How to Put Your Mail on Hold While You're Away

Letting your mailbox overflow while you're on vacation is an indication to thieves that your house is unoccupied. Put your mail on hold instead, and have a worry-free vacation.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

1. Determine the number of days that you will be away from home. The U.S. Postal Service can hold your mail for 3 to 30 days.

2. Go to your local post office.

3. Request a mail hold form.

4. Fill out the form, making sure to indicate your dates of departure and return.

5. Mail the form to the Postal Service or give it to a clerk at the post office.

Tips & Warnings

• If you will be out of town for more than 30 days, ask the Postal Service about making a special arrangement to hold your mail. Consider asking a neighbor to pick up your mail after the 30 days are up.
• If you don't know your date of return, call the post office a day in advance to ask for resumed delivery or to arrange to pick up your mail.

[ultrarunner]

on 9/18/2009 In my experience, the Post Office will NOT hold mail for longer than 30 days which is ridiculous. If the Post Office wanted to be a service, they could make money off this by charging for holding longer than 30 days. I'd be willing to pay $100 for them to hold my mail for 4 months while I'm gone. I leave the country every year for 4-5 months to cycle throughout Asia and elsewhere and it's always a HUGE problem for me in trying to get my mail taken care of. But the Post Office doesn't have any service to do this.

[cmccool]

on 2/10/2009 Indeed, you can do it online. You can also hand the card to your deliverer. Request that they deliver all accumulated mail on your selected date, so that you do not have to go get it.

[tonyb7542]

on 1/6/2009 Thanks great stuff!

on 11/22/2005 If you log on to the U.S. Post Office website, you can request the hold there:

https://dunsapp.usps.gov/HoldMail.jsp