To forward a parent's mail, file a permanent USPS change of address from the old house to the assisted living address. Your parent can file online ($1.25 identity check) or at a Post Office with PS Form 3575 and photo ID. If you file because they can't act for themselves, USPS requires you to go in person with ID and a power of attorney. First-Class Mail is forwarded free for 12 months.
Key facts
- Standard USPS forwarding lasts 12 months, and it can be extended by 6, 12 or 18 months, with 18 months the maximum. (USPS, n.d.)
- If a person is unable to act for themselves, USPS says the family member filing the change of address must go in person to a Post Office with acceptable ID and a power of attorney. (USPS, n.d.)
- Filing a USPS change of address online requires a $1.25 identity verification fee, and filing in person uses PS Form 3575, found in the free Mover's Guide packet. (USPS, n.d.)
- USPS forwards First-Class Mail free and periodicals free for 60 days if the sender prepaid, but it does not forward USPS Marketing Mail, which is advertising mail. (USPS, n.d.)
- The FTC says prescreened credit and insurance offers can be stopped for five years, or permanently with a signed form, at optoutprescreen.com or 1-888-5-OPT-OUT. (FTC, n.d.)
Your mom moves into assisted living in three weeks, and her mail is still going to a house that will soon be empty. Forwarding is the safety net that catches what you forget to update. It works well, as long as the right person files it the right way, and you know what it won't forward. This post covers the USPS rules as they stand in 2026, the choices you make along the way, and what to do when mail keeps showing up at the old address.
Permanent forwarding, temporary forwarding or a mail hold?
USPS offers three tools. Pick based on how long your parent will be away and whether they are coming back.
| Situation | USPS option | Rule |
|---|---|---|
| Moving into assisted living for good | Permanent change of address | Forwarding for 12 months, extendable |
| A respite stay, rehab or a trial stay, planning to return home | Temporary change of address | For stays of 15 days up to 1 year |
| Away briefly, for example in the hospital | Hold Mail | Pauses delivery for 3 to 30 days |
If your parent starts with a short stay and then decides to remain, switch from temporary to permanent once the decision is made. A trial stay is covered in a respite stay in assisted living.
Who can file, and how
USPS ties a change of address to identity checks, which is where families get stuck.
- Your parent files online. They verify identity by a code or link sent to a mobile phone and pay a $1.25 identity verification fee by card. The card's billing address must match the old or new address. You can sit beside them and do the typing.
- Your parent files in person. At a Post Office, they ask for a free Mover's Guide packet, fill out PS Form 3575 inside it, and show acceptable photo ID.
- You file for them. If your parent is unable to act for themselves, USPS says you must go in person to a Post Office location with acceptable ID and a power of attorney. You cannot do this online.
If online verification fails, USPS emails instructions and a barcode. Bring that and photo ID to a Post Office. If identity can't be verified at all, USPS says the only option is to contact each sender directly with the new address.
Doing the filing together
If your parent can file, make it a five-minute job the two of you do side by side: "Mom, let's set up your mail forwarding together so your letters follow you. It needs a code sent to your phone. Can you grab it and read me the number when it comes?" They stay in charge of their own mail, and you get it done.
Filing step by step
- Get the exact new address from the community: street, unit or apartment number, and any mailroom line.
- Pick a start date close to move-in. USPS says to allow at least 7 to 10 business days after the request is approved before forwarding takes effect.
- File online or in person as above, choosing "Individual" for your parent's name only.
- Keep the confirmation code. USPS emails it after online filing, and you need it to change or cancel the request.
- Watch for two letters. A Move Validation letter goes to the old address, and a Customer Notification Letter arrives at the new address about 5 business days before the start date. Ask a local helper to check the old mailbox for the first one.
- Update senders anyway. USPS is explicit that a change of address only changes the mailing address with the Post Office. Government agencies, banks and insurers still need to be told, and the change of address checklist walks through them.
What gets forwarded, and for how long
| Mail type | Forwarded? |
|---|---|
| First-Class Mail (letters, bills, statements) | Yes, free |
| Periodicals (magazines, newsletters) | Yes, free for 60 days if the sender prepaid the postage |
| Priority Mail Express, Priority Mail, USPS Ground Advantage | Yes, free |
| Media Mail | Yes, but you pay the cost from the local Post Office to the new address |
| USPS Marketing Mail (advertising mail) | No |
Standard forwarding lasts 12 months. You can pay to extend it by 6, 12 or 18 months (18 is the maximum), and USPS sends a reminder email a month before it ends. Extended forwarding can't be canceled or refunded. When forwarding ends, USPS returns mail to the sender for 6 months with a label showing the new address.
