The 411 on Getting (and Using) a Post Office Box

A post office box (or PO box, as most of us have heard it referred to by) is an excellent alternative or supplement to using a traditional mailbox. If you haven’t used one before though, it’s perfectly normal to have questions about what it is and how it works. To help clear up the confusion, we’ve put together this quick guide to everything you might want to know about getting and using a post office box—including how much a post office box costs, what your various options are, and when it’s a good idea to have one. So let’s get started.

What is a Post Office Box?

A post office boxed is a locked, personal box that you can rent at a USPS location. They’re generally located in the lobby of the building and are accessible with your key 24/7, so in many cases you’re able to get your mail even if the office itself is closed.

For the most part, PO boxes operate pretty much the same as a standard mailbox you’d have outside your house or in a cluster at an apartment building. Each one has an “address” that others can use to send you mail or packages, and any type of mail that you could get delivered to your house you could also get delivered to the post office box. However, your PO box address can’t be used for everything, such as filing business paperwork or in lieu of your street address on official documents.

How Much Does a Post Office Box Cost?

The average cost of a post office box is between $19 and $75 per rental period, according to Bankrate.

The price that you’ll pay for your rental depends on a few different factors. These include the location of the box (for example, you can expect to spend a lot more to rent in a population-heavy area like New York City than a less dense area like rural Ohio). Location can make the difference of hundreds of dollars a year, so if you’re quoted a high price at one post office location it may be worth looking at a few others that are still convenient for you before selecting where you want your box to be located.

Other major price factors to consider are the size of your box (the bigger your box, the more it will cost, naturally) as well as the length of time that you will be renting it for. Post office boxes are generally rented out in three- and six-month periods, with longer rental periods averaging out to be more cost-effective than going in smaller increments.

The priciest post office boxes—meaning the largest boxes for the longest rental periods in the highest-priced areas—can run up to $625 per pay period.

Post Office Box Sizes

There are five standard size options available. What size you choose depends on whether you intend to be accepting just mail or packages too, how often you’ll be checking the box, and whether you’ll be using it for all of your incoming mail or just some of it.

The five sizes available are:

Extra Small (3″ x 5 1/2″ x 14 3/4″) – Can accommodate 10-15 letter-sized envelopes or up to 2 rolled magazines.

Small (5″ x 5 1/2″ x 14 3/4″) – Can accommodate 10-15 letters or up to 5 rolled magazines.

Medium (11″ x 5 1/2” x 14 3/4″) – Wide enough that large envelopes and magazines can be stacked flat.

Large (11″ x 11″ x 14 3/4″) – Can easily stack two shoeboxes and still have room for 10-15 letters.

Extra Large (22 1/2″ x 12″ x 14 3/4″) – Big enough to accommodate Flat Rate Boxes and parcels.

How to Get a Post Office Box

You have two options for getting set up with your rental, and both are pretty convenient.

Reserve a PO box online

1. Head to this USPS page and enter in the city/state or zip code where you would like to set up a post office box.
2. Choose the size you would like to rent.
3. Choose your rental period length.
4. Create an account, apply for your post office box, and pay the rental fee.
5. Print your completed application and bring that along with a copy of your emailed receipt for the box and two forms of I.D. to the post office to get the keys to your PO box.

Reserve a PO box at the post office

1.Print and fill out an Application for Post Office Box Service (available here).

2. Take the form to your most convenient USPS location. They’ll verify your address and take payment, then you’re good to go.

In both cases, you’ll receive two keys for your post office box and will need to pay a non-refundable fee of $3 for each of them. If you lose your keys, the replacement fee is $20. Some post office boxes are accessible by combination lock, in which case you will not need to get keys, though the same $20 fee will apply if you forget the combination code to your lock.

Can You Get a Refund on a Post Office Box?

It depends. You can cancel at any time during your rental period, but whether or not you are eligible for a refund is based on how close you are to the time being up. According to USPS:

3-Month Payments (automatic renewal required)
No refunds s

6-Month Payments
Within the first 3 months – ½ the fee paid
After 3 months – no refunds

12-Month Payments
Within the first 3 months – ¾ the fee paid
Within the first 6 months – ½ the fee paid
Within the first 9 months – ¼ the fee paid
After 9 months – no refunds

If you need to request a refund, you can do so at the post office location where your PO box is located.

Why Get a PO Box

Wondering why you’d get a post office box at all when you could just receive mail at your home? There are a number of advantages that PO boxes offer, including instances where it might actually make more sense than going the traditional route.

When you don’t want to give out your home address. There are lots of instances where you might not want to share your home address, such as when you’re corresponding with people who you don’t know for business purposes. Providing a post office address instead means that your home address stays private.

When your mail is unreliable. If you’re having trouble getting your mail, if it always ends up at your neighbors’ house or in the next town over, or if you’ve noticed delays, then a post office box could be the solution. Because it’s located right at your local USPS, there’s no waiting for your mail-person to drop it off—and no worries that your mail will end up in someone else’s hands.

Are There Drawbacks?

Not really. If you’re using a PO box instead of a traditional mailbox, as opposed to just in addition to one, then it will be slightly less convenient than being able to just grab your mail at home—though that’s not too big of a concern because most USPS locations either offer access 24 hours a day or during standard business hours.

Probably the biggest disadvantage of having a post office box is the price, since depending on what you need it might not be cheap. Since the mailbox at your home is free to use (minus the cost of stamps) you’re paying for a service that you could otherwise get at no cost. That being said, if you’re getting a post office box for one of the advantages noted above, then it’s probably worth paying for.

Premium PO Box Services

Looking for a little bit more out of your post office box? Premium services are available at many USPS locations—and in some cases, they’re even free to add on to your rental.

Here are the two types of premium services you may want to inquire about:

Getting a real street address for your box

Having a real street address instead of PO number means that you can use your post office box as your official mailing address. This is a great option if you’re between housing, or if you want to be able to receive packages from additional mail carriers like FedEx or UPS at your box.

Having a signature kept on file

Your USPS location may allow you to keep a signature on file with your box, meaning you won’t have to be there to sign for things when they require a signature or stand in line to sign for them later on.

For more information on getting and/or using a post office box, visit USPS.com/manage/po-boxes.