free preview of incoming mail and packages — lets you see a signature parcel is coming before it arrives, so you can arrange to be present or reroute it proactively instead of reacting to a PS Form 3849 notice after the fact. All of these are free; the paid services are the intercept-and-redirect tools, not the reattempt.
Part of our USPS Tracking guide. Related: USPS Tracking and Delivery, USPS Tracking Not Updating, USPS Tracking Not Updating After Drop Off.
