What is USPS Restricted Delivery, and how much does it cost?

Restricted Delivery tells USPS to hand the piece only to the person named in the address, or someone they've authorized in writing, and it has to be bought with another service: Certified Mail, Signature Confirmation, insurance over $500, Registered Mail or COD. The restricted part works out to $8.80: Certified Mail with Restricted Delivery is $14.35 in all instead of $5.55, Signature Confirmation Restricted Delivery is $12.95 in all online, and with insurance, Registered Mail or COD it's $8.80 on top of their fees.

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 Oct 19, 2026

The rule

“Certified Mail Restricted Delivery permits a mailer to direct delivery only to the addressee (or addressee’s authorized agent). The addressee must be an individual (natural person) specified by name.”

— DMM 503.3.2.2, checked Oct 19, 2026

“postal employees must deliver mail marked “Restricted Delivery” only to the addressee or person authorized in writing as the addressee’s agent”

— DMM 508.1.1.8, checked Oct 19, 2026

“Must be purchased in combination with another extra service as follows: Certified Mail, Collect on Delivery (COD), Insured Mail (over $500), Registered Mail, or Signature Confirmation.”

— USPS extra services page, checked Oct 19, 2026

Fees

Notice 123 effective Oct 4, 2026 (same since Jul 12, 2026); how the Certified Mail and Signature Confirmation prices are built: the PRC's Mail Classification Schedule, 1505.5.2 and 1505.17.2.
Restricted Delivery with	You pay for both	How it's priced
Certified Mail	$14.35 in all, instead of $5.55	One price for both, which works out to $5.55 plus $8.80
Signature Confirmation	$12.95 online, $13.95 retail, in all	$4.15 or $5.15 plus an $8.80 optional-feature fee
Insurance (only when insured over $500)	$8.80 plus the insurance fee	Additional Insurance Services in Notice 123
Registered Mail	$8.80 plus the Registered Mail fee	Additional Registered Mail Services
COD	$8.80 plus the COD fee	Additional COD Services

Notice 123 prints the Certified Mail and Signature Confirmation versions as whole prices. The Postal Regulatory Commission's Mail Classification Schedule, which lists USPS's products and their prices, shows how they're built: it prices “Certified Mail with Restricted Delivery and/or Adult Signature” (PRC Mail Classification Schedule 1505.5.2) at $14.35 per piece, beside Certified Mail at $5.55, and for Signature Confirmation it lists “Additional Fee for Optional Feature: Signature Confirmation Restricted Delivery” (PRC Mail Classification Schedule 1505.17.2) at $8.80. So the restricted part works out to $8.80 whichever service carries it.

Who can sign for it

The addressee, who must be an individual named on the piece; a company name alone doesn't qualify.
An agent authorized in writing. A regular recipient can file a standing authorization on PS Form 3801 or by letter to the postmaster, which must say “this authorization is extended to include restricted delivery (or Adult Signature Restricted Delivery) mail” (DMM 508.1.1.8).
Mail addressed to two or more people jointly needs all of them, or their agents, to sign (DMM 508.1.1.8).
Mail sent “in care of” someone can be signed for by either person.
USPS may ask whoever signs for ID (DMM 508.1.1.8).

Worked example

Worked example: A $900 item, 3 lb, Ground Advantage online label to Zone 4, insured and restricted to the buyer
Postage (USPS commercial price now, holiday prices included)	$10.07
Insurance for $900	$13.55
Insurance Restricted Delivery	$8.80
Total	$32.42

Because it's insured for more than $500, USPS already gets a signature at delivery; Restricted Delivery limits who may sign.

Worked example: A 1 oz letter by Certified Mail, restricted to the named addressee, with a green card
Postage (1 oz stamped letter)	$0.82
Certified Mail with Restricted Delivery, whole fee	$14.35
Return receipt, green card (PS Form 3811)	$4.65
Total	$19.82

On the green card, check the restricted-delivery block too: DMM 503.3.2.2 says the correct block on Form 3811 must be checked to show restricted delivery is also required.

If USPS delivers to the wrong person

“Fees are paid for return receipt or for any extra service restricted delivery option, and the USPS (through fault or negligence) fails to furnish the return receipt or its equivalent, or makes erroneous delivery or nondelivery.”

— DMM 604.9.2.3, checked Oct 19, 2026

That's a full refund of the fee under DMM 604.9.2.3, applied for between day 30 and day 60 (refunds).

Questions

Can I add Restricted Delivery to a Priority Mail package by itself?

No. It has to come with Certified Mail, Signature Confirmation, insurance over $500, Registered Mail or COD. Adult Signature Restricted Delivery ($10.00, online labels only) is a separate signature service that also limits delivery to the addressee or their authorized agent, who must be 21 or older (DMM 503.8.1.1).

Can Restricted Delivery be addressed to a business?

Not to a business name alone: the addressee must be an individual named on the piece (DMM 503.3.2.2).

Is Certified Mail Restricted Delivery added to the Certified Mail fee?

No. $14.35 is the whole Certified Mail fee once you add Restricted Delivery: the PRC's Mail Classification Schedule (1505.5.2) prices Certified Mail at $5.55 and Certified Mail with Restricted Delivery at $14.35 per piece. A 1 oz letter sent that way costs $15.17 before any return receipt.

Can someone else sign for a Restricted Delivery package?

Only the addressee's agent authorized in writing, for example on PS Form 3801 or by letter to the postmaster with the restricted-delivery wording (DMM 508.1.1.8). With Adult Signature Restricted Delivery the agent also has to be 21 or older.

How do I get USPS proof of delivery with a signature?
Tracking gives no signature: the four ways to get one on record, what each costs, and keeping it for years.
What happens to a USPS package that needs a signature when nobody is home?
The notice, the redelivery options, the 15-day return and why the signature fee isn't refunded.
How much is Certified Mail with a return receipt, and should I choose the green card or electronic?
$5.55 plus a green card or an emailed receipt, and when Signature Confirmation fits better.
How much does USPS shipping insurance cost?
The full Notice 123 fee table, a calculator, the included-$100 rule, and Media Mail versus Ground Advantage.
When should I ship with USPS Registered Mail instead of insurance?
Up to $50,000 of coverage, and cheaper than insurance on high values, but counter-only.

All 20 questions: USPS claims, refunds and extra services · Signature Confirmation and Adult Signature fees

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 Oct 19, 2026 from each official page below.

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.