Does Mail Forwarding Include Packages? USPS Rules 2026

Partly. A USPS change of address forwards packages that USPS itself carries, and only in certain mail classes: First-Class and Priority Mail parcels are forwarded free, while Media Mail and similar classes may arrive with postage due, and marketing mail is usually not forwarded. USPS never forwards UPS, FedEx, DHL, or Amazon Logistics deliveries. A private mail forwarding address accepts packages from every carrier.

Key Takeaways

USPS forwarding applies only to items in the USPS network. It has no effect on UPS, FedEx, DHL, or Amazon’s own delivery vans.
Within USPS, the mail class decides what happens. First-Class Mail, Priority Mail, and Priority Mail Express are forwarded at no charge. Some lower-cost package classes are forwarded with postage due or not at all.
An Amazon order is forwarded only if USPS happens to deliver it, and even then not reliably. Change the address on the order instead.
For orders already in transit during a move, use each carrier’s own redirect tool. A change of address will not catch them.
A private mail forwarding address is a real street address where staff receive packages from all carriers, then ship them wherever you are, including abroad.
USPS rules and fees are revised from time to time. Confirm the current version at USPS.com before you rely on it.

The Short Answer, by Type of Forwarding
What USPS Forwards, by Mail Class
Why UPS, FedEx, DHL, and Amazon Packages Are Never Forwarded by USPS
Table: Forwarding by Carrier and Mail Class
Does USPS Forward Amazon Packages?
Orders Already in Transit When You Move
How Private Mail Forwarding Handles Packages
Forwarding Packages Internationally
USPS Forwarding or a Private Address: Which You Need
Common Mistakes With Packages and Forwarding
Frequently Asked Questions

The Short Answer, by Type of Forwarding

“Mail forwarding” means two different things, and the answer about packages is different for each. USPS change-of-address forwarding is a free redirect inside the postal network, and it covers some packages. Private mail forwarding is a paid service built around a street address, and it covers all of them.

USPS change-of-address forwarding

You file a change of address (COA) with the Postal Service, online or with a form at the post office. For a set period, USPS intercepts mail bearing your old address and sends it to the new one. It is a good, free service for what it covers. What it covers is mail and packages that USPS is carrying, subject to the rules for each mail class. You can file or review a request at the official USPS mail forwarding page.

Private mail forwarding

You rent an address at a Commercial Mail Receiving Agency (CMRA). Senders and stores use that address directly. Staff receive whatever arrives, from whichever carrier, and then hold it, scan it, or ship it to you on your instruction. Nothing is being redirected, so nothing depends on a carrier agreeing to redirect it. Our explainer on how mail forwarding works follows a single item through the process.

What USPS Forwards, by Mail Class

USPS decides whether to forward a package by looking at its mail class and any instructions the sender printed on it. The more the sender paid for the service, the more likely it is forwarded free. The descriptions below are qualitative on purpose. USPS publishes the governing rules in its Domestic Mail Manual and updates them, so verify specifics at USPS.com.

Forwarded at no charge

First-Class Mail (letters, cards, large envelopes) is forwarded free for the standard forwarding period, generally 12 months for a permanent move. Priority Mail and Priority Mail Express packages are also forwarded without extra postage. If a relative mails you a Priority Mail box to your old address, it should follow you.

USPS Ground Advantage

Ground Advantage replaced the older First-Class Package and Retail Ground services in 2023 and is now the class most online sellers use for small parcels. USPS describes forwarding as part of the service in most cases. In practice, results depend on how the shipper paid for and labeled the parcel, and some commercial parcels can show up with postage due or go back to the sender. Check the current Ground Advantage terms at USPS.com, and do not count on it for anything important.

Forwarded, possibly with postage due

Media Mail, Library Mail, and Bound Printed Matter are low-cost classes. USPS will generally forward them, but when the new address is outside the local area, you may have to pay forwarding postage on delivery. That book order can arrive with a bill.

Usually not forwarded

USPS Marketing Mail, which covers catalogs, flyers, and some lightweight promotional parcels, is not forwarded unless the mailer requested and paid for it. Most do not. These pieces are discarded or returned according to the sender’s printed endorsement. Periodicals such as magazines are forwarded for a shorter period, typically 60 days, which is meant to give you time to update the subscription.

Sender endorsements override the defaults

Look near the return address on business mail and you may see “Return Service Requested,” “Address Service Requested,” or “Change Service Requested.” These endorsements tell USPS what to do with a piece that cannot be delivered as addressed. “Return Service Requested” means the item goes back to the sender with your new address attached, and is not forwarded, whatever its class. Banks and government agencies use it a lot. Our guide to undeliverable mail and return to sender explains each endorsement.

