Money Research Collective’s editorial team solely created this content. Opinions are their own, but compensation and in-depth research determine where and how companies may appear. Many featured companies advertise with us. How we make money.
How To Forward Your Mail When You Move
By Susan Doktor MONEY RESEARCH COLLECTIVE
Mail service isn’t something you often think about — except perhaps when your service is interrupted. You can rely on your mail carrier to visit you six days a week. Each year the post office is closed, on a few federal holidays. But other than that, mail service is pretty much as sure as sunrise.
Things can get a little wacky though when you move from one place to another. So let’s take a look at how to change your mailing address and arrange to have your mail forwarded to you. You actually have a few choices in the matter.
Table of Contents
- How Does Mail Forwarding Work?
- When Do You Need to Forward Your Mail?
- What Is the Process of Mail Forwarding?
- What Is the Cost of Mailwording
- Forwarding Mail FAQs
- How We Chose the Best Way to Forward Your Mail
- Summary of our guide on how to forward your mail when you move
How does mail forwarding work?
Mail forwarding is a service provided by postal authorities or private mail forwarding companies that allows you to receive mail at a different address than your current or primary address. Here’s how it typically works.
First, you need to change your mailing address with the United States Postal Service and mail forwarding service. You can do this by filling out an official USPS change of address form with your postal service or signing up with a private mail forwarding company. The form will ask you to provide the address where you want your mail forwarded. This can be a temporary or permanent address, depending on your needs.
Mail carriers often carry USPS change of address forms with them. That’s an easy way to get one. Many of us are accustomed to putting our outgoing mail in our mail slots, and mail carriers are usually happy to mail our letters for us. But that’s probably not the safest route to take. Nothing against mail carriers, of course. Some of them are salt-of-the-earth type folks. But you don’t want your form to get lost in the sauce or accidentally delivered to someone’s home. It’s best to drop off your change of address form at the post office yourself. There’s no charge to do so, though you may be asked to provide some form of identification. The USPS also publishes a Mover’s Guide that provides a range of tips for people who are relocating.
What’s more, you can also file a change of address form online. Currently the cost to file a change of address form online is $1.10 — less than the price of gas to get you to the post office.
Once your mail forwarding service is set up, the postal service or mail forwarding company you use will begin redirecting your mail to the forwarding address you provided: letters, packages, magazines, the whole shebang.
Finally, you can expect to receive your forwarded mail at your new address. According to the USPS, this can take anywhere from a few days to up to two weeks. If you’re expecting time-sensitive bills in the mail, you may want to make other arrangements to pay them until the mail forwarding process is well underway.
One other note: if you receive mail under more than one name, it’s best to file a change of address form for each name you use.
When do you need to forward your mail?
There are a number of reasons why you might need your mail forwarded. Perhaps you’re moving to a new home or relocating to your second home for the season. Or you’re going to be away for an extended period — you’ve been offered a teaching fellowship at an out-of-town university, for example. You may also want to consolidate the mail you receive at several locations. Depending on your circumstances, you may decide to file a permanent change of address or a temporary one.
Forwarding your mail should be somewhere in the middle of your moving checklist. Plan on filing your change of address form with the post office about two weeks before you move to enjoy uninterrupted service.
Permanent change-of-address
“I’m outta there! And I ain’t coming back!” As in, you found your dream job halfway across the country, you’ve sold your house, and you’ve dug up your favorite rose bushes to plant in your new backyard. That’s the time to file a permanent change of address form. Having a fight with your girlfriend and moving into a friend’s place for a few nights — even if you don’t know how many nights — doesn’t qualify as an address-changing event.
You should only file a permanent address form when circumstances genuinely dictate it. It’s not that a permanent change of address request can’t be undone once you’ve filed it. But who wants to go through the hassle of filling out and filing more forms?
Temporary change-of-address
A temporary change of address is more flexible than a permanent one. You can request one for as few as two weeks or as many as 12 months. It’s the right choice if you’re going away to college for a semester or you’ve just contracted for a lengthy freelance consulting gig out of town. People who have homes they visit only seasonally are candidates for temporary change of address requests, too.
What is the process of mail forwarding?
You have several options when it comes to forwarding your mail. One is a must: changing your mailing address with the USPS. After you’ve done that, you can add private mail handling and forwarding services as needed.
United States Postal Service (USPS) Change of Address
Step 1: The first step in changing your USPS mailing address is to submit a Change of Address form. This form is available on the United States Postal Service website or at your local post office. It is important to fill out the form completely and accurately, providing both your old and new address information. You can choose to submit the form online or in person, and it is recommended to submit the form at least two weeks before your move.
Step 2: Once you have submitted the Change of Address form, you will need to choose the duration of the forwarding. The USPS offers three options: temporary, permanent or family. Temporary and permanent forwarding is available for up to one year. Family forwarding is available for up to one year and is intended for families who are moving together.
Step 3: Pay the fee. After choosing the forwarding duration, you will need to pay the fee. The cost of changing your address varies depending on how you submit the form. If you submit the form online, there is a $1.10 verification fee, while submitting the form in person is free.
Step 4: The final step in changing your mailing address is to confirm the change. If you file your form in person, the USPS will send a confirmation letter to your old address to ensure that the change was made by you and not someone else. Your confirmation letter will arrive in about 5 business days. If you do not receive the confirmation letter, you should contact the USPS to ensure that the change was processed correctly. If you file online, you’ll receive a confirmation email with a confirmation code immediately. It’s important to confirm the change. If you haven’t requested a change and receive a confirmation, that may be a sign of identity theft. If that happens, report it to your post office immediately.
