Send Certified Mail online

A one-page letter sent by Certified Mail through PostalForm costs $11.40, or $14.40 with Electronic Return Receipt. That total includes printing, the envelope, the address page, First-Class postage, and the USPS fees. At a Post Office counter, postage and USPS fees alone for a 1-oz letter are $6.37, or $9.28 with electronic return receipt, before you print, address, and bring in the envelope yourself.

USPS figures come from Notice 123 prices effective July 12, 2026; metered postage is $0.04 less than a stamp. PostalForm prices are for one black-and-white page: a $3.00 base fee plus $0.20 per printed page (First Class adds one address page), $8.00 for Certified Mail, and $3.00 for Electronic Return Receipt. Longer letters cost more, and checkout shows the exact total before you pay. Price your page count in the calculator.

• Tracking: your USPS Certified Mail tracking number arrives on your order page within minutes of payment, followed by USPS tracking events as USPS reports them, including the signer's name when USPS provides one.
• Electronic Return Receipt: after delivery, USPS makes the signature record available through USPS Tracking. Your order page points you there to download it; PostalForm does not host or email the receipt PDF.
• Timing: printing and handoff to USPS usually take 1-3 business days, and most letters arrive 4-7 business days after you order. Certified Mail documents mailing and delivery events; it does not make delivery faster.
• Not offered online: the hard-copy green card (PS Form 3811), Restricted Delivery, and Certified Mail combined with Expedited or Rush Express. Use a Post Office counter if your rule requires one of those.

Yes, but "Certified Mail online" can mean two different things. USPS Certified Mail is the postal extra service that creates mailing and delivery evidence. PostalForm is an online print-and-mail workflow that lets you upload or create the document, choose Certified Mail when the mailpiece qualifies, pay online, and have the physical letter prepared for USPS.

These are the all-in prices each service listed for a one-page, black-and-white domestic letter when checked on September 23, 2026. Prices change, so confirm on the provider's pricing page before you order.

Account-based services cost less per piece, and several of them send you the return-receipt PDF. PostalForm is built for the one letter that matters: no account, upload or type the letter, preview the exact PDF, and check out in one visit. Compare every Certified Mail service we checked, including green-card and proof-delivery differences.

Yes. PostalForm sends Certified Mail online for qualifying U.S. First Class letters. Upload or create the document, review the PDF, enter sender and recipient addresses, choose Certified Mail, add Electronic Return Receipt if you need the USPS signature record, and see the price before payment. No account is required.

USPS Certified Mail is an extra service for eligible physical mail, with tracking and delivery or attempted-delivery records. PostalForm combines that service with online document preparation, printing, and mailing. A sender who needs a postmarked counter receipt can instead prepare the letter and visit a Post Office.

That distinction matters. USPS Click-N-Ship helps with postage and shipping labels, but it is not a consumer PDF-to-letter printing service. USPS also says Return Receipt (Electronic) currently cannot be purchased through USPS.com and must be requested at the time of mailing. If you already have the paper letter and envelope, you can use USPS retail forms and Post Office help. If your goal is "upload this PDF, print it, prepare the envelope, pay online, and send it as Certified Mail," PostalForm handles the document-to-mail workflow and hands the eligible mailpiece to USPS.

• Certified Mail records mailing, tracking, and delivery or attempted-delivery events.
• Electronic Return Receipt is the optional add-on for the USPS signature record, which you download from USPS Tracking after delivery.
• A one-page Certified letter through PostalForm is $11.40 ($14.40 with Electronic Return Receipt); USPS counter fees plus a stamp start at $6.37 but leave printing and the trip to you.
• Use it when you need proof of delivery for legal, business, or compliance notices.
• Certified Mail is an add-on for qualifying U.S. First Class mail, not a same-day courier service.
• USPS Certified Mail forms and online-service options are not the same thing: PS Form 3800 is the Certified Mail receipt/label, PS Form 3811 is the hard-copy Return Receipt, and Electronic Return Receipt is the digital signature record.

When you send Certified Mail with Electronic Return Receipt, the available USPS record can include:

1. Mailing record — The Certified Mail item and date associated with USPS acceptance.
2. Tracking history — The timestamped carrier events USPS makes available for the item.
3. Delivery or attempted-delivery event — The final event actually reported by USPS, which may instead show notice, pickup, refusal, or return.
4. Return Receipt record — When purchased and completed, delivery information with the available signer and signature details.

These records may be useful as evidence in court, agency, contract, or business matters. Their legal effect depends on the applicable rule, the address, the event USPS actually reports, and the identity or authority of the signer. Electronic Return Receipt provides the available signature record digitally, without waiting for a green card in the mail.

PS Form 3800 is the Certified Mail receipt and barcode label for mail you prepare yourself at USPS. PS Form 3811 is the hard-copy Domestic Return Receipt, the green card mailed back after delivery. Electronic Return Receipt is the digital signature record.

With PostalForm, you do not fill out PS Form 3800 yourself. The checkout flow shows Certified Mail and Electronic Return Receipt options when the order qualifies. PostalForm does not offer the PS Form 3811 green card, so mail the letter from a Post Office if your instructions require the physical card. The Certified Mail forms guide covers each form, including Certificate of Mailing Form 3817.

