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1Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errors2Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches3Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsUse USPS Package Intercept for one eligible, tracked mailpiece that you need to stop, return, or redirect before delivery. Use USPS Hold Mail when you will be away and want USPS to pause all mail for an address for 3 to 30 days. Package Intercept is a paid attempt and is not guaranteed. Hold Mail is free, but it applies to the entire address rather than a single package.
Package Intercept and Hold Mail solve different problems
The names can sound interchangeable because both can keep mail from reaching a mailbox immediately. Their scope and timing are different:
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- Package Intercept: A sender or authorized representative asks USPS to stop one eligible package, letter, or flat that is not out for delivery and has not already been delivered. The item can generally be returned to the sender or held for pickup at a Post Office for a retail request.
- Hold Mail: A customer or authorized agent asks USPS to hold all mail, including accountable mail, for an eligible address while the occupants are temporarily away.
If only one shipment is the problem, an address-wide hold is excessive. If you are leaving for a vacation and expect both letters and packages, an individual intercept will not protect the rest of your mail.
Quick comparison
| Decision point | USPS Package Intercept | USPS Hold Mail |
|---|---|---|
| Mail affected | One eligible package, letter, or flat | All mail for an eligible address |
| Best use | Stop, return, or redirect a particular item | Pause mail during a temporary absence |
| Who can request it | Sender or authorized representative | Customer or authorized agent for the address |
| When to request | Before the item is out for delivery or delivered | For a hold lasting 3 through 30 days; an online request can be submitted up to 30 days ahead |
| Current retail fee | $19.45 if the shipment is successfully intercepted, plus applicable postage; the current USPS retail page says the card is not charged when interception fails | No fee |
| How long the request remains active | Seven business days from the request date | The selected hold period, from 3 to 30 days |
| Possible result | Return to sender or Post Office Hold For Pickup for retail users; commercial users may also request a new delivery address | Mail is held at the local Post Office, then picked up or delivered after the hold |
| Main limitation | Eligibility rules apply and USPS does not guarantee interception | You cannot target only one package; the hold covers the address |
How USPS Package Intercept works
What the service is designed to do
USPS describes Package Intercept as a fee-based service that lets the sender, or an authorized representative, stop delivery or redirect a package, letter, or flat that is not out for delivery or already delivered. It is not a general “recall” button for every shipment. The request must be made while USPS can still identify and handle the piece in the network.
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A retail sender signs in to a USPS.com account, enters the tracking information, and verifies whether the mailpiece qualifies. A qualifying request can ask USPS to return the piece to the sender or hold it for pickup at a Post Office. Commercial senders use the Business Customer Gateway and may have a third option: requesting delivery to a new address.
Eligibility checks
Eligibility is determined for the individual mailpiece. In general, it must be a domestic USPS item with USPS Tracking or an eligible extra-services barcode. The combined length and girth must be no more than 130 inches. The online system makes the final determination after you enter the tracking number.
USPS excludes several categories, including:
- International shipments and items addressed to APO, FPO, or DPO destinations.
- Pieces requiring customs declarations.
- Mail without a tracking barcode or other qualifying extra-services barcode.
- Certain items carrying hazardous-material markings or subject to other hazardous-material restrictions.
An item can have a tracking number and still be ineligible because of its destination, customs status, physical dimensions, or service restrictions. Check the result for the exact piece rather than assuming that every tracked package qualifies.
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The request is active for seven business days from the date it is submitted. The Domestic Mail Manual version dated July 13, 2025, also states that interception of eligible mailpieces is not guaranteed. That means a request can be valid while the package still moves through the network or reaches delivery before USPS can intercept it.
Submit the request as soon as you know the shipment must be stopped. Waiting until the tracking page says “out for delivery” removes the item from the stated Package Intercept window. A piece that has already been delivered is also outside that window.
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What it costs
The current USPS retail Package Intercept page lists a $19.45 fee, charged to the payment card only if the shipment is successfully intercepted. Applicable postage may also apply. After a successful intercept, the fee is nonrefundable. If USPS does not intercept the shipment, the current retail information says the customer is not charged the intercept fee.
USPS fees can change. Older official material has listed $17.50, so use the live estimate displayed in your USPS account before submitting rather than relying on an older article, receipt, or search result.
Retail request steps
- Find the USPS tracking number and confirm that the tracking history does not show the item as out for delivery or delivered.
- Sign in to a USPS.com account and open the Package Intercept request flow.
- Enter the tracking number and review the eligibility result, destination choices, and estimated charges.
- Select the available outcome: return to sender or Hold For Pickup at a Post Office.
- Review the payment authorization and submit the request promptly.
- Keep the confirmation and continue checking tracking. The request is an attempt, not a delivery guarantee.
The exact options shown are controlled by the mailpiece and the requester type. A retail customer should not expect the commercial “new address” option to appear.
Commercial requests and a new address
Commercial senders submit Package Intercept requests through the Business Customer Gateway. In addition to return to sender or Post Office Hold For Pickup, commercial users may be able to request delivery to a new address. That does not mean every consumer can redirect a package to any address through the retail page.
If you are a consumer who needs a different permanent or temporary address, the retail Package Intercept choices listed by USPS are return to sender and Hold For Pickup. Depending on the circumstances, USPS forwarding or another service may be the appropriate remedy instead.
How USPS Hold Mail works
Address-wide coverage
Hold Mail is an address-level pause. USPS says it allows a customer or authorized agent to have all mail, including accountable mail, held at the Post Office for an eligible address. It is intended for a planned temporary absence, not for changing the destination of one shipment.
