What is Certified Mail® & how it works for USPS

You have an important envelope that not only needs to be delivered, but you need proof of the delivery. We’re all used to package tracking, but how can you track a letter? How do you know it was delivered. How can you prove the delivery?

We count on the United States Postal Service (USPS) to handle more than 420 million pieces of mail each day. In addition to providing tracking for services like Priority Mail and Ground Advantage, the USPS also offers tracking and proof of delivery for First-Class mail. Mailers can get this extra security with USPS Certified Mail^®.

In this blog, we’ll explain how USPS Certified Mail provides senders with definitive proof of both sending and delivery by way of a tracking number and signature. For USPS customers – businesses, ecommerce merchants, and individuals – Certified Mail offers them reassurance that their letter or package has arrived safely.

What is Certified Mail?

Certified Mail® is how the USPS provides customers with proof of mailing. It’s a special service that alerts senders, via electronic USPS Tracking®, when the mail piece was delivered or that a delivery attempt was made. Senders can get further proof of delivery with the purchase of additional options, such as Return Receipt and Restricted Delivery, which provide senders a signature to confirm Certified Mail delivery.

Here’s how Certified Mail proof of mailing and delivery works:

Certified Mail includes a tracking number that the USPS uses to confirm that a letter or package was sent.
Upon delivery, USPS provides electronic verification that a letter arrived or that a delivery attempt was made.
USPS keeps a record of your delivery, including the recipient’s signature. For two years following the date of mailing, the record remains on file at the Post Office™ of delivery.
Customers using PitneyShip^® software can easily track the status of their Certified Mail delivery online, and signature records are kept for 7 years.

Why Would Someone Send Certified Mail?

Think about what type of letter or package would test your nerves once it left your hands. Maybe it’s a check for a bill that’s due, a collections notice, a legal document for your lawyer, or a sensitive medical record.

Using Certified Mail provides a level of comfort and protection to ease your stress. Importantly, if your document or record is lost or stolen, your Certified Mail receipt constitutes legal proof that you sent it. Additional options such as Return Receipt and Restricted Delivery provide signature proof that it was received. Certified Mail customers also get a tracking number to follow the progress of your mail through the delivery process.

The USPS estimates that 190 million Certified Mail letters or packages are sent each year. Here are some common reasons why to send Certified Mail:

Time-sensitive materials
Collection notices
Contracts or legal agreements
Tax returns
Financial statements
Business compliance documents
Personally sensitive correspondence
Medical information
Proprietary business information

How Do You Send Certified Mail With USPS?

The traditional way to send Certified Mail starts with Form PS 3800. Fill in the required information, then attach the form to your letter or package. You can pick up Form PS 3800 at the Post Office or order them at USPS.com.

Next, you apply your postage to the mail piece. Then, take your mail to the counter, where a postal worker can stamp the mailing receipt that verifies the date and time of the mailing. The receipt is your proof of acceptance and includes a 22-digit tracking number to monitor your tracking of the piece.

Note that Certified Mail service is only available for customers paying postage for First-Class Mail or Priority Mail.

USPS provides three additional Certified Mail services:

Restricted Delivery: Senders can require that delivery goes specifically to the addressee or their authorized agent. This option is typically used for sensitive or confidential materials.
Adult Signature Required: With this option, the sender can require that the delivery is made to person who is at least 21 years old.
Adult Signature Restricted Delivery: The most restrictive option, which requires that only a specific recipient or their authorized agent can receive the mailing. In addition, the recipient must be at least 21.

Pitney Bowes offers an electronic method to send Certified Mail that eliminates trips to the Post Office. We’ll talk about that more later.

How Do You Track Certified Mail?

A key feature of USPS Certified Mail is the capability that it gives senders to track their mail. As mentioned above, a unique 22-digit tracking number is provided to you by a postal worker at the time you pay for your postage and Certified Mail service.

Here’s how you track your mail:

Access www.usps.com.
Click on Quick Tools tab. In the drop-down menu, on Track a Package.
In the space provided, enter the tracking number, and then click on the Track button.
If you don’t have access to the internet, you can use the tracking number by calling toll-free 800-222-1811.

With Certified Mail, if the recipient is not available at the time of delivery, USPS will record the time and date of the attempt. The Post Office will hold the mail piece for 15 days for pickup. If it’s not picked up, it will be returned to the sender with a confirmation that USPS could not make the delivery, or that the Certified Mail was refused. USPS keeps the record of the attempted delivery for 10 years, in case the sender needs to show proof of compliance.

You also have the option to receive a copy of the recipient’s signature when your Certified Mail is delivered. This is called Return Receipt, and used PS Form 3811. When your mail piece is delivered, a signature is capture on the Form 3811 and mailed back to you. Once received, you can then file away the “green card” with the signature for later proof of delivery as necessary.

Does Certified Mail Require a Signature?

A postal carrier cannot deliver a Certified Mail piece without a signature from the person who received the mail. Carriers do not have the option of leaving Certified Mail in a mailbox or door slot.

For standard Certified Mail, the signature can be provided by a person at the address, such as an office receptionist. But if the sender paid for a restricted delivery, then the signature must come from the specific addressee or an authorized representative.

Can You Send Certified Mail to a PO Box?

If your addressee uses a PO Box in the United States, you can still send Certified Mail. Just provide the PO Box on the letter or package instead of a street address. But the delivery process is slightly different.

First, the mail carrier will leave a delivery notice card in the PO Box of the recipient. The notice instructs the recipient that a Certified Mail piece is being held for them, and they need to pick it up from a window clerk at the Post Office. Next, the recipient must show the delivery notice card to the clerk, who will ask the recipient to sign a signature card for delivery confirmation. Finally, the clerk records the signature and the time and date of delivery.

Note that Certified Mail delivery is not available for military APO addresses.

How Much Does Certified Mail Cost?

Based on the latest USPS rate increases, which took effect in July 14, 2024, here are the extra fees you’ll pay for each Certified Mail piece (in addition to the First-Class or Priority Mail postage costs).

Certified Mail - $4.85.
Certified Mail Restricted Delivery - $12.75
Certified Mail Adult Signature Required - $12.75
Adult Signature Restricted Delivery – $12.75
Return Receipt Retail - $4.10
Return Receipt Electronic - $2.62

Using Electronic Return Receipts to Simplify the Certified Mail Process

Traditionally, sending Certified Mail has been a manual process. Go to the post office, fill out the “green card” and wait for your signed paper receipt. Now, PitneyShip software provides you with a digital shortcut through the use of electronic Return Receipts (eRR).

With Certified Mail eRR, PitneyShip makes it easy to prepare, send, and track Certified Mail, eliminating the need for cumbersome forms. PitneyShip automatically stores all the information, including the Certified Mail tracking number, certified delivery date, and the certified mail recipient signature, in an easily accessible and searchable online database. The sender also receives an electronic copy of the recipient’s signature. In addition to eliminating manual steps to create and track Certified Mail, eRR with PitneyShip also saves you $1.48 on every Certified Mail piece.

How to Ship Certified Mail with Pitney Bowes

When mailing important documents puts on you on edge, Certified Mail is designed to put at ease. It’s how you can keep track of your letters and packages, and be certain that they get where you need them to go.

With PitneyShip software from Pitney Bowes, you can not only be confident the goods are getting delivered, but you can also manage your Certified Mail with the click of a keyboard. Streamline your Certified Mail process with Electronic Return Receipt that simplify your life with digital proof of delivery.

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