Go to the website www.usps.com. That's the official site of the United States Postal Service.
On the right side of the page, there are options under "Products & Services." Use the drop down menu for "Receiving Mail" and click on "Put your mail on hold."
Here, the USPS will give you information on the Hold Mail Service, which will stop mail delivery for vacations and unexpected absences. Among other things, they note that they will notify your local post office electronically to hold your mail, mail can be held from 3 to 30 days, and same day service requests must be made by 2am Central time for same day service. If you have any other questions about this service you can click on the button to read the Hold Mail FAQs.
To enter your Hold Mail Request, enter your zip code in the "Create a Request" box and click "Go."
Here you can fill out your customer information, which is your name, mailing address and phone number. There is also the Privacy Act Statement for you to read and agree to before you click "continue" with your request to stop mail delivery.
Next you will be asked to verify your information against the standardized mailing address the post office has for you on file. You can either edit your information here or continue.
Next, you will select the date you want to stop mail delivery, which will most likely be the first day of your vacation, and choose a "resume mail delivery" date, most likely the day you return or the first day after your return. You can also specify whether you would like the post office to deliver your accumulated mail to you or whether you will pick up your mail at the post office. There is also a box where you can enter any additional instructions.
When you hit continue, you will see a recap of your stop mail delivery and resume mail delivery dates and any instructions you gave, and are asked if these are correct. If you need to make any changes, click No and you'll be able to edit your information. If you're ready to confirm your hold mail request, click Yes.
When you're finished with your Hold Mail Request, you will get a confirmation notice complete with all your information. Print this out and if you chose to pick up your mail at the post office, take it with you to make it easier for the clerk to retrieve your accumulated mail.
That's all there is to it! This is a great service offered free of charge by the post office, so there's no reason not to take advantage of it to stop mail delivery for vacations or other unexpected absences. And if you forget to do it before you leave, you can still put a hold on your mail delivery from anywhere you might be, at any time of day or night, using the USPS website.