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Because the hold covers the address, it can include letters, flats, and packages that would otherwise be delivered during the selected period. You cannot use Hold Mail to keep one package while allowing ordinary letters and other packages to continue to the mailbox.
Duration and advance planning
The Domestic Mail Manual sets the service period at not less than 3 days and not more than 30 days. Online requests can be made up to 30 days in advance or, when submitted by the stated cutoff, as early as the next scheduled delivery day.
For an online request, USPS currently requires a USPS.com account and identity verification. Set the start and end dates carefully: a three-day minimum applies, and a hold cannot be extended beyond the 30-day maximum through the same request.
What it costs and what happens afterward
Hold Mail has no fee. USPS holds the accumulated mail at the local Post Office during the selected period. At the end, you can pick it up with acceptable identification or ask the carrier to deliver it.
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Delivery after the hold is subject to mailbox capacity. USPS says accumulated mail should be picked up within 10 days after the hold ends; otherwise, it may be returned to the sender or securely destroyed. If you expect a large volume, pickup can avoid a mailbox-capacity problem.
Online request steps
- Sign in to your USPS.com account and open the Hold Mail request page.
- Complete the required identity verification for the address.
- Choose a start date and an end date between 3 and 30 days apart.
- Choose whether you will pick up the accumulated mail or have it delivered when the hold ends, where that option is offered.
- Review the address and dates, then submit and save the confirmation.
If online verification is unavailable, contact or visit the local Post Office to ask about the available request process and identification requirements. The service itself remains free.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Which option fits your situation?
You need to stop one package sent to the wrong place
Start with Package Intercept. Check the tracking status immediately and submit while the item is not out for delivery. Confirm that it is a domestic, trackable, eligible piece and that the displayed outcome meets your need. If it qualifies, expect the $19.45 current retail fee only if the intercept succeeds, plus any applicable postage.
You sent a gift that must be returned
The sender or an authorized representative can try Package Intercept and select return to sender when that option is available. The request remains active for seven business days, and USPS does not guarantee that the item will be caught before delivery. If tracking already shows delivery, Package Intercept is outside its stated window.
You want USPS to hold a package at a Post Office for you
For a particular eligible shipment, Post Office Hold For Pickup can be an available Package Intercept result for a retail request. That is different from Hold Mail: Hold For Pickup is a destination choice for the intercepted piece, while Hold Mail pauses every piece addressed to the eligible address.
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You are leaving for a vacation or business trip
Use Hold Mail for the address. Select a period from 3 through 30 days so letters and packages arriving during the absence are held together. Package Intercept would require a separate request for each eligible item and would not address ordinary letters or other packages.
The tracking page says “out for delivery”
Do not assume that a newly submitted intercept will work. USPS states that Package Intercept applies before the item is out for delivery or already delivered. Contact USPS promptly for whatever remedy is available for the specific shipment, and monitor the tracking record.
You need a different temporary or permanent address
Commercial Package Intercept users may have a new-address option. The retail service page lists return to sender or Post Office Hold For Pickup instead. A consumer seeking ongoing delivery at another address may need USPS forwarding or a separate arrangement, depending on the situation.
Important limitations and common mistakes
- Confusing “Hold For Pickup” with Hold Mail: Hold For Pickup can be the result for one intercepted item. Hold Mail is an address-wide service.
- Waiting too long: Once tracking shows out for delivery or delivered, the stated Package Intercept window has passed.
- Assuming tracking guarantees eligibility: International, APO/FPO/DPO, customs, no-barcode, and certain hazardous-material pieces can be excluded even when other tracking information exists.
- Assuming interception is guaranteed: USPS expressly says eligible mailpieces are not guaranteed to be intercepted.
- Using Hold Mail for less than three days: The Domestic Mail Manual sets a three-day minimum.
- Forgetting the end-of-hold deadline: USPS says accumulated mail should be picked up within 10 days after the hold ends or it may be returned to sender or securely destroyed.
- Expecting the $19.45 charge in every case: The current retail page says the fee is charged only when the shipment is intercepted; applicable postage can still apply.
A practical decision checklist
- Count the affected mailpieces. One item points toward Package Intercept; an absence affecting the address points toward Hold Mail.
- Check tracking status. Package Intercept must be attempted before out-for-delivery or delivered status.
- Verify authority. Package Intercept is requested by the sender or authorized representative; Hold Mail is requested by the customer or authorized agent for the address.
- Check eligibility and destination. For Package Intercept, confirm domestic routing, a qualifying barcode, dimensions within the 130-inch combined length-and-girth limit, and no customs or excluded hazardous-material issue.
- Compare the time window. Package Intercept requests are active seven business days; Hold Mail lasts 3 to 30 days.
- Review the outcome. Decide whether return to sender, Post Office pickup, or—when available to a commercial sender—a new address actually solves the problem.
- Save the confirmation and watch tracking. A confirmation proves that a request was submitted, not that a Package Intercept succeeded.
Bottom line for the most common decisions
Choose Package Intercept when the problem is one specific eligible shipment and you are acting before it reaches delivery. Budget for the current $19.45 retail fee if the intercept succeeds, plus applicable postage, and accept that USPS does not guarantee the result.
Choose Hold Mail when you will be away and want USPS to pause every piece for the address. It is free, lasts 3 to 30 days, and ends with pickup or delivery subject to mailbox capacity. Neither service is a universal way to redirect a delivered package, and neither should be selected without checking the shipment status or the requested dates.
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