Redirect Mail Through USPS

Submit a Change of Address (COA) form at your local post office or online at usps.com. You will need the deceased's full name and current address, and the forwarding address (yours or the executor's). The standard forwarding period is 12 months for first-class mail and 60 days for periodicals and standard mail. The fee for online submission is $1.10 (identity verification charge). In-person submission is free but requires two forms of ID.

Contact the post office where the box is located. You will need a death certificate and proof of authority (executor documentation) to access the contents and close the box. If rent is paid through the current period, the box remains active until expiration. After that, mail is returned to sender. Close the box only after you have redirected any important correspondence and notified senders of the new address. PO Box rental fees are non-refundable.

USPS forwards first-class mail for 12 months. After that, mail is returned to sender with the new address (for an additional 6 months), then returned with no forwarding information. You can submit a new forwarding request before the 12 months expire to extend coverage. For critical ongoing needs, consider setting up USPS Informed Delivery (free) to receive daily email scans of incoming mail so you can monitor for important items remotely.

Pay close attention to: bills and final account statements, insurance premium notices, tax documents (W-2s, 1099s arriving January-February), legal notices, bank and investment statements, property tax bills, subscription renewal notices (which reveal active accounts to cancel), and any correspondence from government agencies (Social Security, VA, IRS). The first 2-3 months of redirected mail often reveal accounts and obligations the family was unaware of.