[SIRE1]

Be aware that all of these suggestions for having someone check your mail box and then having them send your mail in a bundled envelope means there will be a delay of at least 2 weeks. Plus, if that person goes on vacation or gets sick and cannot check your box, the delay will be even greater. So any bills you finally get will probably be Past Due by the time you receive it. That is why I recommended in my previous reply that you either set your bills for AutoPay, set up to receive the bill by email instead of a paper mailed copy, or go to the companies web site and change your mailing address in your Account /Profile section. Using the email or changed address might include credit cards where you want to review the charges as being yours before paying the bill. And the best part of either method is that you are not relying on mail being forwarded by the US Mail or someone else. . A little reminder, one of my credit cards requires me to enter my mailing zip code as a security verification when I use it at a gas pump and I have to remember to use the new zip code I've entered on their web site.

[TNKYGAL]

Originally Posted by Catalina36

I believe you can only get mail forwarding for a max of 30 days. You have to actually do a "change of address". I usually start a week before I leave either house. It sometimes takes a couple of days for the mail change of address to start thats why I start a week in advance. This time, I started to use the postal service which sends you a email photo shot of your mail in the morning of your delivery. Its actually kind of cool, especially in The Villages. It could save you a trip to the postal station only to find you have no mail.
You can do everthing on line. When your leaving The Villages, The week before go to the postal station and talk with the mail person and fill out the paperwork directly with them.

That has been our experience also. When setting up "change of address", you will be prompted to select "temporary" or "permanent". Choose temporary and give starting and ending dates. When you get the confirmation email, be sure to keep it, or at least keep the confirmation number. You will need that if you ever want to adjust the end date or check on it. Like others, we start the service several days early, and stop the forwarding about 2 weeks before we leave TV just to be sure nothing comes to TV after we leave. We also use informed delivery, and whether forwarding mail or not, that has proven to be a valuable service! The only problem we have experienced was once when our individual mail carrier in KY inadvertently sent mail to TV after the cutoff date. We knew it because of informed delivery (plus we got no mail), and we were able to both track it down AND contact the senders for important mail. For the most part, USPS does a great job with this and setting it up is simple.
Good luck, welcome to TV, and get ready for a place like no other - you will love it here!!!

[justjim]

Originally Posted by Notsocrates

I do the same, 6 and 6. Mail is no problem. You can fill USPS form on its website. Journals and anything not 1st class will not be forwarded.

Magazines are forwarded for 60 days only. USPS forwarding system is not perfect but all in all it’s pretty darn good. We go north for about 3 months in the summer (cooler weather). Always use USPS web-site a couple weeks prior to the temporary move. I made the mistake once of filling out the card at Lady Lake PO and handed it to the postal clerk while there and they claimed there was no record following a call 3 weeks later. I was not happy and let them know it. Never did that again.

[njbchbum]

We have done it all - from forwarding, temp address change, neighbors - and found that the USPS Premium Forwarding Service [also a temp address change] is the most reliable way to redirect mail!

The service starts on a Wednesday and forwards every Wednesday thereafter until the end date - usually arrives on Saturday - billed weekly - expensive but reliable. EVERYTHING including the magazines, catalogs and junk mail is sent. No need to make a daily trip to your local box unless you want to or are expecting something sent direct or a package.

We start it on the Wed prior to our arrival so that it will not get there until we arrive. I process a Hold Mail for any days between our home departure and the Wed start date - that makes sure that there is mail to forward as of the start date.

On our return I stop the mail forwarding from home on the Wed prior to our TV departure - process a Hold Mail on the mail at home until our return there - process a mail forward from TV to home.

So basically it's a Hold Mail at home until the start of the PFS the Wed after we leave and an end date the Wed before we leave TV with a TV forwarding start the Monday of the week of our departure from TV with a Hold Mail/delivery restart date for our home delivery.

I also get the name of the person at our home P.O. who processes the Premium Forwarding Service so that I have someone to call directly in case there is any change to our travel plans and they can make any modification necessary for me. Most important - it allows me to send a FL fruit gift basket back to the P.O. while we are away as a thank you for their attention to our use of PFS!

As mentioned, it has been the most reliable way to insure delivery of our mail...and it relieves any family member/neighbor from any anxiety of forgetting to help us out. The one CAUTION I do have is a substitute mail carrier forgetting/not realizing that we have subscribed to PFS - so I have the chap who comes by to make sure the driveway/sidewalks have been plowed and who periodically starts our sitting cars check our mailbox for misdelivered mail - I leave pre-adressed Priority Mail envelopes with him when we give him the car keys.

Hope that helps you.

[jacRI]

Junk mail is not forwarded. The majority of my mail is forwarded but it is not unusual for multiple pieces to delivered to FL and not forwarded to my summer home. I have signed up for Informed Delivery on line. You get a picture of whatever is about to hit your permanent address. Those items that show up are not forwarded. I have arranged with a neighbor to check and put forwarding info on envelope and drop back at post office being sure to cross off bar code on bottom of envelope. Also for tax purposes see what your state considers the number of days you can remain in another state. . I am a legal FL resident but head north for summer. My former state is 6 months plus one day and my income becomes taxable at my old state's income level. There is no state income tax in FL. Check with your accountant.

[Papa_lecki]

Originally Posted by njbchbum

We have done it all - from forwarding, temp address change, neighbors - and found that the USPS Premium Forwarding Service [also a temp address change] is the most reliable way to redirect mail!

The service starts on a Wednesday and forwards every Wednesday thereafter until the end date - usually arrives on Saturday - billed weekly - expensive but reliable. EVERYTHING including the magazines, catalogs and junk mail is sent. No need to make a daily trip to your local box unless you want to or are expecting something sent direct or a package.

We start it on the Wed prior to our arrival so that it will not get there until we arrive. I process a Hold Mail for any days between our home departure and the Wed start date - that makes sure that there is mail to forward as of the start date.

On our return I stop the mail forwarding from home on the Wed prior to our TV departure - process a Hold Mail on the mail at home until our return there - process a mail forward from TV to home.
Hope that helps you.

This is the best solution BUT
1) sign up online, then go to your post office and tell them
2) do it week early, to be sure it starts
3) get the name/number of who to call.

My first time, it never started. After that, i followed those 3 rules above

[Aces4]

Originally Posted by SIRE1

Be aware that all of these suggestions for having someone check your mail box and then having them send your mail in a bundled envelope means there will be a delay of at least 2 weeks. Plus, if that person goes on vacation or gets sick and cannot check your box, the delay will be even greater. So any bills you finally get will probably be Past Due by the time you receive it. That is why I recommended in my previous reply that you either set your bills for AutoPay, set up to receive the bill by email instead of a paper mailed copy, or go to the companies web site and change your mailing address in your Account /Profile section. Using the email or changed address might include credit cards where you want to review the charges as being yours before paying the bill. And the best part of either method is that you are not relying on mail being forwarded by the US Mail or someone else. . A little reminder, one of my credit cards requires me to enter my mailing zip code as a security verification when I use it at a gas pump and I have to remember to use the new zip code I've entered on their web site.

I suppose if you only have one family member or friend you could run into a problem but we have no issues there. Of course, ACH is best for bills but not everyone accepts that arrangement. If you have any tech skills or a cellphone, have your family member or friend take a cellphone pic of the correspondence and not wait two weeks. Family comes in very handy in this instance.