USPS package forwarding happens through a change-of-address order: once it’s active, Priority Mail, Priority Mail Express and USPS Ground Advantage packages follow you to your new address free for 12 months, while Media Mail packages are forwarded with postage due. Packages shipped by UPS, FedEx or other private carriers aren’t covered, and a package already in transit can only be redirected by the sender through USPS Package Intercept.
USPS also offers paid Premium Forwarding Service, which ships your mail weekly by Priority Mail, and free Hold Mail for short trips. This guide compares each option, explains which packages follow you and covers what to do when one doesn’t.
Which Packages Does USPS Forward?
What happens to a package depends on the mail class the sender paid for, not on its size or contents:
| Package type | Forwarded? | What to expect |
|---|---|---|
| Priority Mail Express | Yes, free | Forwarded for the full forwarding period |
| Priority Mail | Yes, free | Forwarded for the full forwarding period |
| USPS Ground Advantage | Yes, free | Covers most online orders that USPS delivers |
| USPS Media Mail | Yes, postage due | You pay to ship it from your old Post Office to the new address |
| USPS Marketing Mail parcels | No | Only if the sender paid for forwarding |
| Items from government agencies and financial institutions | No | Sensitive items such as IDs, credit cards and statements aren’t forwarded |
| UPS, FedEx, DHL and Amazon’s own delivery network | No | Private carriers don’t use USPS forwarding; update the address with the sender or carrier |
An online order follows you only if USPS is the carrier that delivers it. When a retailer hands packages to UPS or its own drivers, a USPS change of address has no effect, so update your saved shipping address in each account.
What Are Your USPS Package Forwarding Options?
USPS has five services that move or hold packages for you. They differ in who requests them, how long they last and whether a fee applies:
| Option | Who requests it | Duration | Fee | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Permanent change of address | Recipient | 12 months (extendable) | Free in person; small identity-verification fee online | Moving for good |
| Temporary change of address | Recipient | 15 days to 1 year | Same as permanent | Seasonal homes, school terms, work assignments |
| Premium Forwarding Service Residential | Recipient | 2 weeks to 1 year | Enrollment fee plus a weekly fee | Getting everything in one weekly Priority Mail box |
| Package Intercept | Sender or authorized representative | One package | Intercept fee plus postage for the new leg | Redirecting a package already in transit |
| Hold Mail | Recipient | 3 to 30 days | Free | Short trips where nothing needs to move |
For a short absence, USPS Hold Mail keeps packages at the Post Office until you return instead of sending them anywhere. For exact fees on the paid options, check USPS before you enroll, because they change with USPS price updates.
How Do You Set Up USPS Package Forwarding?
Standard package forwarding starts with a change of address, filed online on the official USPS site (with a mobile-phone verification code and a small fee) or in person at a Post Office with PS Form 3575 and photo ID. You can file up to 3 months before your move and up to 30 days after it.
- Choose permanent or temporary, and Individual, Family or Business.
- Enter the old and new addresses exactly as USPS formats them, including unit numbers.
- Pick a start date and verify your identity.
- Keep the confirmation code; you need it to change or cancel the order.
Packages start following you 7 to 10 postal business days after the move date or filing date, whichever is later. Our USPS change of address guide walks through the filing, the confirmation letters and the cases that require an in-person visit.
How Do You Redirect a Package That’s Already Shipped?
If a package is on its way to the wrong address, the sender, or someone the sender authorizes, can request USPS Package Intercept before it’s out for delivery. USPS can send it back to the sender, hold it at a Post Office for pickup or, for commercial senders, redirect it to a new address.
- It works on domestic mail with a USPS Tracking or extra-services barcode, up to 130 inches in combined length and girth.
- It doesn’t work for Marketing Mail, periodicals, items going to a PO Box or a commercial mail receiving agency, or packages with hazardous materials markings.
- It isn’t guaranteed. USPS doesn’t charge the intercept fee if it can’t intercept the package, but the fee isn’t refundable once the intercept succeeds.
Our guide to USPS Package Intercept fees and success tips explains how to submit a request. If you’re the recipient, contact the sender and ask them to start it, since USPS won’t accept an intercept request from the recipient.
How Does Premium Forwarding Service Work?
With Premium Forwarding Service Residential, USPS holds all your mail, packages included, at your local Post Office and ships it to your temporary address once a week by Priority Mail. Shipments usually go out on Wednesdays, and the service runs from a minimum of two weeks to a maximum of one year.
