# USPS Click-N-Ship: Free Labels at Commercial Rates > USPS Click-N-Ship is a free tool on USPS.com to create and print domestic or international postage labels with automatic Commercial discounts. - **Author**: Charles Helms - **Published**: 2021-03-12 - **Updated**: 2026-10-23 - **Category**: usps - **URL**: https://trackingadvice.com/usps-click-and-ship/ --- USPS Click-N-Ship is the free USPS.com tool for buying postage and printing prepaid shipping labels at home. USPS charges nothing to use Click-N-Ship; you pay only the postage. Personal accounts get Commercial prices automatically, and every price in the table below beats the Post Office counter. (Most people search for it as "USPS Click and Ship." USPS spells it Click-N-Ship.) Shipping for Christmas? The 2026 USPS ship-by dates are in the holiday section near the end of this page, and our [2026 holiday shipping deadlines](https://trackingadvice.com/holiday-shipping-deadlines-2026/) page has every carrier. For live USPS tracking and more USPS guides, see the [USPS hub](https://trackingadvice.com/carriers/usps/). ## How to use USPS Click-N-Ship, step by step USPS Click-N-Ship walks you through one label in this order: 1. Sign in to your account on [USPS.com](https://reg.usps.com/entreg/RegistrationAction_input) or create a free personal or business account, then launch [Click-N-Ship](https://cns.usps.com/). New accounts created after March 6, 2025 must enroll in [multifactor authentication](https://faq.usps.com/s/article/Multifactor-Authentication-MFA). 2. Start your shipment by selecting "Create This Label" or "New Label" in either the Classic view or the Quick-Flow view, which you can set as your default in Preferences. 3. Review the sender details pre-filled from your registered account profile, or enter a one-time return address. 4. Enter recipient details, along with optional reference notes up to 30 characters that print directly on the label, and turn on optional recipient tracking notifications by text or email. 5. Select a ship date up to 7 days from today. ([USPS Label Creation User Guide](https://www.usps.com/c360/images/ClickNShip/Click-N-Ship%20-%20Label%20Creation.pdf)) 6. Declare a package value up to $5,000.00 if you want to purchase additional insurance. 7. Choose a packaging type: USPS Flat Rate Box or Envelope, Other Type of Box or Envelope (entering weight, dimensions, girth if not rectangular, and nonmachinable characteristics if applicable), or First-Class Mail Letter or Envelope. 8. Select your shipping service from the comparison list, which displays prices and delivery times with sorting options and an estimated delivery date. 9. Add extra services if needed, such as additional insurance, signature services (Signature Confirmation or Adult Signature), hiding the postage value on the label, or USPS Label Delivery. 10. Add the shipment to your cart (which holds up to 1,000 labels) or save it inside Label Manager to finish later, then proceed to the checkout screen. 11. Print the label on your printer or select Label Broker to print at a retail counter, attach the label to your package, and deposit the parcel in the mail on your chosen ship date or schedule a free pickup. Seven days of slack (step 5) sounds generous. It is also how labels go stale: USPS says labels mailed after the ship date printed on the label may be returned to you. **A printed online label cannot be altered, which means you must print a new label and request a refund for the incorrect one.** Printed the same label twice? Throw the copy away. Each label number works once, and USPS treats intentional use of a duplicate label as fraud. ## Is Click-N-Ship cheaper than the Post Office counter? Yes. USPS Click-N-Ship charges Commercial prices, and the Post Office counter charges Retail prices. | Item | Retail (Post Office) | Commercial (Click-N-Ship) | | ---------------------------------------- | -------------------- | ------------------------- | | USPS Ground Advantage, 8 oz, Zone 4 | $8.80 | $7.86 | | USPS Ground Advantage, 1 lb, Zone 4 | $11.10 | $8.55 | | Priority Mail Flat Rate Envelope | $13.90 | $11.97 | | Priority Mail Small Flat Rate Box | $14.65 | $12.95 | | Priority Mail Medium Flat Rate Box | $25.80 | $22.02 | | Priority Mail Large Flat Rate Box | $36.10 | $32.75 | | Priority Mail Express Flat Rate Envelope | $38.25 | $33.46 | _Verified on the carrier's website: [USPS Notice 123](https://pe.usps.com/text/dmm300/Notice123.htm)._ In this table, Click-N-Ship saves $1.70 to $4.79 per item, or about 9% to 23% off the counter price. The smallest cut is on the Priority Mail Large Flat Rate Box ($3.35, about 9%). The biggest is on a 1-pound USPS Ground Advantage parcel to Zone 4 ($2.55, about 23%). USPS publishes no single discount percentage for all services. **USPS says: "All personal account customers receive Commercial Pricing when purchasing labels in Click-N-Ship."