One of the ways of sending information from one person to another, which technology has availed of, is via mail. This brings mail forwarding, which is a service that allows an individual to get his mail to him, anywhere in the world, to mind. Such mails as magazines, journals, paper statements, tax and federal notices, bills, checks, and health care information from insurance companies can be sent to your new location with the use of a mail forwarding service. In this article, we will see about ‘How Do I Stop Mail Forwarding At USPS?’.
How Do I Stop Mail Forwarding At USPS?
Many of the people who use the mail forwarding service do not know how to go about its cancellation. Canceling a trip you have set up a mail forwarding for may pose a great challenge, but this is not insurmountable. All you need do is cancel your mail forwarding service to prevent the mail from getting misdirected.
About USPS
USPS (United States Postal Service) provides a Mail Forwarding service for people traveling who need their mail sent to a new location for a duration. Mail forwarding is particularly useful for people traveling for work or going on an extended vacation. It is also useful when changing houses or updating an address.
USPS, while carrying out mail forwarding, will ensure the mail sent to your fixed address gets to the temporary one. This also applies to all letters and packages having your address on them and will continue until the request expires or you ask for a cancellation. This service is not free but is affordable. You are required to make an upfront payment, after which you will make a weekly payment for every forwarding service offered.
How to stop mail forwarding at USPS
Canceling the process immediately after initiating the forward request may be impossible, as it takes 72 hours for your forwarding request to come up on the USPS system. To mitigate frustration, it is best to contact your local post office for help. The easiest way to cancel or stop an already initiated USPS mail forwarding service for a trip, so the mail gets delivered to your proper address, is to go online. Visit the USPS website, and do the following:
- Log in with your username and password. In the “Manage your mail” section, click on “Forward Mail.”
- Scroll to the bottom as soon as the page loads, and click on the link “Need to view, update, or cancel…” wait for the page to load
- Follow the instructions on the screen to affect the cancellation of your mail forwarding service. Your original confirmation code given to you at the initial stage of setting up the mail forwarding is needed here. You can get it on your confirmation letter and in the email sent to you during the setup for the service. Also, you will be required to input the zip code that your mail was temporarily forwarded.
- Having input the necessary codes, click on submit and wait for the page to load
- The option to cancel the mail forwarding should be displayed. Click on “submit” again, and allow the confirmation page to load before closing the site.
Now, mail should stop being redirected, as you should have successfully canceled your mail forwarding service. However, due to ineffectiveness on the part of the US postal system, you may encounter some delays in the change of address process.
How to stop mail forwarding in person
If you do not want to cancel your mail forwarding online, you can visit your local post office to do it. This is straightforward, but you will need to go with some information. You will need to present a valid identity card as well as evidence of permanent residence (utility bill or bank statement) to whoever will attend to you for the completion of the process.
- The employee at the post office will give you the relevant paperwork to fill out when you say that you want to cancel your mail forwarding service. After filling this form, hand it to the employee, and a/he will enter it into the USPS portal for processing. Be informed it may take a while for this to take effect.
- It is advisable to keep your confirmation code in a safe place or get the picture taken on your phone. However, in a case where you do not have a confirmation code, which may have been lost or something, you need to report this to your local post office. Your valid identity card and residential address evidence should be with you during your visit.
- Talk to the clerk at the post office who will fill out a PS form 3546 (an internal form used by the postal service for the modification of mail forwarding and changing of address, which is the official change/correction to Mail forwarding change of address order that are faulty, fraudulent or unable to be edited through normal means). This form is not intended for customer use and so is usually completed by the clerk or USPS staff.
- Upon completion of this form, the post office will proceed to submit an exception to the change of Address Reporting System to end the collection and forwarding of mail from your old address. The order is canceled when the exception is registered on the system, and your mail should resume its original delivery.
You should visit the post office if, after one or two weeks, normal delivery does not take effect. You can also contact the postal service at 1-800-ASK-USPS (800- 275-8777) to make an inquiry about the cancellation and see if the exception was properly input. Additional information may be required by the postal service to effect the cancellation.
Will I get a refund when I stop mail forwarding at USPS?
As stated earlier, there is a fee to be paid to set your mail forwarding in motion. What will happen when the process gets stopped? Well, if the cancellation is initiated early enough, you are qualified for a refund for any unused weeks paid for. For example, if your payment covers four weeks and only two weeks are used, you may be refunded for the final two weeks. If you have used two and a half weeks, however, a refund for the final week may probably be made, instead of one and a half or two weeks.
Note that this request cannot be made online; you will have to visit your local post office to make the request. Bear in mind that the refund may take some time. It is advisable and worth pursuing, however, especially if there are a few unused weeks that you have prepaid.
Also, on no account will the enrolment fee be refunded, whether or not you have used the service. Irrespective of when the cancellation is made, it cannot be refunded as it is a fixed fee.
Conclusion
Getting your mail to the right place and at the right time may pose a great challenge. So, setting up a mail forwarding service may be the way to go. Alternatively, getting a virtual mailbox can come in handy. A virtual mailbox does not only enable you to receive your mail wherever you are, but it also eliminates the stress of having to constantly activate and deactivate a mail forwarding service while reducing the risk of it being misdirected.
FAQs
- What documents are required to stop mail forwarding at USPS in person?
Your identity card and permanent residence proof would suffice.
- Will I get a refund when I stop my mail forwarding at USPs?
Yes, if the cancellation is initiated early.
