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Mail in the United Sates is handled by USPS (National United States Postal Office), yet does not depend financially on the government. It is considered a self-supported and independent federal agency receiving no tax dollars and relying solely on the sale of postage, products and services to fund its operations. The U.S. Postal Service is the only delivery service that reaches every address in the nation.    

For any letter addressed within the United States, the USPS requires:

• Address of the recipient: Placed on the front (non-opening side of the envelope in the centre)
• Postage: All parcels must include an indication that postage has been paid. In most cases, this is a stamp, though metered labels are also common. Proof of payment is usually placed in the upper-right corner.
• Return address (optional): The address the recipient may respond to, and the letter be returned to if delivery fails. It is usually placed in the upper-left corner or occasionally on the back.

Undeliverable mail that cannot be returned, including those without return addresses, are treated as dead mails at a Mail Recovery Center in Atlanta, Georgia or Saint Paul, Minnesota.

The formatting of the US addresses:

• Line 1: Name of recipient
• Line 2: Street address or P.O. Box
• Line 3: City State (ISO 3166-2:US code or APO/FPO code) and ZIP (+4 code optional)

Example:
Mr. John Smith
132 Beacon Street
Boston, MA 02119-2343
The cost of sending postage depends on the weight and dimensions of the item and the class. USPS website offers a handy postage calculator.

Post Office Services in the US

Standard postal services include the distribution of letters, large envelopes, packets and parcels, as well as:

• Express Post
• Stamps
• Courier Post
• Passport Services
• Election Mail
• Money Orders

To forward your mail or change your address, fill out the Mover's Guide on USPS's website.

USPS Headquarters

475 L'Enfant Plaza SW
Washington, D.C. 20260-0004 U.S.

Tel: (1-800-275-8777) – From Monday to Friday 8am - 8:30pm & Saturday 8am-6pm
Homepage: https://www.usps.com/