To rent a PO box, you pick a post office, choose a box size and a term (3, 6 or 12 months), show government ID, and pay. In the US, USPS lets you start online but you finish at the Post Office counter with two forms of ID. Canada Post rents boxes in person only. The price depends far more on box size and which post office than most guides admit: a year can run about $62 for the smallest rural box or about $1,350 for the largest urban one.
The Quick Answer
Renting a PO box (a “post box” in some countries) takes one visit to a post office and ID. The fee is set by box size, post office location and term, and you pay it whether or not any mail arrives. A PO box is a locked compartment inside a post office, so it suits letters and small parcels from the national postal service. It does not suit parcels shipped by UPS, FedEx or Amazon. If that is your situation, skip ahead to the street-address alternative.
How to Rent a PO Box in the US (USPS)
If you are renting a USPS box, here is the sequence, as USPS describes it on its PO Box page (usps.com, checked October 2026):
- Find a Post Office and choose a size and payment period. You can do this online. Not every size is offered at every location, and a full office puts you on a waitlist.
- Apply and pay online, then print the form. Or skip the website and apply in person with PS Form 1093.
- Visit that Post Office within 30 days with two forms of acceptable US identification. USPS checks your ID, then gives you two keys (or a lock combination).
- Keep paying on time. Payment is due by the 10th; if it is unpaid the box closes on the 11th. A 3-month term requires automatic renewal.
A few details worth knowing before you go:
- You can rent in a different city or state, but you must visit that Post Office in person to collect your keys.
- Terms are 3, 6 or 12 months. If you close a box early you can get a partial refund.
- Fees beyond rent: a $6 deposit per key, $14 for a replacement key, and $30 for a lock replacement or a late payment.
- Access: most locations have lobby access around the clock, but hours vary, so check the office you pick.
What a USPS PO Box Costs, by Size
USPS prices boxes by size and by the Post Office’s fee group, so there is no single price. The table shows the 6-month fee range from USPS Notice 123 (effective October 4, 2026), from the cheapest fee group to the most expensive. Box depth is mostly 14.75 inches.
| Size | Dimensions | What fits | 6-month fee range | About per year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 3” × 5.5” | 10 to 15 letters | $31 to $170 | $62 to $340 |
| 2 | 5” × 5.5” | One small Priority Mail Flat Rate Box | Between size 1 and size 3 | Check usps.com for your office |
| 3 | 5.5” × 11” | Letters, flats, a small parcel | $60 to $395 | $120 to $790 |
| 4 | 11” × 11” | Larger parcels | $90 to $452 | $180 to $904 |
| 5 | 12” × 22.5” | Multiple packages | $156 to $677 | $312 to $1,354 |
So the real question is where you rent. The low end of each range is the cheapest market-dominant fee group (typically smaller or rural offices); the high end is the top competitive group (busy urban offices). A box big enough for a small parcel (size 3 or 4) runs about $120 to $900 a year depending on the office, and, addressed as a PO Box, it takes USPS deliveries only. Look up your exact Post Office on usps.com before you decide.
How to Rent a Post Box in Canada (Canada Post)
If you are renting in Canada, the process is simpler but not online (per Canada Post’s rental page, checked October 2026):
- Go to a Canada Post post office that rents boxes.
- Show government-issued photo ID and sign a rental agreement.
- Pay the rental fee plus a key deposit. You receive two keys, plus a lobby key where the building has a lobby.
Canada Post offers terms of 3, 6 or 12 months and five box sizes, from letter-size up to “xx-large” boxes meant for parcels. Prices vary by box size, urban versus rural location, and term, and Canada Post’s listed prices exclude taxes. Some locations give 24-hour access. For a current price, ask at the counter or check the rental page at canadapost-postescanada.ca, because it changes by location.
If you live in Canada and want a US box instead, the question is different: see Can a Canadian Get a PO Box in the US? for the Canadian-specific answer.
What a PO Box Can’t Receive
A PO box does its job well for letters, statements and the occasional small parcel from the postal service. It has limits that surprise people who rent one for online shopping or for a business:
- Couriers. Addressed as a PO Box, only USPS delivers to it. UPS, FedEx, DHL and Amazon’s own delivery vans can’t put anything in a box inside a post office. Some Post Offices offer Street Addressing, which lets couriers deliver using the office’s street address plus your box number, but it is subject to availability and restrictions, so confirm it with the office before you rely on it.
- Large parcels. Anything too big for your box becomes a slip at the counter or goes to a parcel locker.
- Online stores that reject PO Box addresses. Many checkouts won’t accept one, because a PO Box is not a street address.
- Scanning and forwarding. A box holds your mail; it will not open, scan or forward a single item for you on request.
None of this means a PO box is a bad product. It is a good, cheap-enough answer when your mail is mostly letters and USPS parcels and you live near the post office. It is the wrong tool when the mail that matters comes by courier. For the wider concept of how a mail-handling service differs from a box, see What Is a Virtual PO Box?, and for the line-by-line comparison see Virtual PO Box vs USPS PO Box.
When a PO Box Doesn’t Fit: the Street-Address Alternative
Three situations send people looking for something other than a post office box:
- You buy from UPS, FedEx or Amazon. You need a street address that every carrier can deliver to.
- You have no US presence. A US PO box requires you to visit a US Post Office in person to collect keys, and renting from overseas is not practical.
- You travel or live abroad. A key and a lobby are hard to use from another country.
For these cases, a private mail centre licensed by USPS to receive mail and packages for you (the official term is a CMRA, a Commercial Mail Receiving Agency) gives you a real street address instead of a box number. You sign USPS Form 1583, which authorizes the centre to receive mail for you, and verify your ID, then use the address like any other.
In Out Parcel is one such service, run from its own facility in Point Roberts, WA, serving the border since 2014 and rated 4.9★ from 700+ reviews. Your address is 145 Tyee Dr, PMB (your Customer ID), Point Roberts, WA 98281. It accepts mail and parcels from every carrier, you can read your mail as a scan, and you can forward anything worldwide, whether or not you ever come near the border.
How it is priced is the part that differs most from a box. There is no monthly fee. It is pay-per-use: from $4.25 per package or letter received, $0 in the months nothing arrives, and credit never expires. Compare that with the table above: a mid-size PO box at ~$250 a year equals about 59 packages or letters at the $4.25 base fee, and the box still can’t take a UPS parcel or forward to your home abroad. If you receive more than that, a box can be the better deal, which is why the choice depends on your mail volume and carriers, not on a rule.
If you are near the border, pickup is available too: 2,000+ automated lockers · 24/7 self-serve with a 6-digit PIN.
Which One Should You Rent?
- Rent a PO box if your mail is mostly letters and USPS parcels, you live close to the post office, and the fee for your size and office is reasonable.
- Use a street address instead if parcels come from UPS, FedEx or Amazon, if you live outside the country, or if mail arrives in bursts and you would rather not prepay a year.
If the second sounds like you, you can register for a US street address and pay only when something arrives.