Guides

Plain explanations of Certified Mail, return receipts and proof of mailing.

• Certified mail return receipt: what it records and how to get one

  Certified mail return receipt, from the USPS mailing standards: what PS Form 3811 records, green card or electronic, each fee, and what to do if it never comes.

• How to send certified mail, step by step

  How to send certified mail at a post office or online: PS Form 3800, the return receipt choice, the fees in USPS Notice 123 and what your receipt proves.

• Proof of mailing: the USPS options and what each one proves

  Proof of mailing from USPS: a Certificate of Mailing, a Certified or Registered Mail receipt, or a counter postmark. Current fees and what each one does not prove.

• USPS postmark rule change: what the rule says and what did not change

  USPS postmark rule change, read in the Federal Register and DMM 608.11: a machine postmark shows the first processing date. How to get one dated the day you mail.

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