Post Office box - Definition and Overview

A Post Office box is a uniquely-addressable lockable box located on the premises of a Post Office station which allows people a semi-anonymous method of receiving mail. Generally, Post Office boxes are rented from the post office either by individuals or by businesses on a basis ranging from monthly to annual, and the cost of rent varies depending on the box size.

The quantity of Post Office boxes in a station varies widely. Stations of small rural communities are often equipped with fewer than one hundred boxes, while stations in a metropolitan area may offer a combined quantity of over 100,000 Post Office boxes.

The standard method of addressing mail to a Post Office box is as follows:

John Smith
P.O. Box 6789
Anytown, ST 12345-6789