** That covers Priority Mail, Priority Mail Cubic, Priority Mail Express, USPS Ground Advantage, and Ground Advantage Cubic. Business accounts get a different discount. USPS enrolls every business account in the Business Rate Card, which provides lower business prices for Priority Mail and USPS Ground Advantage on packages weighing under 20 pounds. Items weighing 20 pounds or more, including flat-rate packaging, pay the Commercial rate. A temporary USPS peak-season surcharge runs from October 4, 2026 to January 17, 2027 across Priority Mail Express, Priority Mail, USPS Ground Advantage, and Parcel Select, and the table shows the prices in effect now. For any other weight or zone, check the [USPS Postage Price Calculator](https://postcalc.usps.com/). ## What you can (and cannot) ship with Click-N-Ship USPS Click-N-Ship covers the main USPS package services and First-Class Mail letters, but not Media Mail. Available domestic services include: - Priority Mail Express - Priority Mail and Priority Mail Cubic - USPS Ground Advantage and USPS Ground Advantage Cubic - Parcel Select - First-Class Mail Letter and First-Class Mail Large Envelope - USPS Connect Local, USPS Connect Regional, and USPS Connect Local Mail (Business accounts only) Available international services include: - Priority Mail Express International - Priority Mail International - First-Class Package International Service **Click-N-Ship does not sell First-Class Mail International or Package Services, which USPS Notice 123 defines as Media Mail, Library Mail and Bound Printed Matter.** For Media Mail, USPS points shippers to PC Postage vendors, and the Post Office counter sells it at retail prices. Click-N-Ship supports First-Class Mail letters and large envelopes with size and weight limits. Letters can weigh up to 3.5 ounces, large envelopes can weigh up to 13 ounces, and all pieces must measure at least 6 inches by 4 inches. The maximum size for a letter is 11-1/2 inches by 6-1/8 inches by 1/4 inch thick; the maximum size for a large envelope is 15 inches by 12 inches by 3/4 inch thick. First-Class Mail letters and large envelopes purchased in Click-N-Ship are not eligible for USPS Tracking, Label Broker, Smart Lockers, or Hold for Pickup. A few tools help if you ship often. Your online Address Book stores up to 5,000 addresses, organized into groups holding up to 500 addresses each. Shippers can import up to 1,000 labels at once by file upload. You can also order free USPS shipping supplies while you build a label, reuse past shipment details using the Ship Again feature, and manage tracking, reprints, and refund requests inside Shipping History. Only Business accounts can create return labels. They are free to generate, charged only when used, valid for 30 days from the outbound label ship date, and require an outbound shipping label purchased through Click-N-Ship. ## Paying for and printing Click-N-Ship labels USPS Click-N-Ship takes cards, PayPal and Apple Pay, and it needs a decent printer, not a special one. Debit and credit cards both work. Business accounts can also pay with Enterprise Payment System (EPS), EPS via 3rd Party Authorization, or Official Mail Accounting System (OMAS, federal agencies only). USPS lists four browsers: Mozilla Firefox, Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge and Safari. First-time users may need to install Adobe Acrobat Reader to open and print labels. USPS recommends using a laser printer or a high-quality inkjet printer with black ink at 600 dots per inch (DPI) resolution. Postal scanning equipment cannot reliably read labels printed from low-quality inkjet or dot matrix printers. Plain white 8-1/2" x 11" paper is acceptable, though self-adhesive labels are recommended. Standard shipping labels should print at approximately 4" x 6". First-Class Mail letters and large envelopes print only with the 6 x 4 print option. For domestic orders of two or more labels that do not require customs forms, selecting "Print labels without receipt (2 per page)" prints two 4" x 6-1/2" labels onto a single 8-1/2" x 11" sheet. Place the label flat on the address side of the parcel. Do not fold it over the box edges, bend it or overlap it. Secure all four edges with clear tape, but do not tape over the "Postal Use" area on Priority Mail Express labels. **USPS says tape over a label makes it hard for processing equipment to read, so tape the edges, never the barcode.