Return receipt cost: green card or e-mail
A return receipt cost depends on how you want the proof: the green card by mail or an e-mail. Pick one to see the total with Certified Mail.
Independent site, not the Postal Service: prices read in its own price files.
Example: a 1 oz letter· change a figure to see yours
Certified Mail letter, total at the Post Office
$9.28
Postage, Certified Mail fee and return receipt added
| Postage (First-Class Mail letter) | $0.82 |
| Certified Mail fee | $5.55 |
| Return receipt | $2.91 |
| Same letter from Jan 17, 2027 | $9.28 (no change filed) |
Compiled by Radif Partners · How the prices are built
A return receipt is the proof of delivery the Postal Service sends back to the sender: who received the piece, on what date, and the delivery address. In the extra services sheet of Notice 123 read on November 13, 2026, the return receipt costs $4.65 when you ask at the counter for the green card, PS Form 3811, returned by mail, and $2.91 when you choose to receive it electronically, by e-mail. It is sold with another extra service, usually Certified Mail at $5.55. For a 1-ounce letter, the total is $11.02 with the green card and $9.28 with the e-mail receipt. A return receipt must be bought at the time of mailing, and the piece needs a full return address. No change to these fees appears in the January 2027 filing.
Return receipt cost with Certified Mail
| Piece | Green card | E-mail receipt |
|---|---|---|
| 1 oz letter, Certified Mail | $11.02 | $9.28 |
| Return receipt fee alone | $4.65 | $2.91 |
| 20 letters, receipts only | $93.00 | $58.20 |
The fee does not depend on the weight or the distance. It is added once per piece, on top of postage and the Certified Mail fee.
Total with your return receipt
Example: a 1 oz letter· change a figure to see yours
Certified Mail letter, total at the Post Office
$9.28
Postage, Certified Mail fee and return receipt added
| Postage (First-Class Mail letter) | $0.82 |
| Certified Mail fee | $5.55 |
| Return receipt | $2.91 |
| Same letter from Jan 17, 2027 | $9.28 (no change filed) |
Filling in the green card
For the paper receipt, you fill in PS Form 3811 with your address, since the card travels back to you once signed at delivery, and attach it to the piece. The electronic receipt needs only your e-mail address at the time of mailing, and it can be forwarded or printed as many times as needed. Either way, a complete return address must be printed on the piece itself.
When a receipt is worth it
Notices to a landlord or a tenant, letters to a court, disputes with a company: whenever someone may later say they never received the letter, the signed receipt answers. For a parcel worth money, insurance and a signature matter more; see the insurance page. The Certified Mail page gives the totals for heavier envelopes.