Certified Mail manufactures evidence about when a letter left your hands. It has nothing to do with what's inside the envelope.
Sending it, start to finish
| Step | What happens |
|---|---|
| 1. Get PS Form 3800 | Ask the clerk, or bring your own. It's the Certified Mail Receipt sticker and stub, free of charge. |
| 2. Address the sticker | Write the recipient's name and address on the form, then attach it to the address side of the envelope. |
| 3. Pick the class underneath | Certified Mail rides on First-Class Mail or Priority Mail only — not Ground Advantage. |
| 4. Add Return Receipt, if you want a signature | $4.65 for a mailed copy, $2.91 for an electronic one, on top of the certified fee. |
| 5. Choose your receipt date | Hand it to a postal employee for a postmark, or detach the receipt, date it yourself, and mail the piece. |
| 6. Pay $5.55 | Plus postage for the underlying class, plus any add-ons chosen above. |
| 7. Keep the stub | It's your only copy of the mailing record until a return receipt, if ordered, comes back. |
The step most explanations skip
Domestic Mail Manual 503.3.2.1 does not require a counter visit. It offers two ways to complete the mailing, and reading them side by side changes what "sending certified mail" actually means.
Attach the "Certified Mail" sticker to the address side of the article, detach the receipt, mark the receipt to show the date, and mail the article. Domestic Mail Manual 503.3.2.1, pe.usps.com, read 2026-08-28.
The alternative in the same section is presenting the article to a postal employee, who round-dates the receipt at that moment. That version produces a postmark from a USPS clerk on the day you claim, which is stronger evidence if a dispute over the mailing date ever comes up — a tax filing deadline, a lease notice, a legal cure period. Self-dating the receipt is faster and requires no line, but the date on it is your own word, not a clerk's stamp. Pick based on what the letter is actually for.
What the fee buys, in numbers
| Add-on | Fee | What it gets you |
|---|---|---|
| Certified Mail | $5.55 | Mailing receipt, plus delivery or attempt verification on request |
| Return Receipt, mailed | $4.65 | Hardcopy delivery record with the recipient's signature |
| Return Receipt, electronic | $2.91 | Same signature record, delivered by email |
| Certified Mail Restricted Delivery | $14.35 | Only a named person may sign for it |
| Certificate of Mailing | $2.45 | Proof you mailed it, no delivery record at all |
Certified Mail buys no coverage for what's inside. Domestic Mail Manual 503.3.1.1 states that except for Priority Mail pieces with included coverage, none is provided when Certified Mail is purchased on its own — it is a record of the mailing and the delivery, not a claim against loss or damage.
If what you're sending isn't paper
Certified Mail is built for letters — a signed lease notice, a filed return, a legal demand. It carries no coverage and a thin scan trail, which is a poor fit for an object with real value. SMKlog doesn't sell letter services or mailbox products; what it does sell is a parcel label priced live before you pay: a domestic one with signature confirmation and declared value protection, or an international one to Canada, the UK, Germany or Australia with the customs declaration completed at checkout.
Price a parcel with a signature instead Sending it to a PO Box
Common questions
What form do I need to send certified mail?
PS Form 3800, the Certified Mail Receipt. USPS's product page for it, read 2026-08-28, describes it as providing the sender with a mailing receipt and, upon request, electronic verification that an article was delivered or that a delivery attempt was made. Ask for it at the counter; there's no charge for the form itself.
Does the receipt have to be postmarked at the counter?
No, and this is the detail most guides skip. Domestic Mail Manual 503.3.2.1, read 2026-08-28, gives two paths: present the article to a postal employee for a postmarked receipt, or attach the sticker, detach the receipt, mark it yourself with the date, and mail the piece. The postmarked version is stronger evidence of the exact day; the self-dated version skips the counter.
How much does certified mail cost?
$5.55 for the certified fee alone, per usps.com's extra services page read 2026-08-28, on top of postage for the class it rides on. A paper Return Receipt adds $4.65, an email one $2.91, and Certified Mail Restricted Delivery is $14.35.
Which classes can certified mail ride on?
Priority Mail and First-Class Mail, per Domestic Mail Manual 503, Exhibit 1.4.1, read 2026-08-28. USPS Ground Advantage is not one of them.
Does certified mail cover the value of what's inside?
No. Domestic Mail Manual 503.3.1.1 states that except for Priority Mail pieces with included coverage, no coverage is provided when purchasing Certified Mail on its own. It buys proof, not protection.
Certified mail or a Certificate of Mailing — what's the difference?
A Certificate of Mailing is $2.45 and, per usps.com read 2026-08-28, shows only the date your mail was presented to USPS — no delivery record. Certified Mail costs more and adds that delivery side: a receipt, and on request, verification of delivery or a delivery attempt.