How much is Certified Mail with a return receipt, and should I choose the green card or electronic?
Certified Mail costs $5.55 on top of postage, and a return receipt adds $4.65 for the paper green card (PS Form 3811) or $2.91 for an emailed one, so a 1 oz letter costs $11.02 with the card or $9.28 electronic. Certified Mail works only with First-Class Mail and Priority Mail; for a Ground Advantage or Media Mail package, Signature Confirmation ($4.15 online) is the signature option.
Fees from USPS Notice 123 effective Oct 4, 2026 (the same since Jul 12, 2026); rules quoted from the Domestic Mail Manual, usps.com and the PRC's Mail Classification Schedule, each with its section. USPS decides every claim and refund; this is a guide to its published rules.
Rates verified on
- Certified Mail
- $5.55
- Return receipt, green card
- $4.65
- Return receipt, electronic
- $2.91
- 1 oz letter, Certified + green card
- $11.02
What each part does
“Certified Mail provides the sender with a mailing receipt and, upon request, electronic verification that an article was delivered or that a delivery attempt was made.”
“Except for Priority Mail pieces with included insurance, no insurance coverage is provided when purchasing Certified Mail.”
USPS keeps the delivery record, signature included, for two years:
“If the item is successfully delivered, the Postal Service maintains a record of delivery (including the recipient’s signature) for two years.”
A return receipt is how you get your own copy. It:
“provides a mailer with evidence of delivery (to whom the mail was delivered and date of delivery), and information about the recipient’s actual delivery address.”
Worked example: what it adds up to
| Piece | Postage | Certified Mail | Return receipt | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 oz letter, green card | $0.82 | $5.55 | $4.65 | $11.02 |
| 1 oz letter, electronic receipt | $0.82 | $5.55 | $2.91 | $9.28 |
| 1 oz letter, no receipt | $0.82 | $5.55 | none | $6.37 |
| 1 lb Priority Mail package, Zone 4, electronic receipt | $10.80 | $5.55 | $2.91 | $19.26 |
Green card or electronic?
| Green card (PS Form 3811) | Electronic | |
|---|---|---|
| Fee | $4.65 | $2.91 |
| How it reaches you | By mail, signed card | By email, or a signature extract file |
| Endorsement on the piece | “Return Receipt Requested” above the address | None needed |
| To APO/FPO, US territories and freely associated states | Available | Not available |
| With Priority Mail Express | Available | Not available (PS Form 3811 only) |
| If it never comes | PS Form 3811-A at a Post Office within 90 days | Look up the article number at usps.com (DMM 503.1.8) |
“No endorsement is required on mail for which electronic return receipt service is requested.”
“The electronic option is not available for items mailed to APO or FPO addresses or U.S. territories, possessions, and freely associated states.”
“A mailer who did not receive a return receipt (Form 3811) for which the mailer had paid may request information from the delivery record within 90 days of the date of purchase using Form 3811-A.”
How to send it
- Use the green PS Form 3800 label from the Post Office, or a non-barcoded Label 3800-N next to a shipping label that carries the barcode (DMM 503.3.2.1).
- Place it above the delivery address and right of the return address, or left of the address on a package.
- For a green card, fill in PS Form 3811 with the article number, address the card back to yourself, attach it, and endorse the piece “Return Receipt Requested”.
- For a postmarked receipt, hand it to a clerk, who round-dates the receipt (and stamps the time if you ask); otherwise mark the receipt date yourself and mail it.
- Keep the receipt; you'll need it for any refund request.
“Present for mailing to a Postal employee if a postmarked sender’s receipt is requested.”