You can enroll online or at a Post Office. It’s limited to domestic residential addresses, so businesses and some PO Box customers aren’t eligible, and items that must be shipped separately, such as packages too large for the weekly box, don’t go in the weekly shipment. Because the weekly box travels by Priority Mail with tracking, it suits people who want their mail consolidated at one address while they move between places.
How Long Does Package Forwarding Last?
A permanent change of address forwards packages for 12 months. You can pay to extend it by 6, 12 or 18 months, to a maximum of 18 extra months, and extensions can’t be canceled or refunded.
When forwarding ends, USPS spends the next 6 months returning mail to senders with a label showing your new address. Packages that can’t be forwarded or delivered go back under the rules in our guide to USPS return to sender.
What If a Package Isn’t Forwarded?
The package went to the old address
Check whether forwarding had started yet: packages sent in the first 7 to 10 postal business days after the start date may still be delivered to the old address. Also check that the sender used USPS, and that the address on the label matches the one in your change-of-address order.
The package was returned to the sender
A label with a misspelled street or missing unit number may not match your forwarding order. Senders can catch these errors before shipping with USPS address correction services, which update addresses from USPS’s change-of-address records.
The package needs a signature
Forwarded packages that require a signature, such as items sent with USPS Signature Confirmation, still need someone to sign at the new address. If no one is home, USPS leaves a notice for redelivery or pickup.
The package seems lost
Forwarding adds handling at your old Post Office, so a forwarded package takes longer than one sent straight to the new address. If tracking stops for days, follow the steps for a lost USPS package, including a Missing Mail search after 7 days.
What Should You Update So You Don’t Rely on Forwarding?
Forwarding is a bridge, not a permanent fix. Update the shipping address directly with online stores, subscription boxes, pharmacies, banks and government agencies, since sensitive items from financial institutions and agencies aren’t forwarded at all.
If you’re shipping your own boxes to the new place, ParcelPath is free to use, with up to 89% off USPS and up to 85% off UPS, plus free USPS pickups. Send boxes to the new address directly rather than relying on forwarding, and compare Ground Advantage, Priority Mail and UPS Ground in the ParcelPath rate calculator. Our USPS shipping hub with rates, tracking and services covers each USPS service, and our roundup of shipping services and solutions compares other options for a move.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does USPS forward packages for free?
Yes, for most USPS packages. With an active change of address, Priority Mail, Priority Mail Express and USPS Ground Advantage packages are forwarded at no charge for 12 months. Media Mail is forwarded with postage due, which you pay to move it from your old Post Office. Marketing Mail parcels aren’t forwarded unless the sender paid for forwarding.
Will USPS forward my Amazon packages?
Only the ones USPS delivers. If an order ships through USPS, it follows your change-of-address order like any other Ground Advantage or Priority Mail package. Orders delivered by UPS, FedEx or Amazon’s own drivers aren’t covered by USPS forwarding, so update the shipping address in your Amazon account before placing new orders.
Can I redirect a USPS package that’s already on its way?
Only the sender, or someone the sender authorizes, can request USPS Package Intercept, and only before the package is out for delivery. USPS can return it, hold it at a Post Office or, for commercial senders, send it to a new address. A fee applies if the intercept succeeds, plus postage for the new leg, and USPS doesn’t guarantee success.
How long does USPS package forwarding last?
A permanent change of address forwards packages for 12 months, and a temporary one lasts anywhere from 15 days to 1 year. You can pay to extend permanent forwarding by 6, 12 or 18 months. Premium Forwarding Service Residential runs from two weeks to one year, with your mail shipped weekly by Priority Mail.
What’s the difference between forwarding and Premium Forwarding Service?
Standard forwarding sends each eligible piece to your new address as it arrives, free for First-Class Mail, Priority Mail and Ground Advantage. Premium Forwarding Service Residential is paid: USPS collects all your mail and packages at your old Post Office and ships them to you once a week in a Priority Mail box, usually on Wednesdays.
Sources
- USPS: Standard Forward Mail and Change of Address
- USPS: Premium Forwarding Services
- USPS FAQ: Premium Forwarding Services
- USPS: Package Intercept
- USPS FAQ: Change of Address, The Basics
- USPS FAQ: USPS Hold Mail, The Basics
Part of our USPS Locations guide. Related: USPS Locations and Access Points, Post Office Near Me, USPS Collection Box.
