How to Notify the Post Office and Forward a Deceased Person's Mail

The US Postal Service will continue delivering mail to a deceased person's address indefinitely unless someone takes action to stop or redirect it. Unattended mail creates security risks, privacy concerns, and can cause important estate documents to be missed. Here's how to handle a deceased person's mail.

Why Mail Management Matters

After a death, mail arriving at the deceased's address can include:

• Financial statements, credit card bills, and bank correspondence — important for the estate inventory
• Tax documents and government correspondence
• Insurance documents and benefit statements
• Medical bills
• Credit card offers (an identity theft risk if left unattended)
• And unfortunately, predatory solicitations targeting grieving families who've published obituaries

If the deceased lived alone and the residence will be empty, unattended mail also signals vacancy to would-be burglars.

Option 1: Forward Mail to the Executor

The most common approach is to forward the deceased person's mail to the executor or the family member managing the estate. This ensures nothing important is missed during the estate settlement process.

How to set up mail forwarding at USPS

1. Go to a local post office branch (online forwarding is for individuals to set up for themselves, not for a deceased person's mail)
2. Complete PS Form 3575 (Change of Address / Mail Forwarding Order)
3. Bring a certified copy of the death certificate and documentation of your authority (letters testamentary or documentation of your relationship)
4. Ask the post office what documentation they require — practices can vary by office

Mail forwarding through USPS typically lasts 12 months and can be renewed. Note that not all mail is forwarded — standard-class mail (advertising and bulk mail) is generally not forwarded and will be returned or discarded.

Option 2: Stop Mail Delivery (DMAChoice)

If you don't need the mail forwarded and simply want to stop it, you can use the DMAChoice service (dmachoice.org), operated by the Data & Marketing Association. This removes the deceased person from mailing lists and marketing mail databases. This is not a USPS service — it specifically targets commercial and marketing mail, not all correspondence.

DMAChoice offers a "Deceased Do Not Contact" registration. This reduces solicitation mail but does not stop financial, legal, or government correspondence.

Option 3: Hold Mail

If the residence will be temporarily unoccupied — for instance, if the estate is being settled and the home will be listed for sale — you can place a mail hold through USPS. This holds mail at the post office for up to 30 days. For longer periods, forwarding is more practical.

Handling Mail After You Receive It

As estate mail arrives, sort it into categories:

• Keep and act on: Financial statements, bills, insurance documents, government correspondence, legal mail
• Keep for records: Tax documents, property-related mail
• Shred and discard: Credit card offers, marketing mail, solicitations. Shred anything with the deceased's personal information — name, address, SSN — before discarding.

Packages and Subscription Boxes

If the deceased had active subscription boxes (clothing, meal kits, pet supplies, etc.) these will continue arriving as physical packages. Cancel the underlying subscriptions as part of your subscription cancellation process. See our article on canceling subscriptions after a death for a checklist.

Magazine and Catalog Subscriptions

Contact publishers directly to cancel magazine and catalog subscriptions. Some publishers provide prorated refunds for the unused portion of a paid subscription. Bring or have available the account number (usually on the mailing label) when you call.

Timing

Set up mail forwarding promptly — ideally within the first week. This is especially important if:

• The deceased's home will be vacant
• Important documents are expected (life insurance, pension notifications)
• The estate includes subscriptions or financial accounts that mail statements

For the complete notification checklist, see our who to notify after a death guide. For related tasks, see our article on canceling subscriptions and canceling state-issued IDs.