What Are the Benefits of Using Post Office Boxes?


January 27, 2010 

Release No.  10-037  



Get your mail when and where you want it. Postal customers value the security, privacy, and flexibility of a Post Office Box for many reasons:

  • It’s easy to find.
  • It’s private.
  • It’s affordable.
  • It’s permanent.
  • It’s convenient.

Your home or office address may change, but your PO Box address stays the same. You can choose a location close to work or home—whatever fits your needs. Most Post Offices have extended business hours and/or 24-hour lobby access.

Each Post Office has a variety of box sizes to choose from—depending on the anticipated volume of mail you will be receiving. You don’t have to visit your local Post Office to rent a box, you can search online at www.usps.com/poboxes by address or ZIP code for an available PO Box. It shows available sizes and fees for a location near you. You can make one-time payments for your box rental with a credit card or sign up for automatic payment.

If you won’t be able to get to the Post Office for an extended period of time, you can make arrangements for your mail to be held. Two box keys are issued free to the boxholder; additional keys are available at a nominal fee.

For more information about purchasing stamps, stamps by mail, postal regulations, a free subscription to USA Philatelic magazine, Post Office events, the location of the nearest postal store or contract unit, or for answers to your specific Postal Service questions, contact USPS at 1-800-275-8777, or visit www.usps.com. To schedule a presentation for your community, club or group on how the Postal Service brings the Post Office to your home or office computer, call 239-573-9638.

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Please Note: For broadcast quality video and audio, photo stills and other media resources, visit the USPS Newsroom at www.usps.com/news.

A self-supporting government enterprise, the U.S. Postal Service is the only delivery service that reaches every address in the nation, 150 million residences, businesses and Post Office Boxes. The Postal Service receives no tax dollars. With 36,000 retail locations and the most frequently visited website in the federal government, the Postal Service relies on the sale of postage, products and services to pay for operating expenses. Named the Most Trusted Government Agency five consecutive years and the sixth Most Trusted Business in the nation by the Ponemon Institute, the Postal Service has annual revenue of more than $68 billion and delivers nearly half the world’s mail. If it were a private sector company, the U.S. Postal Service would rank 26th in the 2008 Fortune 500.

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