--- title: "USPS signature package and nobody home: what happens" description: "USPS leaves a PS Form 3849 notice; the buyer can book a redelivery or pick it up. Unclaimed Certified or Adult Signature mail returns in 15 days. Next steps." canonical: https://resellerindex.com/usps/services/signature-not-home/ last_updated: 2026-10-19 publisher: "The Reseller Index" --- # What happens to a USPS package that needs a signature when nobody is home? The carrier can't leave it: USPS leaves a PS Form 3849 notice, and the buyer can schedule a redelivery online (by 2 a.m. Central for the same day), pick the package up at the Post Office, or send a representative. Certified Mail, Adult Signature, mail insured over $500 and Priority Mail Express come back to you if nobody calls for them, after 15 days (5 for Priority Mail Express) unless you printed fewer days on the package, and USPS doesn't refund the Certified Mail or Signature Confirmation fee once it has scanned a delivery attempt. Fees from [USPS Notice 123](https://pe.usps.com/text/dmm300/Notice123.htm) effective Oct 4, 2026 (the same since Jul 12, 2026); rules quoted from the Domestic Mail Manual and usps.com, each with its section. USPS decides every claim and refund; this is a guide to its published rules. Rates verified on Oct 19, 2026 - **Left at the door** No - **Same-day redelivery request** By 2 a.m. Central - **Returned if unclaimed** After 15 days (5 for Priority Mail Express) - **Fee refund after an attempt** No (Certified Mail, Signature Confirmation) ## The delivery rules > “The following conditions also apply to the delivery of Priority Mail Express, Registered Mail, Certified Mail, mail insured for more than $500.00, Adult Signature, or COD” > > — [DMM 508.1.1.7](https://pe.usps.com/text/dmm300/508.htm), checked Oct 19, 2026 DMM 508.1.1.7 extends those conditions to mail with a return receipt or restricted delivery, and sets two that matter here: > “a mailpiece may not be opened or given to the recipient before the recipient signs and legibly prints his or her name on the applicable form or label” > > — [DMM 508.1.1.7](https://pe.usps.com/text/dmm300/508.htm), checked Oct 19, 2026 > “If the piece is not called for or redelivery is not requested, the piece is returned to the sender after 15 days (5 days for Priority Mail Express, 10 days for COD)” > > — [DMM 508.1.1.7](https://pe.usps.com/text/dmm300/508.htm), checked Oct 19, 2026 The return clock runs “unless the sender specifies fewer days on the piece” ([DMM 508.1.1.7](https://pe.usps.com/text/dmm300/508.htm)). Signature Confirmation isn't named in that list, and we found no separate hold period for it in the DMM sections we read, so we don't give it a day count; the notice the carrier leaves says where the package is waiting. > “A carrier release endorsement may be used on only: ... Parcels which do not require a signature” > > — [DMM 508.1.2](https://pe.usps.com/text/dmm300/508.htm), checked Oct 19, 2026 That is DMM 508.1.2: the “leave if no response” endorsement can't go on a package that needs a signature, or on an insured one. ## What the buyer can do with the notice - **Schedule a redelivery** online with the tracking number or the barcode on the back of PS Form 3849. “For same-day Redelivery, make sure your request is submitted by 2 AM CST Monday-Saturday or your Redelivery will be scheduled for the next day.” ([USPS Redelivery page](https://tools.usps.com/redelivery.htm)) - **Pick it up** at the Post Office written on the notice: “Or you can send someone else to serve as your representative.” ([USPS Redelivery page](https://tools.usps.com/redelivery.htm)) - **Use a Smart Parcel Locker**, if the box on the front of the notice is checked (USPS Redelivery page). - **Send it back**: “If you don't want to receive the package, USPS will send it back to the shipper with the endorsement "Return to Sender."” ([USPS Redelivery page](https://tools.usps.com/redelivery.htm)) Whoever collects it still has to meet the service's rules: for Adult Signature, someone 21 or older with acceptable ID (DMM 503.8.1.1); for Restricted Delivery, only the addressee or an agent authorized in writing (DMM 508.1.1.8). > “If the specific individual is not 21 years of age or older, the mailpiece will be returned to sender.” > > — [DMM 503.8.1.1](https://pe.usps.com/text/dmm300/503.htm), checked Oct 19, 2026 ## Priority Mail Express is on a shorter clock > “A reminder notice is left on the third day after the attempted delivery. A second delivery is attempted only upon customer request.” > > — [DMM 113.4.2.3](https://pe.usps.com/text/dmm300/113.htm), checked Oct 19, 2026 And it goes back to you after 5 days instead of 15 (DMM 508.1.1.7). An on-time delivery attempt counts as service for the money-back guarantee: DMM 604.9.5.1 refunds an item not delivered, not attempted, or not made available by the scheduled date and time ([when the refund applies](https://resellerindex.com/usps/services/priority-mail-express-refund/)). ## What you can do as the seller - When tracking shows a notice left, send the buyer the redelivery options above; the clock is already running. - Want it back sooner? Print fewer days on the package before you mail it, which DMM 508.1.1.7 allows. - For a buyer who is rarely home, ship [Hold For Pickup](https://resellerindex.com/usps/services/hold-for-pickup/) to their Post Office instead; it costs nothing extra. - Already in transit? [Package Intercept](https://resellerindex.com/usps/services/package-intercept/) can redirect it to a Post Office as Hold For Pickup for $19.45, if USPS catches it. - Use signature services only where you need them ([your options](https://resellerindex.com/usps/services/proof-of-delivery/)); each one adds a step for the buyer. ## If it comes back: the fee > “For undeliverable Certified Mail and Signature Confirmation extra service fees, when the mailpiece has received an event scan that indicates