Undeliverable as Addressed Mail
In order to be delivered by the United States Postal Service®, mailpieces must be addressed correctly, the address must be readable, and proper postage must be affixed
- If we are not able to deliver the mail as addressed, we will use the return address on the mailpiece and try to return it to the sender.
- Refer to 507 Mailer Services | Postal Explorer (usps.com): https://pe.usps.com/text/dmm300/507.htm#a_1_4 for a list of USPS endorsements for undeliverable as addressed (UAA) mailer such as "Electronic Service Requested" and "Address Service Requested".
- If the mailpiece is addressed incorrectly and has no return address, the mailpiece will either be handled by the local Post Office™ or sent to the Mail Recovery Center.
- If your mailpiece has not arrived within 7 days from its date of mailing, you can:
- Go to Find Missing Mail on USPS.com for additional information/ guidance on next steps.
- Submit a Missing Mail search request at MissingMail.USPS.com
- File a Claim online at USPS.com (for insured items meeting the appropriate timeframe requirements).
- If a domestic mailpiece is undeliverable and includes a foreign return address, the mailpiece will be handled in accordance with current dead mail procedures.
Please note that with the filing of a search request, the United States Postal Service has guidelines on items or merchandise that can be returned or recovered. If the item(s) is located and it meets guidelines for recovery, it will be returned to you.
Why was my mailpiece returned for a missing apartment number?
Apartment complexes often have hundreds of residents and can experience a high turnover rate for tenants. With this in mind, the Postal Service encourages the use of apartment numbers and requires apartment management to provide a current alphabetical directory if the complex has fifteen (15) or more mail receptacles to ensure accurate delivery. As a matter of policy, mail will be delivered if any one of the following elements is present:
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- Apartment number is included on the envelope.
- Recipient's name appears on or inside mail receptacle.
- Recipient's name appears on an alphabetical directory furnished by the apartment management.
- The mailperson recognizes the information and remembers the correct apartment number.
Where can I find information on Endorsements?
Ancillary Service Endorsements allow the sender to obtain the addressee's new (forwarding) address (provided the appropriate endorsement is used and if the addressee filed a Change-of-Address Order with the Postal Service) or the reason for non-delivery. Information on the use of Undeliverable as Addressed (UAA) endorsements can be found at Ancillary Service Endorsements on USPS.com®. For information on the definitions of endorsements that are applied to an undeliverable mailpiece by the letter carrier, go to the Domestic Mail Manual. Examples of endorsements include Change Service Requested, Address Service Requested, Return Service Requested and Temp-Return Service Requested. Some endorsements require payment of an address-correction fee (PS Form 3547).
How is 'Postage Due' mail handled?
Mail is periodically checked during processing to ensure it has proper postage. If a mailpiece does not have proper postage, it may be returned, held awaiting postage payment (unpaid postage), or delivered according to the following scenarios:
- If the item is without postage, or it appears postage fell off; it is endorsed "Returned for Postage Mail" and sent to the return address on the mailpiece.
- If the item is shortpaid, it will be delivered postage due and the letter carrier will endorse it to show the amount of the postage due.
- The recipient must pay in cash for postage due mail before the mail is delivered
- Depending on location, letter carriers may or may not be able to collect Postage Due directly from a customer or a customer's mailbox. For further information on how to pay for the Postage Due, please contact your local Post Office™ facility.
- Rural carriers are not required to go to the door with a postage due letter. Policy stipulates that rural carriers go only as far as the mailbox and blow the horn. The recipient must come out to the mailbox to pay and receive the letter.
- Note: If the shortpaid item cannot be delivered as addressed (including if the recipient refuses to pay for and accept it), it is endorsed "Returned for Additional Postage" and sent to the return address on the mailpiece.
A returned shortpaid mailpiece can have the necessary additional postage affixed (leaving the "postage due" message intact) to the original piece and does not have to be placed in a new envelope or wrapper.
Please Note: The USPS® makes a special effort when the mail piece has the appearance of a greeting card. Rather than being routed to the Mail Recovery Center because of no postage or below minimum size, greeting cards without a return address will generally be delivered with postage due during the month of December. (This is for domestic First-Class Mail® only. Foreign greeting cards without postage go back to the mailer for proper postage.)
Note: Automated Package Verification (APV) streamlines how we check postage on certain packages with labels generated from Click-N-Ship® and PC Postage applications (PC Postage applications include Click-N-Ship, Endicia, Stamps.com, eBay, PayPal, EasyPost and Pitney Bowes®). Please see "Automated Package Verification Program" for more information.
Can I pick up mail before it is delivered?
Unfortunately mail cannot be picked up before it's delivered. The United States Postal Service system is set up to deliver mail, it is not able to retain mail so that you can come in and pick it up.
There are services (which charge additional fees) that would allow you to pickup your mail on a regular basis at the Post Office. These are:
Mail sent to an individual at a business
Mail is delivered to an organization (either governmental or nongovernmental) if it is addressed to:
- The organization itself (i.e. business, government agency, etc...).
- An individual (by name or title) at the address of the organization.
- A former official, employee, agent, etc... at the address of the organization.
Mail that is addressed to a company is delivered to the company, including mail endorsed "Personal and Confidential" for a specific individual. Postal Service™ responsibility for the mail ends at that point and disposition of such mail is in accordance with each company's policy. This also applies to mail addressed in this manner to former employees.
If there are disputes, mail is delivered in accordance with the wishes of the company's president, chief executive officer, or equivalent officer.
How is undeliverable USPS Marketing Mail® handled?
USPS Marketing Mail items are not automatically forwarded or returned if they cannot be delivered (including cases where an intended recipient has moved). USPS Marketing Mail items may include catalogs, flyers, circulars, and advertising mail.
Undeliverable USPS Marketing Mail items are handled according to the endorsements on the item (endorsements are placed on the mailpiece in advance by the sender). If the USPS Marketing Mail item does not have an endorsement, the mailpiece is disposed of by USPS.
For more information, visit the https://www.usps.com/business/advertise-with-mail.htm.
Reporting / returning misdelivered mail
Despite our best efforts, occasionally mail is misdelivered, or is delivered to an old location for an individual. If you are receiving mail for the previous resident and do not know their address, simply return the mail piece back to the mailstream (by leaving in a Collection Box or other mail receptacle) with the notation "Not at this address" marked on the envelope.
For Priority Mail Express® items only, you can obtain the number of the Priority Mail Express Reporting Unit by calling:
1-800-ASK-USPS (1-800-275-8777)
For other misdelivered mail items (such as letters):
- If the mailpiece is delivered to the wrong location:
- Don't erase or mark over the information, or write any type of endorsement on the mailpiece.
- Place the item back in the mailbox or hand the item back to your mailperson.
- If the mailpiece is delivered to the correct location but the recipient on the mailpiece does not reside at the address:
- Write "Not at this address" on mailpiece.
- Don't erase or mark over the address.
- Provide the mailpiece to your mailperson or drop into a Collection Box receptacle.
Destroying mail that was not intended for you may be prohibited by US laws.
- Willfully destroying mail is an act that may be punishable by the Federal Government.
If you have any questions about the legality of doing this, please contact your local law enforcement.
Misdelivered Redelivery Notice
If you receive a "We ReDeliver for You" PS 3849 form that is for a different address or for someone that does not live at your address (and the correct forwarding address is unknown):
- Check the "Other" box on the Notice (located on the front of the form, close to the bottom)
- Write in "Refused"
- Return the form to your mailbox or hand it to your carrier.
