What Happens Next
On the designated Change of Address (COA) start date, USPS stops delivering mail to your previous address. As we redirect mail to your new address, you can expect it to start arriving within 7-10 Postal business days from the COA start date.
Temporary COA forwarding time limits: The minimum time period for temporary forwarding is 15 days. Temporary COAs, or seasonal forwarding, provide forwarding of mail to a temporary address for a maximum of 364 days, starting with the listed start date. Mail will stop being forwarded on the end date you listed on your COA request.
Permanent COA forwarding time limits: Mail sent to your old address will be forwarded to the new address for a certain amount of time, depending on the mail class (see chart below). Forwarding time limits for specific mail classes is as follows.
Mail Class
Forwarded for…
First-Class Mail® / First-Class Package Service-Commercial™ / Priority Mail® service (bills, invoices, personal correspondence, reply mail)
12 months
Priority Mail Express® service (merchandise, printed material)
12 months
Periodicals (magazines, newsletters)
60 days
USPS Marketing Mail® (advertisements, catalogs, retail offers)
Only forwarded IF the mailer specifies forwarding instructions
USPS Retail Ground®
12 months (Forwarded only to domestic addresses)
Library Mail, Bound Printed Matter, and Media Mail®
12 months (Forwarded only to domestic addresses)
Remember: You can ensure a smooth, Change of Address transition if you do some legwork up front, and notify anyone who sends you mail of your new address and your move date.