USPS is now offering Extended Mail Forwarding — a product that allows customers to forward their change-of-address mail for up to 18 months — as a permanent service.
Introduced in August 2020, the service has been successfully test-marketed nationwide for two years. More than 2 million customers have purchased the service.
“We are extremely pleased with customers’ overwhelming response to the market test and the Postal Rate Commission’s decision to make it a permanent product,” said Gary Reblin, innovative business technology vice president.
Here’s how it works:
Typically, change-of-address requests include 12 months of mail forwarding to a new address plus an additional six months of mail returned to the sender if it is still being sent to the customer’s old address.
With Extended Mail Forwarding, customers pay $19.95 (for a six-month extension of forwarding), $29.95 (for a 12-month extension of forwarding) or $39.95 (for an 18-month extension of forwarding).
Customers who initially select the six- or 12-month option can later extend mail forwarding at the six-month rate, up to a total of 18 months.
Customers may submit requests for Extended Mail Forwarding at Post Offices, postal self-service kiosks or on usps.com’s Mover’s Guide.