How to Forward Mail After Death

If you shared the mailing address

USPS says you may open and manage the deceased person’s mail as needed when you shared the mailing address. Its recipient rules also allow someone who would normally receive that person’s mail at the address to receive it there. These instructions cover mail at the existing address.^[1][2]

Those steps concern that envelope. For an ongoing forwarding request, follow the Post Office process below, including proof of appointment. The previous-resident section has different instructions for returning mail.

How to forward mail after death to another address

USPS requires documented proof that you are the appointed executor or administrator authorized to manage the deceased person’s mail. Its dedicated instructions direct you to a Post Office to complete the request in person. A death certificate alone does not qualify as the required authorization.^[1][3]

Describe your actual role to the postal associate and ask which appointment document shows the authority needed for your request. The letters testamentary guide explains the separate court-document task. This postal guide does not decide whether a court has appointed you or which court process applies.

Tell the associate if other people still receive mail at the old address. USPS distinguishes Individual and Family requests. Ask how to redirect the deceased person’s mail while keeping the remaining household’s delivery in place.^[3]

If the mail is for a previous resident

USPS separates mail delivered to the wrong location from mail sent to the correct address for someone who no longer lives there. Follow the instructions that match the delivery situation. Neither return process is a request to forward the deceased person’s ongoing mail to you.^[5]

• Correct address, previous resident: Write Not at this address. Keep the address readable. Give the piece to your carrier or place it in a collection receptacle.
• Wrong delivery location: Return the piece to the mailbox or carrier without adding an endorsement or marking over its information.^[5]

The postal manual reserves the Deceased nondelivery endorsement to a delivery employee when the addressee is known to be deceased and mail is not properly deliverable to another person. Follow the return instructions above and ask the local Post Office about an uncertain situation.^[6]

Reduce unwanted advertising mail

The Association of National Advertisers (ANA) provides the optional Deceased Do Not Contact List (DDNC). Its form lets friends, relatives and caregivers register a deceased person to help remove their details from commercial marketing lists.^[7]

The official DDNC registration form checked October 13, 2026 lists a $6 administrative processing fee. It asks for an email address and sends a link to verify the registration. Check the operator’s current terms before paying or entering information.^[7]

ANA distributes an updated file each month to subscribing companies. It expects a reduction in promotional mail within three months. That expectation does not guarantee a result or cover every sender.^[7]

The form explains that matching information is shared with client organizations to remove names from marketing lists. Read the ANA privacy policy before registering. ANA also says consumers need to contact companies directly about company-specific mailings.^[8][9]

Use a mail clue to choose the next question

For records you already have authority to handle, note the sender’s name, the type of record and the question you need answered. Keep private details in your own files. The mail-clue sheet is a place for questions and follow-up notes.

Use the mail and records section of the account-discovery guide for the next search task. The estate inventory guide covers the separate inventory task.

Choose the next task

For reports to agencies and companies, use the death-notification guide and contact log. Keep the postal request, each sender’s response and any remaining paperwork as separate entries. The first steps after a death guide helps place those contacts within the wider sequence.