Major shippers make package delivery as safe as possible at every step, especially at delivery. USPS, for example, offers a variety of services designed to give the sender peace of mind that their parcel reached the recipient.
One way it does this is by offering USPS Adult Signature Required. What is the USPS Adult Signature service? Here’s all the answers you have been searching for!
What Is USPS Adult Signature In [currentyear]?
USPS offers Adult Signature Required, which ensures that the designated mailpiece will only be delivered to anyone at the residence over the age of 21 as of [currentyear]. Proof of age, via photo ID, must be shown to ensure that the item is given to a reliable, trustworthy adult.
To find out more about why someone might use Adult Signature Required, how much the service costs, plus much more, keep reading!
Why Does USPS Do Adult Signatures?
The United States Postal Service began offering Adult Signature Required in 2011 to ensure that sensitive or important shipments ended up in responsible hands.
With that, Adult Signature Required goes beyond just ensuring that necessary packages aren’t sitting out in the open, unattended on porches or stoops.
With a signature, it’s an extra layer of security that puts the parcel directly in the hands of not just any resident of a home but a 21-year-old adult.
For recipients, this offers a great deal of peace of mind, and for senders, it can help eliminate disputes post-delivery.
How Do You Use USPS Adult Signature Required?
USPS Adult Signature Required is an add-on service that can be attached to any of the following mail classes:
- Priority Mail Express
- Priority Mail
- First-Class Mail
- First-Class Package (Commercial)
- Parcel Select & Parcel Select Lightweight
If you are using USPS.com’s Click-N-Ship service, you will go through the process of creating a shipment label.
That said, when you reach the fifth step in the process, the site offers the option for “Signature Services.”
Then, there’s a list of the Signature Services, as well as their cost. At this step, you will choose Adult Signature Required and take on the $6.90 service fee.
Next, make sure you select the correct Signature Service (they’re all different, despite sounding similar), complete your label and check out.
To see what an Adult Signature Required label looks like, you can find an image here.
Alternatively, if you’re shipping from the Post Office, you can simply take your parcel up to the counter and ask that they add on Adult Signature Required.
How Much Does USPS Adult Signature Cost?
The USPS Adult Signature Required service currently costs $6.90 to add to a shipment.
With that, it’s the second-cheapest Signature Service USPS offers, with regular Signature Confirmation starting at $2.90.
Additionally, Adult Signature Restricted Delivery and Signature Confirmation Restricted Delivery are slightly more expensive, at $7.15 and $8.75, respectively.
What Packages Require An Adult Signature USPS?
No USPS shipping options automatically require an adult signature to deliver.
Instead, Adult Signature Required is an add-on service that must be manually included (and paid for) by the shipper.
How Do You Know If USPS Requires An Adult Signature?
If you’re the recipient, you’ll want to know if a package coming your way requires an adult present to receive it.
That said, the easiest way to find this information is to check your USPS Tracking page.
Therefore, the Tracking page will prominently notify you if an adult signature is required to complete the delivery.
Will USPS Leave The Package Without Adult Signature?
As mail is federally protected property, the likelihood that a USPS mail carrier would leave a package that requires an adult signature without obtaining said signature is minuscule.
However, mail carriers are human, too, and mistakes do happen (never say never).
So, if you have evidence that a package was left without obtaining the required adult signature, take your grievance to your delivering Post Office.
What Is The Difference Between USPS Adult Signature And Signature Confirmation?
USPS Adult Signature Required differs from Signature Confirmation in that the person giving the signature must be 21 years of age or older.
With that, Signature Confirmation similarly ensures that the mailpiece in question has been put into someone’s hands, but that person can be any reasonably aged resident.
So, while your 12-year-old could sign for a Signature Confirmation delivery, they could not sign for an Adult Signature delivery.
In fact, despite attaining legal adulthood in the U.S., even residents ages 18 to 20 could not sign for Adult Signature packages.
What Is The Difference Between USPS Adult Signature And Adult Signature Restricted Delivery?
This is where the terms get even trickier, but the difference between these two services is important to note.
So, Adult Signature Required means that any resident of the home over the age of 21 can sign for the delivery.
But, Adult Signature Restricted Delivery is even more specific.
For this service, only the addressee (the name on the mailpiece) can sign, and they must be 21 years of age or older.
However, the mail carrier might let the ID check slide for Adult Signature Required when the person answering the door is clearly in their 40s or 50s.
But, they’re most certainly not going to skip the ID check for Adult Signature Restricted Delivery.
If you want to know more, you can also see our posts on whether or not USPS requires a signature, USPS insurance claim denied, and if USPS updates tracking.
Conclusion
The USPS service Adult Signature Required is affordable for both sender and recipient to ensure that a mailpiece has been delivered directly into capable, responsible hands.
Further, only residents over the age of 21 may sign for an Adult Signature Required delivery. Also, if there are no eligible residents at home the first time, USPS will try the next day again.
