USPS offers a mail forwarding service to users where they can forward their mail to a new address if they have moved on from their previous address. Remember that this service only lasts for a limited period.
When a USPS mail forwarding service expires it means the shipping carrier will no longer automatically transfer your mail to the new shipping address. After that, all your mail will be returned to the sender if they are filled to get delivered within two weeks.
If you haven’t heard anything about it, then don’t worry we have tried to cover everything related to “USPS Forward Expired” in this article. If you are curious enough to know more about it then you are at the right place.
What is USPS Mail Forwarding?
USPS mail forwarding is a service that is offered by the United States Postal Service which allows the individual or business to have their mail forwarded to a new address in case they have moved on or are temporarily away from their permanent address. This service ensures that their meals are getting delivered rather than being sent back to the sender.
In simple words, it’s a service provided by the shipping carrier where your mail continues to reach you in case you have changed or moved out of the previous address.
The service only lasts for around 18 months and you can get your mail even if you have moved out of your previous home address all you need to do is just provide the new updated address to the shipping carrier and they will deliver the mail to you.
How Many Types of Mail Forwarding are there in USPS?
There are several types of mail forwarding services provided by USPS. Here I have provided a brief overview to let you know how they work.
- Permanent Change of Address (COA): It’s a type of service that’s perfect for those who have permanently moved to a new address where they will continue to get their mail forwarded service for up to a year. When the time period is over, USPS will automatically return your upcoming mails to the sender with the new address attached to it so the next time they send it with the correct address.
- Temporary Change of Address: It’s another type of mail forwarding service that is perfect for individuals and businesses who are away from their permanent address for a shorter period. In this case, the recipient will continue to get its mail until the temporary forward ends.
- Package Intercept: This service allows you to redirect a package that hasn’t been able to delivered (either due to the wrong delivery address or the unavailability of the recipient). If a package remains undelivered then usually they are put on hold at a local post office for pickup, using this service you can intercept the package and pick it up before it’s sent back to the sender.
- Premium Forwarding Service (PFS): It’s a premium forwarding service where your package will continue forward from your primary residence address to a temporary address and you will have to pay a weekly fee for it. It’s a perfect service for those who travel frequently or have multiple places of residence.
Keep in mind, to use this service firstly you have to fill out the new address by visiting the USPS website but you can also complete it by filling out a physical form available at the local post office. Depending upon the service you choose you might have to pay a small fee during the time of completion of the whole process.
How Happens After USPS Mail Forwarding Expires?
Once the time limit of your mail forwarding expires, the USPS Will stop sending automatically your mail to the new address instead, they send it back to the original sender with a yellow sticker on it indicating that the recipients might be ‘temporarily away’ or the “forwarding service has been expired”.
So if you have forgotten to update your address then all of your mail will be returned to the original sender instead of getting it delivered to your new address. This will increase the risk as you will miss out on your important letters, bills, and packages that might be time-sensitive or contain some valuable items.
Try to update your new address in case you have moved out of the previous address with the shipping carrier so you can enjoy their delivery service without any interruption or delay.
Why does the Mail Forwarding Service Expires?
To Avoid System Abuse
If there is no time limit on the mail forwarding service then people would start abusing the system by submitting a lot of fake forwarding requests which in turn cause the shipping carrier to use a lot of resources thereby increasing the operational cost and the service inefficient.
Encouraging Address Updates
If there is no time limit on the service then people would not bother to update their correct delivery address with the shipping carrier. It will encourage people to update their addresses with all the institutions to ensure that their mail is sent directly to the correct address instead of using the forward mail option.
Accurate Delivery on Time
Mail forwarding systems usually put a lot of strain on the USPS as they have to verify that they are not sending the emails to the previous(old) address otherwise it will bounce back again to them causing a delay in the delivery time of the package (mails).
Maintain Operational Efficiency
The expiration of the service helps the USPS maintain the efficiency of the postal system. If there is no expiration of the forward mail service then the shipping carriers are forced to use their resources which might cause immense delays in the delivery time of certain packages.
What To Do When Your Mail Forwarding Expires?
Update your address
If your mail forwarding service has expired then you need to update and provide the new address to the shipping carrier to ensure all the mails are getting delivered to you without any interruption or delay.
Renew Your Request
If you still need the forwarding service then you can renew it by filling out a new change of address form with your shipping carrier(USPS). This will provide you another countdown of 18 months in which you are required to update and change all your previous addresses with the new one.
Rent a P.O Box
If you frequently move from one address to another then renting a PO box might be a practical solution for your problem. You can have all your mail sent to the PO box and later on, you can pick it up from the local post office at your convenience. This will allow you to go along with your travel trips or frequent changes without facing any interruptions.
Hold Mail Service
If you are temporarily away from your address and may not be eligible for mail for wedding service then you can use the ups old mail service that allows your package on mail to remain in the local post office for up to 30 days where you can pick it up at your convenience otherwise it will be returned to the original sender.