You can write “Return to Sender” on mail that isn’t yours, and for most everyday letters and packages the Postal Service will send it back to the sender at no cost to you. The rule works cleanly for unopened First-Class Mail, Priority Mail, and USPS Ground Advantage packages. It works poorly, or not at all, for junk mail and anything you’ve already opened. And before you decide to just throw a misdelivered piece in the trash, know that doing so is a federal offense.
How to Mark a Piece and Send It Back
The mail has to be unopened. Once you break the seal, the Postal Service treats the delivery as complete, and the free return option is gone.
On the front of the envelope or package, write “Return to Sender” clearly, and add a short reason so the carrier knows how to process it. The usual endorsements are “Not at This Address,” “Refused,” and “Moved, Left No Address.” Cross out your address, or the delivery barcode printed near it, so the piece doesn’t loop back to you. Leave the sender’s return address alone, and don’t cover any postage or barcodes.
Then choose one of three drop points: put it back in your mailbox with the flag up, hand it to your carrier, or drop it in a blue USPS collection box.
What Actually Gets Returned for Free
The class of mail determines whether your “Return to Sender” note does anything at all.
First-Class, Priority Mail, and Ground Advantage
Unopened First-Class Mail, Priority Mail, and USPS Ground Advantage packages that can’t be delivered as addressed go back to the sender at no additional charge.1Postal Explorer. 507 Mailer Services That covers most personal mail: letters, bills, cards, and the bulk of online shopping packages. Refusing an item you don’t want falls under the same rule as long as the piece is still unopened. The piece comes back to the sender with an endorsement explaining why, using labels like “Attempted — Not Known,” “Moved, Left No Address,” or “Refused.”2Postal Explorer (USPS). DMM 507 Mailer Services
Marketing Mail (Junk Mail)
This is where the strategy breaks down. USPS Marketing Mail — the catalogs, coupons, and credit card offers — follows different rules. When a Marketing Mail piece has no special endorsement from the sender and can’t be delivered, the Postal Service simply discards it.1Postal Explorer. 507 Mailer Services Writing “Return to Sender” on a coupon flyer usually means the carrier drops it in the recycling instead of routing it back to the company. Senders only get pieces returned if they’ve paid for a return service endorsement and the associated per-piece fee.3Postal Explorer. 505 Return Services
So marking junk mail “Return to Sender” won’t get you off any list. To actually reduce the flow, see the options at the end of this article.
Opened Mail
Once you open a piece, the Postal Service considers delivery complete. You can still send it back, but you need to add new postage at the going rate, as if you were mailing a fresh item.4Postal Explorer. Customer Support Ruling PS-177 (508.1.1.3) Mailpieces Opened After Delivery This catches people with packages: opening the box, deciding you don’t want the contents, and writing “Refused” on the outside won’t get it hauled back for free.
Mail Addressed to a Former Resident
Writing “Not at This Address” or “Return to Sender” on each piece and putting it back in the mailbox is the correct step. For First-Class items, the Postal Service will return them to the sender, and after a few weeks of doing this consistently the personal mail should thin out. Marketing mail will keep coming, because as noted above, the carrier will likely just throw it away rather than notify anyone.
Do not open it, and do not throw it out yourself. That applies to landlords and property managers as well: mail from a tenant who moved out months ago still has to be marked and returned, not tossed. The one thing you can freely keep or discard is mail addressed to “Current Resident” or “Occupant,” which is meant for whoever lives there now.
Mail for Someone Who Has Died
If you shared an address with the deceased and want their mail redirected, visit a Post Office in person to submit a change-of-address request. You’ll need documented proof that you’re the executor or administrator of the estate. A death certificate by itself isn’t enough.5USPS. How to Stop or Forward Mail for the Deceased
To cut down on advertising mail sent to the deceased, register the name with the Data and Marketing Association’s Deceased Do Not Contact List through DMAchoice.org. There’s no fee for registering a deceased person, and advertising mail should taper off within about three months.5USPS. How to Stop or Forward Mail for the Deceased For individual pieces that arrive while you’re waiting, cross out your address, write “Forward to” with the new address on the front, and leave it for your carrier.
Why You Can’t Just Throw It Away
Opening, destroying, or hiding mail that isn’t addressed to you is a federal crime under 18 U.S.C. § 1702, punishable by up to five years in prison.6Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 US Code 1702 – Obstruction of Correspondence A separate statute, 18 U.S.C. § 1708, covers stealing or destroying mail taken from a mailbox or carrier, with the same five-year maximum.7Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 US Code 1708 – Theft or Receipt of Stolen Mail Matter Generally
Federal prosecutors rarely pursue someone for tossing a single misdelivered letter, but the statute is real and it applies to landlords and property managers as well. The safe habit is to mark anything you didn’t order and don’t recognize as “Return to Sender” and put it back in the outgoing mail.
Refusing Certified or Registered Mail
You can refuse certified or registered mail when the carrier attempts delivery, or by leaving a notice unclaimed through the holding period. No postage is required from you.
Think carefully before you do. Certified mail carries legal notices, debt collection letters, lease terminations, and similar communications where the sender needs proof they tried to reach you. Courts generally hold that you can’t escape legal consequences by refusing to accept notice, and a refused certified letter can be treated the same as a delivered one. Refusing your landlord’s, creditor’s, or a government agency’s certified mail doesn’t make the underlying obligation go away, and it may hurt your position later.
How to Actually Stop Unwanted Mail
Returning individual pieces is a short-term tactic. If you want the volume to drop, go after the source.
Opt out of marketing lists. Register at DMAchoice.org to remove your name from the mailing lists used by most national advertisers. Online registration costs $2 and covers you for 10 years. Expect a noticeable drop within about three months. Local businesses and companies you already do business with may keep mailing regardless.
Stop pre-approved credit offers. Those come through the major credit bureaus. Opt out for five years by calling 1-888-5-OPT-OUT (1-888-567-8688), or permanently at OptOutPrescreen.com.
File a prohibitory order for offensive mail. For sexually explicit advertising you find offensive, USPS offers PS Form 1500, the Application for Prohibitory Order. Submit the form along with the offending mailpiece to any Post Office, and USPS issues an order directing that specific mailer to stop sending you anything. The order takes effect 30 days after the mailer receives it. The same form lets you add your name to a general list blocking sexually oriented advertisements.
Call the sender. For catalogs and recurring mailings from a specific company, calling customer service and asking to be removed is usually the fastest solution. Most companies comply within one or two mailing cycles.