USPS Package Intercept: fees, limits and how to request it
Can you stop a USPS package or change its destination? Check retail versus commercial options, the current fee, eligibility and the steps to request an intercept.
At a glance
- US guide: only the sender or an authorised representative can request Package Intercept.
- Retail and commercial senders have different redirection options.
- The published intercept fee is $19.45 per piece, with applicable additional charges.
- Interception is not guaranteed; requests are active for seven business days.
In this article (8)
US guide: USPS Package Intercept lets the sender or an authorised representative ask USPS to stop or redirect an eligible domestic shipment before it is out for delivery or delivered. It is an attempt, not a guaranteed recall. Retail senders can request a return or Post Office pickup; a change to another street address is a commercial option. Start with the official USPS eligibility checker.
Which option fits your situation?
| Your situation | Best next step |
|---|---|
| You sent it and need it returned | Check eligibility for return-to-sender. |
| You sent it and want Post Office pickup instead | Check the retail Hold For Pickup options. |
| A customer wants a different street address | Check whether you have access to commercial Package Intercept; do not assume a retail request can do this. |
| You are the buyer waiting for an order | Contact the seller to discuss the request. |
| It is already out for delivery or delivered | The published Package Intercept service is not available at that stage. |
The retail/commercial distinction comes from Domestic Mail Manual 507, section 5. Being an online seller does not, by itself, identify which request route you can use.
How to request a retail intercept
- Find the shipment details. Put the tracking number, mailing receipt and order record together. Check the latest scan before choosing your next action.
- Use USPS’s eligibility check. Open the official Package Intercept page, enter the shipment details and follow the result.
- Sign in and select an available destination. USPS requires an online account for retail requests. Choose carefully between a return and Post Office pickup.
- Review the estimate before submitting. Save the confirmation and the total shown, rather than treating the advertised fee as your final bill.
- Keep monitoring. Tell the buyer you have requested an intercept; avoid promising that the parcel has been stopped before USPS confirms the outcome.
USPS explains the account, request and estimate stages on its service page. Our suggested record-keeping and customer wording are editorial advice.
What does USPS Package Intercept cost?
The current published fee is $19.45 per piece, confirmed in USPS Notice 123, effective 4 October 2026. Applicable postage or other charges can increase the total.
USPS says there is no charge if the shipment is not intercepted. When interception succeeds, the intercept fee is non-refundable. Review the USPS payment explanation and the estimate for your shipment.
Additional postage depends on the original product and redirection. For example, the DMM’s section 5.2 says intercepted Priority Mail Express, Priority Mail and Ground Advantage pieces returned to the sender are not subject to additional postage. Other redirections and products have different treatment; avoid applying that exception to every parcel.
Eligibility and the seven-business-day limit
The DMM says requests remain active for seven business days from the request date. That is a request window, not a promised redelivery time. International and APO/FPO/DPO mail, domestic items needing customs declarations, items without a tracking barcode and specified hazardous-material mailings are among the exclusions. Read sections 5.1–5.4 for the rules and commercial request route.
A practical example for a small seller
A buyer notices a wrong address after dispatch. First establish whether the parcel is still eligible and what outcome you actually need: recovery of the goods, pickup by the buyer, or delivery to another address. Those are different requests. Record the agreed plan in the order conversation before submitting it.
Do not send a replacement solely because an intercept request was accepted. Decide how to handle the order after checking the latest shipment information and your agreement with the buyer. This is a workflow suggestion, not a USPS promise about recovery.
Where to find more US shipping help
Use our USPS courier hub for related coverage, browse USPS guides, or visit the US shipping homepage. If you have a different delivery problem, identify that problem before choosing a service: interception is specifically a request to change an eligible shipment’s journey.
Rules and prices checked on 2 November 2026. Illustrative photo: Wikideas1, USPS delivery vehicle, Wikimedia Commons, CC0 1.0. Wikimedia’s resized 1280px version; the site may crop it for display. It does not depict an intercept request.
Sources
Check eligibility and the request route before promising a buyer that a parcel can be stopped or sent to a new address.
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