** For Priority Mail Express International and Priority Mail International shipments requiring multiple customs declaration copies, insert the documents into a plastic PS 2976-E Customs Declaration Envelope, available free at Post Offices. If you do not own a printer, USPS provides two alternatives: - [USPS Label Broker](https://www.usps.com/ship/label-broker.htm): Select "Print later at Post Office" during checkout. USPS emails a Label Broker ID consisting of a QR code plus 8 to 10 characters. Take the package and the code to a participating Post Office or a self-service kiosk where the label prints for free. Label Broker is not available for letters and large envelopes. - USPS Label Delivery Service: USPS prints and delivers the label to your address by mail for a fee of $1.65 per label. ## USPS Click-N-Ship not working? Causes USPS documents and fixes USPS documents a short list of causes for Click-N-Ship problems, and the table below holds all of them. | Symptom | Cause USPS documents | What to do | | ----------------------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | Label will not print or the print window does not open | Pop-up blocker on. USPS shows: "We have detected that you have a pop-up blocker enabled, which may interfere with printing labels successfully." | Turn off the pop-up blocker for USPS in your browser settings, then print again from the Payment Confirmation page or Shipping History | | First print asks for software | Adobe Acrobat Reader is not installed | Install Adobe Acrobat Reader (link is on the Payment Confirmation page) | | Label prints too small | Desktop font size or display settings | Adjust them; the label should print at about 4" x 6" | | Reprint or Save PDF option is gone | Print/Reprint and Save as PDF work only until midnight CST on the label's ship date | Request a refund for the unprinted label and create a new one | | Login passcode does not arrive | MFA one-time passcode comes by email from USPostalService@usps.com and expires in 10 minutes | Check spam or junk folders, then use Resend | | Phone number rejected for text (SMS) MFA or recipient text alerts | International phone numbers are not accepted | Use a U.S. mobile number, or the email or authenticator app MFA option | | Asked for a passcode again on your own computer | "Remember my device" lasts 30 days, unless you clear browser cookies, use a different browser or log in from a different device | Enter the new passcode; tick "Remember my device" only on a trusted personal device | | "Postage Due" message on the landing page | A used return label, an inaccurate weight entry, other input errors, or reuse of a label | Select View Details, then Pay Now (or pay from the Label Cart) | | Refund button fails for a letter or large envelope | Click-N-Ship does not refund First-Class Mail letters and large envelopes | Request the refund through Email Us ([Click-N-Ship inquiry form](https://emailus.usps.com/s/click-n-ship-inquiry)) | | Label Broker option missing | Letters and large envelopes are not eligible for Label Broker | Print at home | | Any other error message | USPS publishes no cause list for other errors | Contact the Click-N-Ship Help Desk | _Verified on the carrier's website: [USPS Click-N-Ship FAQ](https://faq.usps.com/s/article/Click-N-Ship-The-Basics) and [USPS MFA FAQ](https://faq.usps.com/s/article/Multifactor-Authentication-MFA)._ **For any other error, call the Click-N-Ship Help Desk at 1-800-344-7779.** Support hours are Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. ET, and Saturday from 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. ET; the desk is closed on Sundays and postal holidays. Or write to USPS through the [USPS Click-N-Ship inquiry form](https://emailus.usps.com/s/click-n-ship-inquiry), which also handles unresolved multifactor authentication problems. ## How to get a refund for an unused Click-N-Ship label USPS refunds an unused Click-N-Ship label for up to 60 days after you create it, and the easy path is the first 30. USPS accepts refund requests for three documented reasons: you decide not to ship the package, you could not print the label before 11:59 p.m. on the ship date, or you find an error after printing, such as a missing barcode or an incorrect ship date. 1. Submit a refund request within 30 days of the label creation date in Click-N-Ship under Shipping History. Select the label and choose "Refund", or open Label Details and select "Request a Refund". It works on a phone too. 2. For labels between 31 and 60 days old, send a request through the [Email Us inquiry form](https://emailus.usps.com/s/click-n-ship-inquiry). Include your username, Click-N-Ship account number, label number, transaction number, and purchase date. 3. After 60 calendar days from the label creation date, USPS grants no refund. (Put day 30 on a calendar. After it, the refund takes an email.) A label qualifies only if no barcode scan shows in USPS systems and no previous refund request was submitted. **USPS says a refund request processes 14 days from the date you request it; approved refunds go back to the original payment method.