To set up a business mailing address, first decide which form the address is for. Then pick one of four options: a Post Office box, a mailbox at a mail store, a virtual mailbox or a registered agent's address. Each option fits some forms and fails others.
We read the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) rules for PO Boxes and mail agents and the current PS Form 1583. We also read the IRS instructions for Form SS-4 and Form 8822-B, the federal bank rule on customer addresses, Wyoming's registered agent law and Delaware's LLC Act. Below is what each text asks for, form by form, and how to set up each option.
Decide which form the address is for before you choose one
A business address goes on several different forms. Each form uses its own words for the address, and the words decide which options fit. We copied the exact wording from each text:
- IRS Form SS-4, line 5: "physical address." Form 8822-B, line 7, says "business location."
- Federal bank rule, 31 CFR 1020.220: "residential or business street address" for a person. For a company, "principal place of business, local office, or other physical location."
- Wyoming statute 17-28-101: a "street address" that is a "physical location." Delaware's LLC Act, section 18-104(k), asks for "the street, number, city and postal code."
- USPS Domestic Mail Manual (DMM) 508.1.8.3: a "delivery address" marked with "PMB" (private mailbox) or "#."
The mailing line itself is usually the easy part. For SS-4 line 4, the IRS instructions say: "Enter the mailing address for the entity's correspondence." The harder lines ask for a street or a physical place. Our guide to the business mailing address explains the SS-4 lines in more depth. The difference between a mailing address and a business address is covered in business mailing address vs business address.
The four ways to get a business mailing address, and where each one is accepted
The table maps each option against four places that ask for an address. A mail store or virtual mailbox company is a commercial mail receiving agency, or CMRA. A cell marked "depends" means the text we read doesn't answer the question either way.
| Where the address goes | USPS PO Box | Mailbox at a mail store (CMRA) | Virtual mailbox (CMRA) | Registered agent's address |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| State filing, registered office line (WY, DE) | Doesn't fit. Wyoming asks for a "street address" at a "physical location." Delaware asks for "the street, number, city and postal code." | The line is for your agent's office. In Wyoming the agent, or a person acting for the agent, must be "physically present at that location." | Same as the mail store column | The option this line is written for |
| IRS Form SS-4 | Line 4 (mailing): the instructions don't forbid it. Line 5 (physical): "Don't enter a P.O. box number here." | Line 4 (mailing): the instructions don't forbid it. Line 5 (physical): depends. The instructions don't mention mailboxes or CMRAs. | Same as the mail store column. | Line 4: in our reading, yes, if IRS mail can go to the agent. Line 5: in our reading, no, because it asks for the entity's own physical address. |
| Bank account opening | Doesn't meet the rule's minimum of a "street address" or "physical location" | Depends on the bank. The rule doesn't mention mailboxes. | Depends on the bank. Same as the mail store column. | Depends on the bank |
| USPS mail delivery | Yes. The box number goes on the line above city, state and ZIP Code. | Yes, after PS Form 1583, with "PMB" or "#" | Yes, after PS Form 1583, with "PMB" or "#" | Depends on your contract with the agent |
Some cells need a note. Delaware's text asks for a street address, and the subchapter we read never uses the words "post office box." We don't say Delaware bans a PO Box. We only say the law asks for a street, number, city and postal code.
The bank rule sets a minimum and leaves the rest to each bank. We searched the full text of 31 CFR 1020.220 for "CMRA," "mailbox" and "virtual." Each search returned zero matches. The SS-4 instructions also returned zero matches for "virtual" and "CMRA." So in our reading, the SS-4 instructions don't forbid a mailbox address on line 4, and neither text answers the question for line 5 or for the bank's physical-location line.
A registered agent has a legal job. Wyoming lists the agent's duties, and one of them is to "Accept service of process" in accordance with another section of the statute. Whether your agent also receives and sends on your everyday mail is a matter of your contract with that agent. The PO Box column is covered in more detail in can you use a PO box as a business address. The agent column has its own post, can I use my registered agent address as my business address. For the SS-4 lines one by one, see can I use a registered agent address for an EIN.