Private Mail Forwarding Services
Step 1: In addition to filing a change of address with the USPS, you have the option of hiring a private mail forwarding service. When you use a private mail forwarding service, you can have your mail sent to an address different from your actual address. This can be useful if you need to keep your actual address private. For example, you may be a small business owner who works from home. You may want to hide your personal address from customers. In that case, you can advertise or otherwise provide a separate address to your customers. Then the private service will forward the mail you receive to your home address.
Step 2: Research and compare services. There are quite a few private mail forwarding companies in the US. Some of the better known companies include PostScan, Anytime Mailbox, and Traveling Mailbox. Each offers its own variety of services and costs vary among them. Some offer international mail forwarding. International mail forwarding is much more expensive than national forwarding, whether you use a private mail forwarding service or the USPS.
Step 3: Sign up for services. When you use a private mail service, you can select the duration of your service. You can also sign up for service for multiple delivery services such as United Parcel Service, UPS, and FedEx. The cost of private mail forwarding services varies depending on the provider and the level of service you choose. Generally, private mail forwarding services charge a monthly or annual fee for their services, in addition to any fees for forwarding or storage. Fees can add up quickly, particularly if you’re forwarding parcels.
Step 3: Receive a US-based address. Most private mail forwarding companies maintain thousands of mailing addresses across the US. You can choose which of these locations you want to use. For the lowest forwarding fees on parcels, it’s wise to select a forwarding address that’s nearby your true location to keep fees low.
Step 4: Pay for service. Unlike the postal service, which forwards standard letters for a nominal fee or no fee at all, private mail forwarding companies charge a fee for each piece of mail they forward. You’ll receive a monthly invoice for your basic subscription fee, plus fees per each item forwarded.
Virtual Mailbox Services
Step 1: First, research any service you’re considering. Check to see if the service is accredited or rated by the Better Business Bureau. Look for actual customer reviews on Google and Trustpilot to get a sense of how trustworthy and competent the service is. Compare prices to get your best deal.
Step 2: Choose a physical mailing address located in the US. As is the case with regular private mail forwarding service, you’ll have hundreds or thousands of addresses to choose from.
Step 3: Sign up for service. Once you’ve thoroughly investigated virtual mailbox services and made a decision on which one you’ll use, you’ll be asked to provide an email forwarding address. Sometimes customers find it convenient to create a new email address for their forwarded mail alerts.
Step 4: View and manage your mail. Your virtual mailbox provider will scan the mail it receives at the physical mailing address you’ve chosen.You’ll receive a text or email alert when you receive new mail. You can view a digital copy of your unopened mail and decide whether to keep it before it’s opened. Make the choice depending on the type of mail you receive. Nobody needs junk mail to be forwarded, but some marketing mail may be of interest to you. If you decide the mail is worth opening, your virtual mailbox service will open your mail. It’s up to you whether a virtual mail forward service meets your needs for privacy.
Step 5: Pay for service. When you sign up with a virtual mailbox company, you’ll pay a monthly subscription fee. Often, virtual mailbox companies offer several plans based on the amount of mail you expect to receive. Others charge a monthly fee, plus fees per item forwarded.
Once you’ve reviewed your mail, you can decide whether to download a digital copy or have your virtual mailbox archive your mail. You can also request that important mail be physically forwarded to you.
Virtual mailbox companies typically offer a free year of cloud storage for free. You may also have to pay for shredding services. Either way, your physical mail will be thrown out for security reasons, unless you choose to have it forwarded to a physical mailing address.
What is the cost of mail forwarding?
Mail forwarding costs vary depending on which service providers you choose and the types of services you request. Here’s a ballpark estimate of what services may cost.
| Type of service | Average cost |
| United States Postal Service (USPS) | $0-$1.10 plus package forwarding fees (first class mail and priority mail packages are free) More for Premium Mail Forwarding |
| USPS Premium Mail Forwarding (Residential) | Enrollment fees (non-refundable): $23.40 if you enroll online $25.45 if you enroll at the post office Weekly fees $25.45 for each week of service whether you enrolled in person or online. |
| Private Mail Forwarding Services | Starting at $15-$20 per month plus fees per item forwarded, shredding services, and more |
| Virtual Mailbox Services | $10-$30 per month depending on mail volume and services selected |
Forwarding Mail FAQs
How we chose the best way to forward your mail when you move
We researched your three main options for mail forwarding: the USPS, private mail forwarding services, and virtual mailboxes. We visited the federal postal service’s website at usps.com to get details on procedures and prices for mail forwarding. We also visited the websites of multiple private mail forwarding and virtual mailbox companies to review how they work, what services they offer, and how much they cost.
Summary of our guide on how to forward your mail when you move
Here are the key points to take away from our guide:
- Your first step is to file a mail forwarding request form with the USPS. That’s the case even if you decide to engage a private mail forwarding company.
- Filing your USPS mail forwarding request is free if you do it in person. You can also file online for a nominal fee.
- Fill out a change of address form for each person living in your household.
- Decide whether you need a private mail forwarding service or virtual mailbox. These services may be a good option if you plan on moving frequently or live a “digital nomad” lifestyle.
- Research private mail forwarding and virtual mailbox companies before selecting one. Compare services and fees so you can have your needs met at a reasonable cost.
- Contact government agencies and financial institutions that regularly send you important mail and change your address directly with them.