** USPS emails you when it approves or denies the request, and you can cancel a pending request until it is processed. If you refund a label that is on a SCAN Form, do not use that SCAN Form for the other labels; have each remaining label scanned on its own. For delayed Priority Mail Express deliveries, file for a service failure refund through Label Details by selecting "Request a Service Refund" or ask at a Post Office. ## Free Package Pickup for Click-N-Ship labels USPS picks up Click-N-Ship packages from your door for free with Package Pickup, no matter how many packages you have. Your letter carrier picks up the packages during regular mail delivery on the next delivery day or on a future date you select up to 6 months in advance. You can submit, edit, or cancel a pickup request in the Click-N-Ship Label Cart using "Request a Pickup" or through the [USPS Schedule a Pickup tool](https://tools.usps.com/schedule-pickup-steps.htm). **You can schedule, edit or cancel a free pickup Monday to Saturday until 2:00 AM Central Time on the day of the pickup.** Not all addresses are eligible. Requests made on a weekend or holiday go to the next scheduled delivery day. International parcels with online customs declarations completed in Click-N-Ship can be collected via pickup. One catch: if you ship Priority Mail Express and require the money-back guarantee on a specific parcel, you must hand that item to an employee at a Post Office instead. For the full pickup rules, see our [USPS package pickup guide](https://trackingadvice.com/usps-package-pickup/); to hand packages over in person, see [where to drop off USPS packages](https://trackingadvice.com/drop-off-usps-packages/). ## Using Click-N-Ship in the 2026 holiday rush Click-N-Ship works through the 2026 holiday peak; what matters is your service's ship-by date and the three postal holidays left this year. **For Christmas delivery in the lower 48, the last USPS ship-by date is Dec. 19, and only for Priority Mail Express.** USPS has three holidays left in 2026: - Wednesday, November 11 (Veterans Day) - Thursday, November 26 (Thanksgiving) - Friday, December 25 (Christmas Day) Post Offices and the Click-N-Ship Help Desk are closed on those days. USPS lists Click-N-Ship among the services you can still use when Post Offices close for a holiday. The full list is in our [guide to USPS holiday closures](https://trackingadvice.com/usps-holidays/). USPS ship-by dates for delivery by Dec. 25 in the lower 48 states: | Service | Ship by (lower 48) | | --------------------- | ------------------ | | USPS Ground Advantage | Thursday, Dec. 17 | | First-Class Mail | Thursday, Dec. 17 | | Priority Mail | Friday, Dec. 18 | | Priority Mail Express | Saturday, Dec. 19 | _Verified on the carrier's website: [USPS Holiday Shipping Dates](https://www.usps.com/holiday/holiday-shipping-dates.htm)._ Shipping abroad? For every region USPS lists, the ship-by date is Wednesday, December 9 for First-Class Package International Service and Priority Mail International, and Wednesday, December 16 for Priority Mail Express International. ## FAQ ### Is USPS Click-N-Ship free? Yes. USPS charges nothing to use Click-N-Ship. You pay only for the postage you purchase, and personal accounts receive discounted Commercial Pricing automatically. ### Can you create a shipping label at USPS? Yes. You can create and pay for prepaid domestic and international shipping labels online using Click-N-Ship on USPS.com. If you do not have a home printer, choose Label Broker and a participating Post Office or kiosk prints the label free from a QR code. ### Can I change the ship date on my USPS shipping label? No. USPS says a printed online label cannot be altered. Create a new label with the right ship date, then request a refund for the old one. ### How much does USPS charge to print a label for you? USPS charges nothing to print your label at a retail counter or kiosk when using the Label Broker feature. If you request the USPS Label Delivery Service to have a physical label mailed directly to your address, USPS charges a fee of $1.65 per label. ### Why can't I print a USPS shipping label? USPS names three causes: the browser pop-up blocker is on, Adobe Acrobat Reader is not installed, or the reprint window closed at midnight CST on the label's ship date. In the last case, request a refund and create a new label. ### How long does a Click-N-Ship refund take? USPS says a refund request processes 14 days from the date you request it. If USPS approves it, the money goes back to your original payment method. ### Can I ship Media Mail with Click-N-Ship? No. Click-N-Ship does not sell Media Mail or the other Package Services (Library Mail and Bound Printed Matter). Use a PC Postage vendor or the Post Office counter. ### Do I need a special printer? No. You can print labels on standard 8-1/2" x 11" white paper or adhesive sheets using a standard laser printer or a high-quality inkjet printer with black ink at 600 DPI resolution.