an attempted delivery (e.g., UAA, Refused, etc.).” > > — [DMM 604.9.2.4](https://pe.usps.com/text/dmm300/604.htm), checked Oct 19, 2026 That's DMM 604.9.2.4's list of refunds USPS won't make: once the tracking shows an attempted delivery, refused or undeliverable scan, the Certified Mail or Signature Confirmation fee was earned. A fee is refundable only when USPS didn't provide the service at all, applied for between day 30 and day 60 ([refund rules](https://resellerindex.com/usps/services/refund-postage-fees/)). Getting the package back costs no extra postage on Ground Advantage or Priority Mail. DMM 507.1.1 counts unclaimed mail as undeliverable, and DMM 507 Exhibit 1.5.1 returns an unendorsed Ground Advantage, Priority Mail or First-Class Mail piece with the reason attached, at no charge, when the buyer has no change-of-address order on file. For insured pieces, which includes the $100 that comes with those labels: “All insured First-Class Mail, USPS Ground Advantage – Retail, USPS Ground Advantage – Commercial, and Priority Mail pieces are forwarded and returned at no additional charge.” ([DMM 507.1.4.5](https://pe.usps.com/text/dmm300/507.htm)) For Media Mail, see [undeliverable or refused Media Mail](https://resellerindex.com/usps/media-mail/undeliverable-and-refused/). ## Worked example *Worked example: A $250 item, 2 lb, Ground Advantage online label to Zone 5 with Signature Confirmation; the buyer misses the delivery and never collects it* | First label (USPS commercial price now, holiday prices included) | $10.50 | | --- | ---: | | Signature Confirmation, electronic | $4.15 | | Fee refund after the attempted-delivery scan | None (DMM 604.9.2.4) | | Return trip to you | No extra postage (DMM 507.1.4.5) | | Second label and Signature Confirmation to send it again | $14.65 | | **Postage and fees for one sale, shipped twice** | **$29.30** | Hold For Pickup at the buyer's Post Office would have avoided the missed doorstep delivery on the same $10.50 label, with no fee for the hold, though a Hold For Pickup package nobody collects also comes back, after 15 days. ## Questions ### Can the carrier leave a signature-required package on the porch? No. The carrier-release endorsement can be used only on uninsured parcels that don't need a signature (DMM 508.1.2), and accountable mail can't be handed over before the recipient signs (DMM 508.1.1.7). ### How long will USPS hold a Certified Mail or Adult Signature package? If it isn't called for and no redelivery is requested, it goes back to the sender after 15 days, 5 for Priority Mail Express and 10 for COD, unless the sender printed fewer days on it (DMM 508.1.1.7). ### Can someone else pick it up for the buyer? USPS's redelivery page says the buyer can send a representative to the Post Office. For Adult Signature the person must be 21 or older with ID; for Restricted Delivery, only an agent the addressee authorized in writing. ### Do I get the Signature Confirmation fee back if the package is returned? No, not once tracking shows an attempted delivery (DMM 604.9.2.4). ## Related questions - [How do I get USPS proof of delivery with a signature?](https://resellerindex.com/usps/services/proof-of-delivery/) Tracking gives no signature: the four ways to get one on record, what each costs, and keeping it for years. - [Can I ship a package to a Post Office for the buyer to pick up?](https://resellerindex.com/usps/services/hold-for-pickup/) Ship to the buyer's Post Office at no extra charge: which labels qualify, the ID rule and the 15-day return. - [What is USPS Restricted Delivery, and how much does it cost?](https://resellerindex.com/usps/services/restricted-delivery/) Delivery only to a named person: which services it needs, and every fee. - [How much does USPS Package Intercept cost, and will it stop my package?](https://resellerindex.com/usps/services/package-intercept/) $19.45 only if USPS catches it, and why Media Mail comes back as Priority Mail. - [When will USPS refund postage or an extra-service fee?](https://resellerindex.com/usps/services/refund-postage-fees/) When USPS refunds a fee it didn't deliver on, the 30-to-60-day window, and what it never refunds. More in Signatures, delivery records and Certified Mail: [Certified Mail and return receipts](https://resellerindex.com/usps/services/certified-mail-return-receipt/) All 20 questions: [USPS claims, refunds and extra services](https://resellerindex.com/usps/services/) · [Signature Confirmation and Adult Signature fees](https://resellerindex.com/usps/rules/signature-confirmation/) ## How we checked this Fees come from [Notice 123](https://pe.usps.com/text/dmm300/Notice123.htm) 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](https://pe.usps.com/resources/PriceChange/Time-Limited%20OCT%202026%20Price%20Change%20-%20Notice%20123%20-%20Final.zip); 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, 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. - [USPS Domestic Mail Manual 508: Recipient Services (delivery rules, Hold Mail)](https://pe.usps.com/text/dmm300/508.htm) - [USPS Domestic Mail Manual 507: Mailer Services (Package Intercept, Pickup on Demand)](https://pe.usps.com/text/dmm300/507.htm) - [USPS Domestic Mail Manual 503: Extra Services](https://pe.usps.com/text/dmm300/503.htm) - [USPS Domestic Mail Manual 604: Postage Payment Methods and Refunds](https://pe.usps.com/text/dmm300/604.htm) - [USPS Domestic Mail Manual 113: Priority Mail Express prices and eligibility (guarantee, delivery time)](https://pe.usps.com/text/dmm300/113.htm) - [USPS: Schedule a Redelivery (PS Form 3849 options)](https://tools.usps.com/redelivery.htm) - [USPS Notice 123, Price List (effective Oct 4, 2026): Domestic Extra Services and Fees, Other Services](https://pe.usps.com/text/dmm300/Notice123.htm) Subscribe: https://resellerindex.com/subscribe/ Pricing postage into every listing? 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