How to rent a PO Box from the Postal Service
USPS lets you start the process online and finish it at the counter. The application is PS Form 1093. The steps look like this:
- Reserve a box and apply online. Rental terms are "3-, 6-, and 12-months," according to the USPS PO Box page.
- Bring your papers to the counter. USPS says: "Print your completed form and bring it to the Post Office counter where your box is located, along with 2 forms of acceptable U.S. identification (within 30 days of submitting your online application)."
- Pick up your keys in person. You get two keys or a lock combination once the counter checks your form and your IDs.
The ID rule applies to everyone on the form. DMM 508.4.2.1 says each applicant "must present two items of valid, current identification." One must be a primary form of ID and the other a secondary form. A box in another city or state still needs that visit. USPS says "you are still required to visit the Post Office where your box is located."
Some Post Office locations offer Street Addressing. USPS says the option lets you use "the street address of your Post Office location, combined with your PO Box number, as your mailing address." The DMM example shows the box number after a "#" sign: "John Smith 123 Main Street #4567 Any Town, NY 10001." The trade-offs between a box and a mailbox are compared in virtual mailbox vs PO box.
How to set up a virtual mailbox address
A virtual mailbox is run by a commercial mail receiving agency. USPS defines a CMRA as "a business that, in whole or in part, accepts the delivery of U.S. Mail on behalf of another person or entity as a business service." Your mail goes to the provider's street address with your box number. The provider receives each piece for you and tells you what came. A mailbox at a store such as The UPS Store is also a CMRA, so the same USPS rules apply. The two are compared in UPS Store mailbox vs virtual mailbox, and a shared desk is compared in coworking space mailing address vs virtual mailbox.
The setup centers on one form, PS Form 1583. DMM 508.1.8.3 says "A separate PS Form 1583 must be completed for each addressee of a Private Mail Box (PMB)" for residential or personal use, and a business uses item 7 of the same form. The current edition is dated June 2024. The steps:
- Choose a plan in the name your mail will carry. Business mail and personal mail can need different plans, so check the recipient rules first.
- Fill in PS Form 1583. For a business, the form says to "complete item 7." Item 7 asks for the business name (7a), the business street address (7c) and the place of registration (7i). An officer must sign and give a title.
- Gather two IDs. The form says: "One ID must be a government-issued photo ID. The second must confirm the Applicant's or Authorized Individual's address listed on this form." A driver's license can count as only one of the two.
- Sign before the CMRA or a notary. The DMM lets you sign in front of the CMRA, in person or over live audio and video. You can also acknowledge your signature before a U.S. notary. A notary is one option, and the rule doesn't require one.
- Wait for the CMRA to check your papers. The DMM says the CMRA "must verify the documentation to confirm that the addressee resides or conducts business at the permanent address shown on PS Form 1583."
Forms come back for missing or mismatched papers, and the common causes are in why USPS Form 1583 gets rejected. Our virtual business address guide answers the most common 1583 questions.
How to write the new address so mail reaches you
Each option has its own address format. For a PO Box, DMM 508.4.1.4 says the mail "must show the assigned PO box number in the address immediately above the city, state, and ZIP Code."
A CMRA address follows a different rule. DMM 508.1.8.3 says the CMRA must use "PMB" (private mailbox) or the "#" sign with your box number. The DMM gives two layouts:
| Layout | Where the box number goes | DMM example |
|---|---|---|
| Four lines | Its own line, above the street line | "PMB 234 or #234" |
| Three lines | On the street line, after the street | "10 MAIN ST PMB 234 or #234" |
One more rule applies when the store's own address already has a suite number. In that case you must use "PMB" in the three-line format. The DMM says "It is not permissible to combine the secondary address element of the physical location of the CMRA address and the CMRA customer private mailbox number, e.g., 10 MAIN ST STE 11-234." Mail without the marker can come back. USPS "may return mail without a proper address to the sender endorsed "Undeliverable as Addressed, Missing PMB or # Sign.""
The label matters to USPS. We counted "PMB" nine times in the two pages of PS Form 1583. How a PMB address differs from a PO Box address is explained in is your mailing address a PO box.
Where to update the address after you set it up, in order
A new address only works once the people who mail you know about it. Each record below is kept separately.