USPS also sells Premium Forwarding Service. For residential customers, it packs up the mail and sends it in a weekly Priority Mail shipment. It can suit a family that wants everything bundled while sorting out a parent's affairs.
When mail keeps arriving at the old house
Some mail will slip through. Work down this list before assuming forwarding failed:
- Too soon? USPS says to allow at least 7 to 10 business days after the request is approved.
- Marketing Mail? It isn't forwarded, by design.
- A different name? An "Individual" request covers one person. Mail for a spouse or anyone else at the house needs its own request, or a "Family" request if everyone shares a last name.
- A problem with the request? Use the confirmation code to check or edit it online, or ask at the Post Office.
- Still arriving after forwarding started? That sender needs the new address directly. Add it to your list and call.
Until the house is sold or closed up, ask a local helper to empty the old mailbox once a week and send you a photo of anything official.
Forward to the community or to you?
Forwarding to the assisted living address keeps your parent receiving their own mail. Some families route bills to the family member who pays them, but that needs your parent's agreement or your legal authority, and it's often cleaner to change the address with each bank and biller than to forward everything.
Before you decide, ask the community how resident mail is handled: whether each apartment has its own mailbox, who sorts incoming mail, and how packages are received. Mail, packages and deliveries in assisted living has the questions to ask.
If you want to keep an eye on things from afar, USPS Informed Delivery emails previews of incoming letter mail, but it requires a "uniquely coded" mailbox, and USPS notes that some apartment buildings and condos don't have one. Check eligibility for the new address before counting on it.
Cut the junk and the scams at the source
Moving is a good moment to shrink the mail stream. Less mail means fewer sweepstakes letters and fewer offers that can confuse or mislead.
- Marketing mail isn't forwarded, so much of it stops on its own when you file.
- DMAchoice.org, run by the Association of National Advertisers, lets you choose what promotional mail to receive. The FTC notes a $6 online processing fee, registration lasting 10 years, and a Do Not Contact for Caretakers list for a dependent in your care.
- Prescreened credit and insurance offers can be stopped for five years, or permanently with a signed form, at optoutprescreen.com or 1-888-5-OPT-OUT, according to the FTC.
If what's arriving looks like a scam or unfamiliar bills, it's worth a closer look at your parent's accounts. Start with managing a parent's bills from far away.
Forwarding, on the right date
Parent Move Plan puts mail forwarding and every other address task on a real date counted back from move-in day, so forwarding starts the same week your parent moves. The plan is a Google Sheet the whole family can open and check off.
Get your first 3 days freeFrequently asked questions
Can I forward my elderly parent's mail to my address?
Only with the right authority. USPS says that if you file a change of address for a person who is unable to act for themselves, you must go in person to a Post Office with acceptable ID and a power of attorney. If your parent can act for themselves, they can file the change, online or at the Post Office, and choose where their mail goes.
How long does USPS forward mail after a move?
Standard forwarding lasts 12 months. You can pay to extend it by 6, 12 or 18 more months, up to 18 months extra. After forwarding ends, USPS returns mail to the sender for 6 months with a label showing the new address, so the goal is to update every important sender well before then.
How much does it cost to forward mail with USPS?
The forwarding itself is free for First-Class Mail, and for periodicals for 60 days if the sender prepaid the postage. Filing online requires a $1.25 identity verification fee, charged to a card whose billing address matches the old or new address. Filing in person uses PS Form 3575, found in the free Mover's Guide packet at the Post Office, plus photo ID. Extended forwarding and Premium Forwarding Service cost extra.
Does USPS forward junk mail?
No. USPS Marketing Mail is not forwarded under a change of address. To reduce catalogs and credit offers at the source, the FTC points to DMAchoice.org, which has a Do Not Contact for Caretakers list, and to optoutprescreen.com for prescreened credit and insurance offers.
Sources
- USPS: Standard Forward Mail and Change of Address (accessed Sept 2026)
- USPS: Informed Delivery (accessed Sept 2026)
- FTC: How To Stop Junk Mail (accessed Sept 2026)