You can cancel a change of address online, by phone, or by mail — the fastest way is online through USPS Informed Delivery

If you filed a change of address with USPS and need to stop it before the end date, you have three ways to cancel: through your Informed Delivery account online, by calling USPS customer service, or by submitting a form by mail. The online method takes minutes and shows you confirmation right away. Phone and mail take longer but work if you do not have online access.

The key thing to know is that USPS processes cancellations the same way it processes new changes of address — it takes about three to five business days for the cancellation to take effect. If your change of address is set to end in a few days anyway, cancelling early may not change much. But if you filed it by mistake or your plans changed, cancelling stops mail from being forwarded to the wrong address.

Key Takeaways

  • You can cancel online through USPS Informed Delivery using your email and password, which is the fastest method.
  • If you do not have an Informed Delivery account, call USPS customer service at 1-800-275-8777 and have your ZIP code and the address you want to cancel ready.
  • Cancellations take three to five business days to process, the same as a new change of address.
  • You can also mail USPS Form 8076 to your local post office, but this method is slower than calling or using the website.

Cancel online through Informed Delivery

Go to informeddelivery.usps.com and sign in with your email address and password. If you do not have an account, you can create one in a few minutes using your address and a phone number or email. Once you are logged in, look for the "Manage My USPS Delivery" section or a similar option that shows your active mail settings.

Find your change of address in the list and select the option to cancel or remove it. USPS will ask you to confirm the cancellation. Once you confirm, you will see a confirmation message on screen. Write down the confirmation number if you want a record. The cancellation will take effect within three to five business days.

This method works any time of day or night and you do not have to wait on hold or visit a post office. If you forget your password, use the "Forgot Password" link on the login page to reset it using your email address.

Cancel by phone with USPS customer service

Call USPS customer service at 1-800-275-8777. Have ready your ZIP code, the address where mail is currently being forwarded, and the address you want to cancel the forwarding from. The representative will look up your change of address and cancel it over the phone.

Customer service hours are Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Eastern time, and Saturday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Eastern time. Wait times can be long during peak hours, especially early in the morning or around the 1st of the month when many people file changes. Calling mid-afternoon on a Tuesday or Wednesday usually means shorter hold times.

The representative will give you a confirmation number. Write it down. The cancellation will take the same three to five business days to process as an online cancellation.

Cancel by mail using USPS Form 8076

If you prefer to cancel by mail, read USPS Form 8076 from usps.com or pick one up at your local post office. Fill in the section for cancelling a change of address. You will need to provide your name, the address you want to cancel the forwarding from, and the address the mail is being forwarded to.

Mail the completed form to your local post office. You can address it to "Postmaster" at your local post office address. This method is slower than calling or using the website — it can take one to two weeks for the form to arrive and be processed, plus the three to five business days for the cancellation to take effect.

If you want proof that you sent it, use certified mail with return receipt. This costs a few dollars extra but gives you a record that the post office received the form.

What happens after you cancel

Once the cancellation takes effect, mail addressed to your old address will stop being forwarded to your new address. Any mail that was already in the forwarding pipeline may still arrive at your new address for a few days after the cancellation date — this is normal and happens because mail is processed in batches.

If you cancelled by mistake, you can file a new change of address. There is no limit to how many times you can file or cancel, though filing too many changes in a short time may trigger a review by USPS to make sure the requests are legitimate.

If you need to correct instead of cancel

If your change of address has the wrong forwarding address or the wrong end date, you do not have to cancel and refile. Instead, you can contact USPS and ask them to correct the information. Call 1-800-275-8777 or log into Informed Delivery and look for an option to edit or update your change of address. Some changes can be made when ready, while others may require a cancellation and a new filing.

If the error is small — for example, an apartment number was left off — USPS can sometimes fix it without cancelling the whole change. Ask the representative what your options are before you decide to cancel.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long does it take for a cancellation to go into effect?

A cancellation takes three to five business days to process, the same as a new change of address. During that time, mail may still be forwarded to your new address. If your change of address is ending in a few days anyway, cancelling early may not make much difference.

Can I cancel a change of address that someone else filed?

No. USPS requires the person whose name is on the change of address to request the cancellation. If someone filed a change of address for you without your permission, call 1-800-275-8777 and explain the situation. USPS may ask for proof of your identity before cancelling it.

What if I do not remember the address I filed the change of address from?

Log into Informed Delivery and your active change of address will be listed there. If you do not have an Informed Delivery account, call USPS at 1-800-275-8777 with your current address and they can look it up for you.

Do I have to pay a fee to cancel?

No. Cancelling a change of address is free, whether you do it online, by phone, or by mail. USPS does not charge for cancellations.