- The IRS. The IRS page for Form 8822-B says the form is for an entity "with an Employer Identification Number application on file." You report a "New mailing address" on line 6 and a "New business location" on line 7. The form's instructions say to enter a box number "only if your post office does not deliver mail to your street address." The IRS says the change generally takes "4 to 6 weeks to process." The steps are in how to change your LLC address with the IRS.
- Your state filing. The registered office line belongs to your agent. In our reading, a new mailing address doesn't change that line unless your agent or its office changes.
- Your bank. Each bank keeps its own record and may apply its own rules. Bank options are covered in opening a business bank account without a physical address.
- Clients, payers and platforms. Payers mail your 1099s to the address on your Form W-9, as our post on what address to put on a W-9 explains. If you print checks, see do business checks need an address.
- USPS, for the old address. USPS says an in-person business change of address needs papers that show you're an "Authorized Agent" for the business. Examples include "a notarized letter, power of attorney, or letter on company letterhead signed by someone in a leadership role." Moving mail into a mailbox is covered in USPS change of address to a virtual mailbox.
If you want to start with your home address
A home address is a street address, so in our reading it meets the street-address wording in the IRS and bank texts above. Using your home has its own trade-offs, including privacy. Those trade-offs are covered in can I use my home address as my business address. If cost is the question, how much a virtual address costs compares the options.
This post explains USPS rules, IRS instructions, a federal bank rule and two state statutes. The post isn't legal or tax advice. Confirm how the rules apply to your business with a professional.
Where our plans fit, and where they don't
We sell virtual mailboxes, so this is the seller's view. Auteur is in pre-launch, and your exact street address is assigned the day your city opens. We don't say any agency, bank or platform will accept our address. Each one may apply its own rules.
The Virtual Business Address receives mail in a business or trade name. Choose it if your mail comes to an LLC, a corporation or a DBA (doing business as) name. Our Virtual Business Address is a mail service only. It isn't a Registered Agent service and doesn't file anything with the state for you. The Virtual Mailing Address is for personal mail, in individual names only.
Both plans photograph the envelope of every piece as it arrives, and we open and scan only when you ask, for one flat fee per piece. Henry, our AI assistant, explains each letter you ask us to open. USPS Form 1583 is required before any provider can receive mail for you, and we walk you through it. Pricing comes by email with the next steps, and our fees and limits are in our fair use policy.
If your mail comes to a business name, get your Virtual Business Address. Ordering is free, there's no card, and nothing is charged today. For mail in your own name only, the Virtual Mailing Address is the plan to choose.
FAQ
Can I use a PO Box as my business mailing address?
A PO Box can receive your business mail, and the SS-4 instructions don't forbid one on line 4. The box doesn't fit the lines that ask for a physical place. SS-4 line 5 says "Don't enter a P.O. box number here," and the bank rule asks a company for a physical location.
Can my registered agent's address be my business mailing address?
Under Wyoming law, the agent's duties include accepting service of process. Whether the agent also handles your everyday mail depends on your contract. Ask the agent in writing before you put its address on other forms.
How long does it take to set up a business mailing address?
For a PO Box, USPS gives you 30 days after the online application to bring your form and IDs to the counter. A virtual mailbox starts after PS Form 1583 is signed and checked. If you then update the IRS, the IRS says the change generally takes 4 to 6 weeks to process.
Do I have to tell the IRS when my business mailing address changes?
The SS-4 instructions say to "File Form 8822-B to report any subsequent changes to the entity's mailing address." The same instructions say the mailing address will generally be used on all tax returns.
Is there a free business mailing address?
USPS generally charges a rental fee for a PO Box. DMM 508.4.5.2 offers a free (Group E) box only when USPS doesn't provide carrier delivery at or near your physical address. A home address adds no rental cost, though it has its own trade-offs.
Bottom line
A business mailing address is set by the form it goes on. A PO Box receives mail, but it fails SS-4 line 5 and the bank rule's physical-location minimum. A store mailbox or virtual mailbox needs PS Form 1583 and a "PMB" or "#" in the address. The state's registered office line belongs to your agent. After setup, file Form 8822-B with the IRS, then update your bank, payers and USPS.
