The short answer
USPS Hold Mail is a free service that pauses all mail delivery to your address, letters and packages, for a minimum of 3 days and a maximum of 30 days while the Post Office keeps it safe. You can request it online at usps.com up to 30 days ahead (after signing in and verifying your identity), by calling 1-800-ASK-USPS, or by filling out PS Form 8076 at your local Post Office. When the hold ends, your carrier delivers everything, or you pick it up.
What is USPS Hold Mail?
USPS Hold Mail is how you stop mail delivery for a short time without changing your address. Instead of leaving letters and packages to pile up in your mailbox or on the porch while you travel, the Postal Service keeps them at your local Post Office until you return. USPS describes it as a way to have your mail “held safely at your local Post Office location until you return.”
A hold covers everything USPS delivers to the address, and it applies to everyone who gets mail there. The USPS FAQ is emphatic on both points: a request “will hold ALL mail (including letters and packages) for ALL individuals at the specified address.” You can’t use it to hold one package or a few specific items. For a single package, USPS points to its Delivery Instructions options, which may let you have that item held for pickup instead.
After you submit a request, write down the confirmation number. USPS recommends keeping it in case you need to change the hold later, and as explained below, it’s hard to edit a hold without one.
How long will USPS hold mail?
USPS will hold mail for at least 3 days and no more than 30 days. The same limits appear on the usps.com Hold Mail page, in the USPS FAQ, and at the top of PS Form 8076, the paper request form: “We can hold your mail for a minimum of 3 days, but for no more than 30 days.”
You can’t chain holds back to back to cover a longer trip. The FAQ says at least 3 days must pass between the end of one hold and the start of the next. Its example: at the end of a 30-day hold, you can ask for another one on the 31st day, but it won’t take effect until after 3 days. If you’ll be gone longer than 30 days, USPS directs you to a forwarding service instead (see the options later in this article).
How much does USPS Hold Mail cost?
Nothing. The USPS FAQ calls Hold Mail “a free service,” whether you request it online, by phone, or at the Post Office. That separates it from Premium Forwarding Service Residential, which has an enrollment fee and a weekly fee, and is covered in the section on longer absences.
The online request does need a USPS.com account, and USPS asks you to verify your identity before you submit it. If you can’t verify online, the mailed verification code takes 3–5 business days to arrive, so plan ahead.
How do I request a hold mail online?
Online is the fastest route for most people. USPS lists the first two steps on its Hold Mail page, and the FAQ covers the rest:
- Create or sign in to your USPS.com account.
- Go to USPS Hold Mail and follow the steps to verify your identity. Once you’ve verified, USPS says you won’t have to repeat this step for your current address.
- Enter your start and end dates (3–30 days apart) and choose whether your carrier delivers the held mail on the last day or you pick it up.
- Note the confirmation number USPS emails you, which you’ll need to change or cancel the hold.
How far ahead do you need to request hold mail?
You can submit an online request up to 30 days before the start date, or as late as the next scheduled delivery day. Timing on the start day matters. The usps.com Hold Mail page says to request your start date by 3 a.m. Eastern time (2 a.m. Central or 12 a.m. Pacific) on the day you want the hold to begin, Monday–Saturday. The FAQ puts it the same way: requests made before 2 a.m. Central time can start that Postal business day; later requests start the next Postal business day at the earliest.
Postal business days are Monday through Saturday, excluding postal holidays. If you’re leaving on a Sunday or a holiday, the hold can’t start that day, so set it for the next business day and plan around it. Our list of USPS holidays shows the dates when mail isn’t delivered.
Phone and in-person requests run on a different clock. The FAQ says they must be accepted before your local Post Office or the Customer Care Center closes for the hold to take effect with the next delivery.
Can I put a hold on my mail by phone or at the Post Office?
Yes. You can call 1-800-ASK-USPS (1-800-275-8777), or visit your local Post Office and complete PS Form 8076, Authorization to Hold Mail. The form itself lists other ways to turn it in: hand it to your carrier, drop it in a collection box, or leave it in your mailbox (completing the reverse side first), or give it to a Post Office employee.
The paper or in-person route is the only option for some addresses. USPS notes that online Hold Mail isn’t available at every address, and if yours isn’t eligible, you have to request in person with PS Form 8076; the Customer Care Center can’t submit requests for ineligible addresses. It’s also the fallback if USPS can’t verify your identity online. In that case you can ask for a verification code by mail, which USPS says arrives by First-Class Mail within 3–5 business days and expires after 90 days.
Keep in mind that holds made at a Post Office don’t come with a confirmation number. That matters if your plans change.