Time limits

A permanent COA forwards most mail for about a year, and USPS sells extensions beyond that. A temporary COA can run from 15 days up to one year. After forwarding ends, mail is returned to the sender for a period with your new address, and then it is simply returned. Forwarding is a bridge to give you time to update senders. It is not meant as a permanent arrangement.

Why UPS, FedEx, DHL, and Amazon Packages Are Never Forwarded by USPS

UPS, FedEx, DHL, and Amazon Logistics are separate companies with separate networks. They never see your USPS change of address, and they have no obligation to act on it. A package in their system is delivered to the address on its label.

This catches people every year. You file the COA, confirmation letters arrive, mail begins showing up at the new place, and everything appears handled. Then a FedEx box with a replacement phone is left on the porch of a house you no longer own, because the insurer had the old address and FedEx did exactly what the label said.

What each private carrier offers instead

UPS has UPS My Choice, a free account that lets you see inbound packages and, for many shipments, redirect them to another address or a pickup point. Redirects to a new address may carry a fee, and the shipper can block them.
FedEx has FedEx Delivery Manager, with similar options: hold at a location, redirect, or schedule delivery. Shipper restrictions apply here too.
DHL offers On Demand Delivery for its express shipments, mostly relevant to international parcels.
Amazon lets you change the address on an order until it enters the shipping process. After that, options narrow quickly.

All of these tools work one package at a time, and none is a standing forwarding order. There is no such thing as a change of address for UPS or FedEx.

The hybrid services

Some economy services hand parcels from a private carrier to USPS for final delivery. Once the parcel is in postal hands, USPS forwarding rules for its class apply, and these are usually the lower-cost classes with the weakest forwarding treatment. The result is unpredictable. Some parcels are forwarded, some are returned, and you will not know in advance which.

Table: Forwarding by Carrier and Mail Class

This table compares what happens to an item addressed to your old home after you file a USPS change of address, against what happens when the item is addressed to a private forwarding address in the first place.

Carrier and class	With a USPS change of address	Sent to a private forwarding address
USPS First-Class Mail (letters, flats)	Forwarded free for the forwarding period	Received, logged, held or forwarded on your instruction
USPS Priority Mail and Priority Mail Express	Forwarded free	Received and handled the same way
USPS Ground Advantage	Generally forwarded; commercial parcels can be inconsistent. Verify at USPS.com	Received
USPS Media Mail, Library Mail, Bound Printed Matter	Forwarded, postage may be due outside the local area	Received, no postage due
USPS Marketing Mail	Usually not forwarded	Received; can be discarded or shredded on request
Periodicals	Forwarded for a short period, typically 60 days	Received for as long as you keep the address
Mail endorsed “Return Service Requested”	Returned to sender, not forwarded	Received, because the address on it is current
UPS	Not forwarded. Delivered to the old address	Received, signed for by staff
FedEx	Not forwarded	Received, signed for by staff
DHL	Not forwarded	Received, signed for by staff
Amazon Logistics (Amazon’s own vans)	Not forwarded	Received
Amazon order delivered by USPS	Depends on class and label; unreliable	Received
International destination	Not available. USPS does not forward to foreign addresses under a standard COA	Forwarded to 220+ countries and territories

Does USPS Forward Amazon Packages?

Only sometimes, and you should not plan on it. Amazon sends packages through its own delivery network, UPS, USPS, and regional couriers, and you do not choose which. USPS forwarding can apply only to the orders that USPS delivers, and those often travel in package classes with limited forwarding.

Why it is unreliable even when USPS delivers

Large shippers use commercial parcel products and their own endorsements. A parcel may be forwarded, returned to Amazon, or delivered to the old address anyway if the carrier on the route has not yet seen the COA. Amazon’s tracking will not warn you ahead of time.

What to do instead

Update your default address in your Amazon account, and delete the old one so that one-click ordering cannot select it.
Check open orders and change the address on anything that has not shipped.
Look at subscriptions and recurring deliveries separately. They store their own address.
If a package has already shipped, contact Amazon support. If it goes back as undeliverable, Amazon usually refunds it and you reorder.

The same steps apply to every retailer where you have a saved address: Walmart, Target, Chewy, your pharmacy, your contact lens supplier. Saved addresses cause more misdelivered packages than anything else during a move.

Orders Already in Transit When You Move

For packages already shipped to your old address, act on each one through the carrier that has it. The COA helps only with the USPS ones, and only in part.