Certified Mail or Signature Confirmation for a package?
| Certified Mail | Signature Confirmation | |
|---|---|---|
| Works with | First-Class Mail, Priority Mail | Priority Mail, Ground Advantage, Parcel Select, Media Mail, Library Mail, Bound Printed Matter |
| Fee | $5.55 | $4.15 online, $5.15 retail |
| Mailing receipt | Yes | Retail option only |
| Copy of the signature | Return receipt, $2.91 electronic | Delivery record by email on request |
| Insurance | None, except Priority Mail's included coverage | None; from the label or bought separately |
“Some statutes governing the mailing of legal documents may require the use of Certified Mail or Registered Mail rather than USPS Signature Services.”
What it cost before
| Fee | Jul 13, 2025 | Jan 18, 2026 | Apr 26, 2026 | Jul 12, 2026 | Oct 4, 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Certified Mail | $5.30 | $5.30 | $5.30 | $5.55 | $5.55 |
| Return Receipt, hard copy (PS Form 3811) | $4.40 | $4.40 | $4.40 | $4.65 | $4.65 |
| Return Receipt, electronic | $2.82 | $2.82 | $2.82 | $2.91 | $2.91 |
| Certified Mail Restricted Delivery | $13.70 | $13.70 | $13.70 | $14.35 | $14.35 |
Questions
Is the green card the same thing as Certified Mail?
No. Certified Mail is the PS Form 3800 service ($5.55); the green card is a paper return receipt, PS Form 3811 ($4.65), which you add to it.
Can I send a Ground Advantage package by Certified Mail?
Not under the mailing standards: DMM 503 Exhibit 1.4.1 and USPS's add-on chart list Certified Mail for First-Class Mail and Priority Mail only, though the PRC's Mail Classification Schedule (1505.5.1) also names Ground Advantage: “Certified Mail service provides a mailer of First-Class Mail ... USPS Ground Advantage ... or Priority Mail with a mailing receipt” (PRC Mail Classification Schedule 1505.5.1). On Ground Advantage, Signature Confirmation is the signature service both the DMM and USPS's chart list.
Does Certified Mail include insurance?
No, except the coverage already included with Priority Mail (DMM 503.3.1.1).
What if my green card never comes back?
Within 90 days of purchase, take your receipt to a Post Office and request the delivery information on PS Form 3811-A (DMM 503.6.3). If USPS fails to provide the receipt, the fee is refundable (DMM 604.9.2.3).
How we checked this
Fees come from Notice 123 effective Oct 4, 2026, read on Oct 19, 2026 by USPS's own price code for each fee and matched to the USPS price file; earlier fees come from the same codes in the Postal Explorer archive editions back to Jul 13, 2025. Every fee on these pages is the same in the Jul 12, 2026 and Oct 4, 2026 editions: the Oct 4 holiday edition changed package postage, not extra-service fees. Rules are quoted word for word from the Domestic Mail Manual sections and usps.com pages listed below, and from the Postal Regulatory Commission's Mail Classification Schedule, fetched on Oct 19, 2026. Package postage in examples is USPS's own price; selling platforms and label services can charge their own.
Sources
Rates verified on from each official page below.
- USPS Domestic Mail Manual 503: Extra Services
- USPS Notice 123, Price List (effective Oct 4, 2026): Domestic Extra Services and Fees, Other Services
- USPS: Insurance & Extra Services
- USPS Domestic Mail Manual 604: Postage Payment Methods and Refunds
- Postal Regulatory Commission: Mail Classification Schedule (revisions through Jul 12, 2026)
- USPS Notice 123 effective Jul 13, 2025 (Postal Explorer archive)
- USPS Notice 123 effective Jan 18, 2026 (Postal Explorer archive)
- USPS Notice 123 effective Apr 26, 2026 (Postal Explorer archive)
- USPS Notice 123 effective Jul 12, 2026 (Postal Explorer archive)
Free 1-page Reseller Cheat Sheet: fees on 8 platforms, Media Mail and stamp prices
What each platform takes from a $10, $25 and $50 sale, Media Mail 1-10 lb, Ground Advantage to Zones 1, 5 and 8, and the Forever stamp, on one printable page. The link appears as soon as you sign up.