How Much Does a PO Box Cost? USPS Prices by Size and Term

USPS PO Box prices by size and rental term

The two tables below show both ends of Notice 123. Among paid groups, Fee Group 7 has the lowest price for every box size, and Fee Group C30 has the highest. Every other paid group falls between them.

Notice 123 lists fees for 3-month and 6-month periods. The notice has no 12-month column. The DMM describes the longest term as “two 6-month (semi-annual) prepaid periods.” So the 12-month column below is our arithmetic: the 6-month fee times two. Across the paid groups, a year costs $62.00 to $1,354.00 by that arithmetic, before any key deposit or other fee.

Each term has conditions. The USPS PO Box page says “A 3-month payment term requires enrolling in automatic renewals with no opt-out.” The DMM says the 3-month option “is not available at Post Office locations on the semi-annual (April/October) payment schedule.” The DMM also says new customers in competitive locations “receive 13 months of service for a 12 month PO Box payment.”

How much is a PO Box per month?

USPS fees are prepaid for a period, so a monthly price is a number you work out yourself. Divide the payment by the months it covers. The table below shows the arithmetic for a few boxes from Notice 123.

A 6-month term costs less per month than a 3-month term. The Group 7, Size 1 box costs $7.00 a month on a 3-month term and $5.17 a month on a 6-month term. Over a full year, four 3-month payments come to $84.00, and two 6-month payments come to $62.00.

How to see the price at your own Post Office

Use the USPS Rent a PO Box page. The page says you can “Find PO Box pricing and availability for specific locations.” The steps below describe the online tool on that page. If a step is not available, ask at your local Post Office.

1. 1Under “Find a PO Box Near You,” enter a 5-digit ZIP Code, or a street, city, and state.
2. 2Choose a Post Office location from the results.
3. 3Select the box size and payment period you want.
4. 4Write down the price, then repeat for another nearby Post Office.

You can also ask at your local Post Office. Checking more than one location can help, because two nearby ZIP Codes can sit in different fee groups. If the size you want is not available, USPS says you can choose another size, find a box at a different location, or request to be added to the wait list.

Prices can change. The DMM says “The fee charged is that in effect on the date of payment.”

Key deposits, late fees, and what the price does not include

The rental fee is the main cost, but Notice 123 lists three other charges. The table below shows them. New customers at Competitive locations pay no deposit for their first two keys. At other locations, two keys at $6.00 each mean a $12.00 deposit.

Paying late can add a fee and cost you the box. The USPS PO Box page says “You must make payments by the 10th of the month the payment is due.” The page adds that if you miss that date, “your PO Box will be closed on the 11th of the month.”

Refunds are limited. The DMM says that if you stop service within the first 3 months of a 6-month period, one-half of the fee is refunded. After the fourth month begins, none of the fee is refunded. A 3-month period on automatic renewal has no refund.

USPS describes a PO Box as “a secure, numbered box located at the Post Office where your mail is kept until you collect it.” The rental fee leaves out the items in this list.

• Packages from private carriers. The DMM says “Only mail and official USPS notices may be placed into a PO box.” Packages from carriers such as UPS and FedEx need Street Addressing, which USPS calls “subject to availability and restrictions.” Notice 123 has no line for Street Addressing, so ask your Post Office whether it is offered there and what it costs.
• A street address of your own. Street Addressing uses the Post Office’s street address plus your box number after a # sign. The USPS Customer Agreement says “You may not use the PO Box “street address” option as your physical residence or place of business in Legal documents.”
• Mail forwarding. PS Form 1093 says Premium Forwarding Service ships your mail once a week “for a fee.”

A PO Box also does not fit every line on every form. California’s Form LLC-12 labels one line “Street Address of Principal Office - Do not list a P.O. Box.” The instructions say the mailing address line “may be a P.O. Box address or “in care of” an individual or entity.” Read the wording of each line before you use a box address.

Our guide on how to tell if an address is a PO Box shows what a box with Street Addressing looks like and why forms ask. Our guide to whether USPS offers a virtual address covers the other mail services USPS sells.

What you need to rent a PO Box

You need a completed PS Form 1093, Application for Post Office Box Service, and two forms of ID. The USPS PO Box page says that if you apply online, the form “is automatically generated.”

The DMM says each adult listed on the application must present “two items of valid, current identification.” One must be a primary form, which “must include a clear photograph of the individual bearer.” The other is a secondary form, which USPS uses to check your address. A second primary ID also counts as a secondary form.

A business must list its people. The DMM says “employees or other representatives of organizations” who receive mail in the box must be listed on Form 1093.

The ID check happens in person, at the Post Office where the box is located. For an online application, USPS says to bring the printed form and your IDs “within 30 days of submitting your online application.” You can rent a box in another city or state, but USPS says “you are still required to visit the Post Office where your box is located, with the proper documentation, to pick up your PO Box keys or combination.” An owner who lives outside the United States should plan for that visit. The USPS page says “2 forms of acceptable U.S. identification,” and the DMM list below includes a foreign passport, so ask the Post Office first if you plan to use one.

Is it cheaper at USPS or UPS, and is there a cheaper option?

USPS rents PO Boxes, and The UPS Store rents private mailboxes, so these are two different products. USPS publishes its fees in Notice 123. The UPS Store’s business and personal mailbox pages show no price list. Their FAQ says “Because all our locations are individually owned and operated, prices may vary. Contact your neighborhood location for pricing.”

So the answer depends on your ZIP Code and the store near you. Get the USPS price first. Then ask the store for its price on the same term, and ask which services cost extra. Our guide to using a UPS Store mailbox for an LLC covers how that kind of address works.

You can also lower a USPS bill in these ways:

• Choose the smallest size that fits your mail. The DMM says a postmaster “may require a customer to use a larger size box” if your mail volume grows past what the box holds.
• Pay for 6 months instead of 3 months.
• Compare nearby Post Offices, since a different ZIP Code can mean a lower fee group.
• If you are a new customer at a competitive location, look at the 12-month payment, which gives 13 months of service.

Some customers qualify for a free box, called Group E. The rule depends on your physical address. The address must be inside the Post Office’s ZIP Code boundaries and be a possible carrier delivery point, and USPS must not deliver to a mail receptacle at or near it. The DMM excludes some locations, such as those served by cluster box units. You cannot use the online application for a free box.

General Delivery is another USPS option, and Notice 123 lists no fee for it. The DMM says General Delivery is “intended primarily as a temporary means of delivery,” so it fits a short stay better than a long-term business address.

Private mailbox stores and virtual mailbox companies set their own prices and terms. Compare written quotes for the same term and the same services. Our comparison of a virtual office and a PO Box covers the differences beyond price.

Our Silicon Valley and Los Angeles pages describe the business addresses save office offers.

A PO Box can be worth it if you want a locked place near you for letters and you can visit it. USPS lists privacy and “24/7 PO Box access at most Post Offices” among the benefits. A box is a weaker fit if you live far from it, because the DMM says “A box customer must remove mail promptly from the box.” A box is also a weaker fit if a form you must file asks for a street address. The form rules above apply to any address you choose, including ours, so read each line before you use it.