A short action plan

List what is in transit. Search your email for “shipped” and “tracking” over the past two weeks. Include prescription refills and auto-ship orders.
Identify the carrier for each. The tracking number format or the tracking link will tell you.
UPS and FedEx. Sign in to UPS My Choice or FedEx Delivery Manager and request a redirect or a hold at a nearby pickup location. A hold for pickup is often free and more dependable than a redirect to a new address.
USPS. USPS Package Intercept is a paid service that can redirect an eligible domestic package before delivery. It is not guaranteed, and not every item qualifies. See USPS.com for current terms.
Amazon. Contact support as described above.
Ask the person at the old address. A note to the new occupant, the landlord, or a neighbor, with your phone number, recovers more packages than any carrier tool. Leave a prepaid label if you can.

Timing the COA

File the USPS change of address a couple of weeks before moving day and set the start date to the day you leave. USPS needs time to process it, and forwarding adds days to delivery. If you order something during the week of the move, send it to the new address, or to an address that does not move at all.

Mailbox rental service receiving packages from every carrier

How Private Mail Forwarding Handles Packages

A private mail forwarding service gives you a street address at a staffed facility and receives everything sent there, from any carrier. Packages are a core part of the service, and for many customers they are the main reason to sign up.

What it looks like with us

You receive a real Massachusetts street address with a personal suite number at our business center in Tewksbury. We are a USPS-approved CMRA, operated by Neighborhood Parcel, in business since 2007 and A-rated with the BBB. It is not a P.O. Box, which is why UPS, FedEx, DHL, and Amazon deliver to it along with USPS. Our staff are background-checked, and mail is handled in our own building, never outsourced. Every arrival triggers a free email alert on every plan.

After that, you decide what happens to each item:

Hold it. Storage is included for 30 days on Starter, 60 on Silver, and 90 on Gold.
Scan it. For letters, we open and scan to PDF on request. Scanning is free on Silver and Gold and a paid add-on for Starter.
Combine it. Several packages are repacked into one carton. Consolidation typically cuts international shipping cost 30% to 40% per batch. It is free on Silver and Gold.
Ship it. You choose from discounted USPS, FedEx, UPS, and DHL rates and approve the quote before anything leaves.

The paperwork

Federal postal regulations require every CMRA customer to complete USPS Form 1583, notarized, with two forms of identification. Online notarization is accepted, so you can do it from anywhere. You can read the form itself on the USPS website, and our Form 1583 guide explains each field. For background on the term, see what a CMRA is.

What it costs

The Starter Plan is $330 per year. Silver, the most popular, is $450 per year with free scanning, free consolidation, and up to 3 users. Gold is $595 per year with 90 days of storage, up to 5 cubic feet, and up to 5 users. Annual billing includes one bonus month, so you get 13 months for the price of 12. Three-month and six-month terms are available. Postage for anything we forward is billed separately at the discounted carrier rate. The mail forwarding service page and the mailbox rental page describe the address in more detail, and the virtual mailbox cost guide compares fee structures across the industry.

Forwarding Packages Internationally

USPS does not forward mail or packages to a foreign address under a standard change of address. If you are leaving the United States, a COA can only send your mail to another US address. That leaves you with a relative’s house or a private forwarding address.

How private forwarding works abroad

The address stays in Massachusetts and you move. Banks, the IRS, and online stores keep sending to the same suite number. We forward to 220+ countries and territories. Letters that only need to be read are scanned and never travel at all. Packages wait in storage until you have enough for a batch, and then ship as one consolidated carton with a proper customs declaration.

What changes when a package crosses a border

Customs duties and taxes are charged by the destination country, based on declared value and product type. Our guide to customs duties on forwarded packages explains the mechanics. Your national customs agency is the authority on rates.
Some items cannot fly. Perfume, aerosols, and loose lithium batteries are restricted. The full list is in prohibited commodities for mail forwarding.
Box size affects price. International rates depend on box dimensions as well as weight, which is why consolidation pays. See the international shipping savings guide for the arithmetic.

Americans moving overseas should also read our moving abroad mail and document checklist, which puts these steps in the right order.

USPS Forwarding or a Private Address: Which You Need

If you are making one permanent move within the United States and most of your mail is letters, the free USPS change of address is enough. Pair it with an afternoon spent updating your saved addresses at retailers. A private address earns its fee when packages, distance, or frequent moves are involved.

USPS forwarding is probably enough if

You are moving once, to another US address, and staying there.
You can update your bank, employer, and the stores you use within a few weeks.
Someone at the old address can catch a stray package.

