How to Schedule a USPS Pickup: Free Package Pickup vs. Pickup on Demand

USPS will collect packages from your door for free. Request a Package Pickup on usps.com by 2:00 a.m. Central Time on the day you want it, Monday through Saturday, and your letter carrier takes the packages during the regular delivery run. If you need the carrier at a specific time, Pickup on Demand gives you a two-hour window for $26.50 per pickup under the USPS price list effective July 12, 2026. Both services are booked from the same Schedule a Pickup tool, and both can be edited or cancelled online until their cutoff.

Free Package Pickup vs. Pickup on Demand

The fee is per trip, not per package. Ten boxes on one Pickup on Demand cost the same $26.50 as one box, and there is no piece limit on the free service either, as long as each piece meets the size and weight rules below.

The two deadlines are easy to mix up because USPS states them in different time zones. 2:00 a.m. Central is 3:00 a.m. Eastern and midnight Pacific. The 5:00 a.m. figure is local time and applies only to the paid service. If you are on the East Coast and want a free pickup tomorrow, the request has to be in before 3:00 a.m. your time.

How to schedule a free USPS pickup

• Open the Schedule a Pickup tool on usps.com and enter the pickup address and a contact phone number or email. USPS notes that not every address is eligible for Package Pickup.
• Tell the carrier where the packages will be, such as the front door, back porch or mailroom, and add any notes they need to find them.
• Pick the day. Free pickups run Monday through Saturday. Leave "Pick up during regular mail delivery, $0.00" selected. The other option on this step is Pickup on Demand, which asks you to sign in to a USPS.com account and choose a paid time slot.
• Enter how many packages you have in each category (Priority Mail Express, Priority Mail, USPS Ground Advantage, Returns, International) and the estimated total weight, rounded to the nearest pound. "Other" only works when at least one package sits in another category.
• Submit the request. USPS sends a confirmation number by email, and you need it, plus the email address or phone number on the request, to edit or cancel later.

Every package needs its label printed and attached, with enough postage to cover the service and any extras, before the carrier arrives.

What USPS will and will not pick up

Package Pickup and Pickup on Demand cover the same mail:

• Priority Mail Express and Priority Mail
• USPS Ground Advantage
• USPS Returns, including prepaid return labels from a retailer
• Priority Mail Express International, Priority Mail International and First-Class Package International Service, as long as the label, customs form and postage were completed online. A package with a handwritten customs form has to go to a Post Office counter.

Other mail, such as stamped First-Class Mail letters, can be handed over at the same time only when the request includes at least one of the packages above. Each piece is capped at 70 pounds and 130 inches of combined length and girth.

The stamped-postage rule

A piece paid with postage stamps that weighs more than 10 ounces, or is more than half an inch thick, cannot be collected by a carrier. It has to be handed to a clerk at a Post Office counter. Labels bought online or through shipping software are printed postage, not stamps, so this rule only affects stamped parcels.

Weekends, holidays and booking ahead

You can submit a request on any day, including Sunday or a postal holiday, but the pickup itself happens on the next delivery day. A request made on Saturday afternoon is collected on Monday, or Tuesday if Monday is a holiday. USPS does not run free pickups on Sunday. See is USPS delivery available on weekends for the Sunday and holiday delivery rules.

Both services can be booked up to six months ahead. If you schedule a pickup weeks out, print the labels close to the pickup day. Our note on whether USPS labels expire covers the ship-by date.

How to edit or cancel a scheduled pickup

Open the modify or cancel page in the Schedule a Pickup tool, enter the confirmation number with the email address or phone number from the request, and choose Edit Pickup. You can change the date, location, number of packages and total weight, or cancel the request. Signed-in users can also do this from their list of scheduled pickups. The cutoff is the same as for booking: 2:00 a.m. Central Time on the pickup day for free Package Pickup, and 5:00 a.m. local time for Pickup on Demand.

When the $26.50 fee is not charged

USPS Domestic Mail Manual section 507.7.1.3 lists four cases where Pickup on Demand is free:

• You cancelled the pickup within the cancellation rules above.
• The carrier collected the packages during a regularly scheduled delivery or collection stop.
• The item carries a USPS Returns label that states the permit holder pays for Pickup on Demand.
• The request is for at least seven eligible pieces from a customer who has a signed PS Form 5543 agreement with the local Post Office. The agreement has to be in place before the request.

The last case is the one that matters for a seller shipping every day. If you regularly hand the carrier seven or more packages and want a fixed window, ask your local Post Office about Form 5543 before paying $26.50 a day for it.

Priority Mail Express and the daily cutoff

USPS does not guarantee that a Priority Mail Express package collected by the carrier makes that day's cutoff. If the delivery guarantee matters on a specific shipment, hand it to an acceptance employee at a Post Office instead.

After the pickup

USPS emails a confirmation once the pickup is done, or the carrier leaves a pickup confirmation notice at the location. If something was left behind, the notice says why. In a multi-story building, packages have to be at a ground-level secured location. Carriers use their own judgment on the day, and snow, ice, a blocked path or a loose dog can stop a collection.

If the carrier did not come at all, reschedule for the next delivery day and, if it keeps happening, raise it with your local Post Office. Our guide to what to do when USPS does not pick up your package covers the troubleshooting steps.

Frequently asked questions

Is USPS package pickup free?

Yes. Package Pickup during regular mail delivery costs $0.00 for any number of eligible packages. Request it by 2:00 a.m. Central Time on the pickup day, Monday through Saturday.

How much does USPS Pickup on Demand cost?

$26.50 per pickup, charged per trip regardless of how many packages the carrier collects, under USPS Notice 123 effective July 12, 2026. You choose a two-hour window and must request it by 5:00 a.m. local time on the pickup day.

Will USPS pick up a package with a prepaid label?

Yes. Any package with a printed, paid label for Priority Mail Express, Priority Mail, USPS Ground Advantage, USPS Returns or an eligible international service can be scheduled for pickup. Postage has to be on the package before the carrier arrives.

How does a scheduled USPS pickup work?

You submit the request online, leave the packages at the spot you described, and the carrier collects them during the regular delivery run on the scheduled day, or inside your chosen window for Pickup on Demand. USPS then sends a confirmation email or leaves a notice at the location.

Can I schedule a USPS pickup on Sunday?

You can submit the request on Sunday, but the pickup happens on the next delivery day. Free Package Pickup and Pickup on Demand both run Monday through Saturday.

If scheduling pickups and staging boxes has become a daily chore, Simpl's ecommerce fulfillment service picks, packs and ships orders with UPS, USPS or FedEx.