Return Receipt is separate from Certified Mail. Certified Mail gives mailing and delivery or attempted-delivery evidence. Return Receipt adds a recipient-signature delivery record: Electronic Return Receipt (offered by PostalForm) is a digital record available after delivery, and the hard-copy green card (PS Form 3811) is a physical signed card mailed back to the sender. Without Return Receipt you still get Certified Mail tracking and delivery or attempted-delivery status, but no separate signature record.

USPS says Electronic Return Receipt must be requested at the time of mailing and is not available for APO/FPO/DPO addresses or certain U.S. territories, possessions, or freely associated states. See Certified Mail Return Receipt for when each option fits.

People often search for "electronic Certified Mail" when they mean one of two things:

1. Certified Mail sent through an online service: upload or write the document online, pay online, and have the service print and mail it through USPS.
2. Certified Mail with Electronic Return Receipt: a USPS signature proof option that gives a digital delivery record instead of a physical green card.

These are related, but not identical. Certified Mail creates the mailing and delivery/attempt record. Electronic Return Receipt is the optional signature proof record.

Certified Mail is often used when the law or a contract requires "written notice." Here are common situations (rules vary by jurisdiction):

Landlord-tenant disputes — A jurisdiction may require a particular document and personal delivery, posting, mail, multiple methods, or a process server. When mail is authorized, Certified Mail can create carrier records of mailing, delivery attempts, and delivery; those records do not determine that the notice or service was legally sufficient.

Debt collection and disputes — Certified Mail can help document the USPS acceptance date and later delivery or attempted-delivery events. It does not determine whether the letter met the applicable deadline or content rule.

Contract termination — Certified Mail can document the mailing timeline. The contract still controls the required recipient, address, content, method, and effective date.

Demand letters — Certified Mail and Return Receipt can create mailing, delivery, and signature records. An ordinary signature may belong to an authorized agent rather than the named recipient, so preserve the full record instead of overstating what it establishes.

Government correspondence — Responding to IRS notices, state tax agencies, or regulatory bodies often benefits from Certified Mail proof.

Insurance claims — Some policies require written notice of claims or cancellations. Certified Mail creates a paper trail.

When USPS completes delivery for Certified Mail with Electronic Return Receipt, the service creates the available signature record. This differs from ordinary First-Class letters, which do not include that signature service.

The signature record can help document:

1. The person or authorized agent who signed as reported by USPS.
2. The date and delivery information shown in the completed Return Receipt record.

If no eligible person is available to sign, USPS may leave a notice and require redelivery or Post Office pickup. A PO Box item may also wait for counter pickup.

A refusal or unclaimed-item event can be evidence that delivery was attempted, but its legal effect depends on the governing rule and circumstances.

Certified Mail appears only when the order qualifies for the service. In practice, that means the mailing must be a supported U.S. First Class letter of up to 59 single-sided or 118 double-sided pages, the sender and recipient details must be valid for the selected route, and the document must be printable as a normal paper mailpiece.

Use regular First Class or Express instead when Certified Mail is not offered at checkout. Use a courier or another service if you need physical enclosures, same-day hand delivery, or a legal-service workflow that requires personal service rather than postal delivery.

Certified Mail is usually chosen because the record matters, so the review step needs to be boring and exact. Before checkout, PostalForm shows the uploaded PDF, the recipient and sender addresses, the First Class Certified Mail option, any Electronic Return Receipt selection, and the total price.

That does not replace legal advice or the specific notice rules for your situation. It does reduce the operational risk that the wrong document, wrong address, or wrong proof option gets mailed.

Printing and handoff to USPS usually take 1-3 business days, and most letters arrive 4-7 business days after you order. Those are estimates, not guarantees, and signature attempts, redelivery, or pickup can extend completion.

Certified Mail documents mailing and delivery events, but it does not guarantee a delivery date. After USPS accepts the letter, USPS handles transit and delivery.

Your tracking number appears on the order page within minutes of payment and updates when USPS reports carrier scans. A tracking number by itself does not establish USPS acceptance. Delivery or attempted-delivery events appear in the tracking history; the signature record is separate, requires Electronic Return Receipt, and is downloaded from USPS Tracking.

See the full Certified Mail timing breakdown, or review PostalForm delivery times.

Not every letter needs proof of delivery. Regular First Class mail is fine for:

• General correspondence
• Documents where delivery isn't contested
• Situations where the recipient confirms receipt another way

Use Certified Mail when you need proof that something was sent and tracked through delivery or attempted delivery. Add Electronic Return Receipt when the signature record itself matters.

• USPS Certified Mail guide (PostalPro)
• USPS Insurance and Extra Services
• USPS Notice 123 price list
• Final USPS Notice 123 price list (effective July 12, 2026)
• USPS PS Form 3800 Certified Mail Receipt
• USPS Electronic Return Receipt FAQ
• USPS Return Receipt basics
• USPS Click-N-Ship online shipping
• USPS First-Class Mail timing
• USPS accountable mail and signatures
• Mailform pricing (checked Sep 23, 2026)
• LetterStream pricing (checked Sep 23, 2026)
• Click2Mail certified letter pricing (as listed Sep 23, 2026)
• SimpleCertifiedMail pricing (checked Sep 23, 2026)