Who can submit a hold mail request?
According to USPS, anyone at an eligible address, or someone that person authorizes to act on their behalf, can request a hold. A third party, such as a family member booking a trip for an older parent, can schedule one as long as they can supply all the information the request needs.
There’s one firm limit if you’ve moved: you can’t place a hold on an old address where you no longer live. If you’ve moved back to an address that still has a change-of-address forwarding order, USPS says you must cancel that order at the Post Office before you can request a hold. And if you file a change of address after scheduling a hold, the change of address wins, and the held mail is forwarded.
How do I get my mail when the hold ends?
When you request the hold, you choose one of two ways to get your mail back:
- Delivery: your carrier brings all the accumulated mail on the last day of the hold. If you aren’t home and it won’t fit in your mailbox, the carrier leaves PS Form 3849 (We ReDeliver for You!) and takes the overflow back to the Post Office for pickup.
- Pickup: you collect it at your local Post Office, showing an acceptable form of ID. USPS says held mail must be picked up within 10 days or it’s returned to the senders. Regular delivery restarts the next Postal business day.
How do I change, extend, or cancel a hold?
It depends on whether you have a confirmation number. USPS emails one when you request online, or by phone if you give a valid email address. With it, you can edit, change, or cancel the hold through the link in that email or by calling the Customer Care Center. Changes follow the same 2 a.m. Central time cutoff as new requests.
Without a confirmation number, as with a hold made at the Post Office, a phone agent can only extend the hold. To change or cancel it, you must go to your local Post Office and show an acceptable ID; if you’re still traveling, call that Post Office directly.
Back early? Picking up your held mail before the scheduled end date automatically cancels the hold, and delivery resumes the next Postal business day. You can also authorize someone else to pick it up by giving the Post Office written permission; that person has to show acceptable ID. If your hold didn’t start or stop when it should have, USPS asks you to contact it so an agent can pass the problem to local Post Office staff.
Does Hold Mail stop UPS or FedEx packages?
Hold Mail is a USPS service, so it covers what your USPS carrier delivers. A package shipped with UPS, FedEx, or another private carrier doesn’t go through the Post Office. To stop those deliveries, use that carrier’s own options or ask the seller to hold the order.
For USPS mail, Informed Delivery is a useful companion to a hold. USPS says Informed Delivery subscribers can digitally monitor their mail while it’s on hold, seeing previews of incoming letter-size mail and package status. Signing up for Informed Delivery can also complete the identity verification that online Hold Mail requires.
What if I’ll be away longer than 30 days?
USPS points longer absences to forwarding instead of a hold. There are two main options. A temporary change of address is free and is meant for stays of 15 days up to 1 year, such as school or staying with family; mail is forwarded to the temporary address piece by piece as it arrives. USPS says to allow at least 7–10 business days after approval for it to take effect, and some sensitive items, such as identity and financial documents, may not be forwarded.
Premium Forwarding Service Residential (PFS-Residential) packs up your mail at your local Post Office and ships it to you once a week by Priority Mail, for a minimum of 2 weeks and up to 1 year. It costs money. Notice 123 (effective October 4, 2026) lists a nonrefundable enrollment fee of $26.40 online or $28.70 at the Post Office, plus $29.70 for each week of service. USPS says forwarding usually begins the Wednesday after you enroll.
| Option | How long | Cost | How you get your mail | How to request |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hold Mail | 3–30 days | Free | Delivered on the last day of the hold, or picked up at the Post Office within 10 days | usps.com (account and identity check), 1-800-ASK-USPS, or PS Form 8076 |
| Temporary change of address | 15 days to 1 year | Free | Forwarded piece by piece to your temporary address | Online at usps.com or at a Post Office; allow 7–10 business days |
| Premium Forwarding Service Residential | 2 weeks to 1 year | $26.40 enrollment online ($28.70 at a Post Office) plus $29.70 per week | One Priority Mail shipment a week | Online or at a Post Office |
Sources & further reading
Product details checked against the IRIS API contract when this article was published. Platform references can change; consult the linked documentation when implementing.
- USPS: Hold Mail – Pause Mail Delivery Online
- USPS FAQ: USPS Hold Mail – The Basics
- USPS: PS Form 8076, Authorization to Hold Mail
- USPS: Standard Forward Mail and Change of Address
- USPS: Premium Forwarding Services
- USPS Notice 123: Price List
- USPS Notice 616: Premium Forwarding Service Residential
Published by IRIS Postal Forms, operated by Great Lakes Computing Office LLC. Send a correction.