A private forwarding address makes sense if

You are moving abroad, traveling long term, or splitting the year between homes.
You receive packages from UPS, FedEx, DHL, or Amazon and need someone to sign for them.
You move often and are tired of changing your address with every sender each time.
You run a business from home and want a commercial address on your filings and returns. If you have a Massachusetts LLC, our guide to Massachusetts registered agent requirements covers the related rules, and we offer registered agent service (see current pricing).
You need to read important mail the day it arrives, from anywhere.

We compare the two options in detail, including USPS Premium Forwarding Service, in USPS vs. private mail forwarding. Households with two homes should read mail forwarding for snowbirds, and travelers the digital nomad mailbox guide.

Common Mistakes With Packages and Forwarding

These errors cause most of the lost-package stories we hear from new customers.

Believing the COA covers everything. It covers USPS, and only part of USPS. Private carriers ignore it.
Leaving old addresses saved at retailers. Delete them. An address that is merely not the default still gets picked by accident.
Forgetting subscriptions. Pet food, vitamins, razors, contact lenses, and prescriptions ship on their own schedule to the address they were set up with.
Filing the COA on moving day. Processing takes time. File early and choose the start date.
Treating forwarding as permanent. It expires. Use the forwarding year to update every sender, or move to an address that stays the same.
Using a P.O. Box for packages. A P.O. Box receives USPS deliveries. Most private carriers will not deliver to one, and many stores reject it at checkout.
Responding to a “forwarding fee” text or email. USPS does not text you a link asking for card details to release a package. If you did not request the message, do not click it. Go to USPS.com directly.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does mail forwarding include packages?

With USPS change-of-address forwarding, only partly. Packages carried by USPS in First-Class, Priority Mail, and Priority Mail Express are forwarded free, some lower-cost classes may require postage or are not forwarded, and packages from UPS, FedEx, DHL, and Amazon Logistics are never forwarded. A private mail forwarding address receives packages from every carrier.

Does USPS forward packages from UPS or FedEx?

No. UPS and FedEx are separate companies with their own networks, and they do not receive or act on your USPS change of address. Their packages are delivered to the address on the label. To redirect a specific shipment, use UPS My Choice or FedEx Delivery Manager, where the shipper allows it.

Does USPS forward Amazon packages?

Only when USPS is the carrier delivering that order, and even then it is unreliable, because many Amazon parcels travel in package classes with limited forwarding. Packages in Amazon’s own vans or with UPS are not forwarded. Update the address in your Amazon account and on open orders instead.

How long does USPS forward packages after a move?

For a permanent change of address, USPS forwards eligible First-Class and Priority items for about 12 months, and periodicals for a shorter time, typically 60 days. Paid extensions are available. A temporary change of address can last from 15 days to one year. Confirm current periods and fees at USPS.com.

Do I have to pay to have a USPS package forwarded?

Not for First-Class Mail, Priority Mail, or Priority Mail Express. Lower-cost classes such as Media Mail, Library Mail, and Bound Printed Matter may be forwarded with postage due when the new address is outside the local area. Marketing mail is generally not forwarded. Check the current rules for each class at USPS.com.

What happens to a package that cannot be forwarded?

It is either delivered to the old address, returned to the sender, or, for some low-value advertising mail, discarded. Which one depends on the carrier, the mail class, and any endorsement the sender printed on the label. If a package is returned, the retailer usually refunds or reships it once it arrives back.

Can USPS forward my packages to another country?

No. A standard USPS change of address forwards only to US addresses. If you are moving abroad, you need either a trusted person in the US to reship items or a private mail forwarding service. We forward mail and packages to 220+ countries and territories using discounted USPS, FedEx, UPS, and DHL rates.

Does a private mail forwarding service accept packages from all carriers?

Yes. Our address is a real street address at a staffed, USPS-approved Commercial Mail Receiving Agency, not a P.O. Box, so USPS, UPS, FedEx, DHL, and Amazon all deliver to it. Staff sign for packages, log them to your account, and send a free email alert on every arrival.

One Address That Takes Every Package

USPS forwarding is a useful free bridge for letters and some postal packages after a domestic move. It was never designed to catch UPS, FedEx, DHL, or Amazon deliveries, and it cannot follow you abroad. If packages matter to you, give senders an address that does not change and that every carrier can deliver to. Compare our plans and pricing, starting at $330 per year with one bonus month on annual billing, or contact us with questions about your move and we will tell you honestly whether the free USPS option is all you need.