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No. Filing a change of address forwards your First-Class mail, priority mail, and packages for 12 months, but marketing mail (what USPS calls Standard or Marketing Mail) is not forwarded at all: it is discarded or returned to the sender. Magazines and newspapers forward for only 60 days. The mail class decides what follows you, not the address on the envelope.
| Mail class | What happens after a change of address |
|---|---|
| First-Class Mail (letters, bills, statements) | Forwarded free for 12 months |
| Priority Mail Express | Forwarded for 12 months |
| Priority Mail | Forwarded for 12 months |
| USPS Ground Advantage / packages | Forwarded for 12 months |
| Periodicals (magazines, newspapers) | Forwarded for 60 days only |
| Marketing Mail / Standard Mail (ads, catalogs, flyers) | NOT forwarded: discarded or returned to sender |
| Bound Printed Matter, Library Mail | Forwarded only if the sender paid for forwarding service |
It comes down to who paid for what. Forwarding is a service the Postal Service provides, and it prices that service into first-class postage. Marketing mail postage is deeply discounted precisely because it carries fewer services: no forwarding, no return service by default. When a catalog arrives at your old address, the carrier simply recycles it. Some marketers pay extra for an "address correction" endorsement, in which case they get your new address back as data rather than the piece being forwarded to you.
This is actually a feature if you hate junk mail: moving is the one time your mailbox gets a fresh start. The flyers and catalogs do not follow you. But it also means you cannot rely on forwarding to catch everything. Anything sent at a bulk rate, which includes most subscription boxes' promotional mail and charity solicitations, will vanish instead of arriving.
Forwarding is a safety net, not a plan. Update your address directly with: your bank and credit cards, your employer and tax agencies, your voter registration, your driver's licence, insurance companies, subscription services, and anyone who sends you marketing mail you actually want (those catalogs you like will not forward). Government mail is the category people worry about most, and it is a mixed bag: federal agencies mostly use first-class mail and forward fine, but some time-sensitive notices do not, so update agencies directly.
The other reason to update directly: forwarding expires. After 12 months, first-class mail starts coming back to senders marked "moved, no forwarding address." A surprising number of people discover this when a bill or a tax document bounces a year after a move.
Canada Post's mail redirection service is a paid service (unlike the free USPS change of address), and it redirects lettermail for a set period you choose. But the same class logic applies: addressed admail and unaddressed flyers are not redirected. If you move within Canada, buy the redirection service for the safety net, then update your address directly with banks, the CRA, and your province's licensing body, because those matter more than the redirect.
If someone mails you a letter through a service like LetterAgent, it travels as ordinary first-class letter mail, so it forwards exactly like a letter you would have received directly. The same 12-month rule applies. One practical tip: if you are expecting an important letter (a legal notice, a check, a government document) and you have just moved, give the sender your new address directly rather than trusting the forward. Forwarded mail takes longer, and forwarded certified or registered mail adds extra days while the forwarding office processes it.
Ready to mail it? Send your letter with LetterAgent: describe it to your AI assistant, approve the exact quoted price, and it is printed and mailed.
LetterAgent is a working name. Prices include print, postage, and our service fee. US prices in USD, Canadian prices in CAD (Canadian prices exclude applicable sales tax, added at checkout). Currently in private testing.
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