Trick to Use PO Box when PO Boxes are Not Allowed

Last Updated on April 28, 2018

I was going through a stack of old papers and receipts and came across a receipt for my old PO box renewal where a postal worker had shown me how to use a PO box when PO boxes were not allowed – usually on certain forms or shopping online.

What the postal worker told me to do was use the post office’s address and then add the PO box number on after the street address like an apartment! Here’s a brief guide showing how you would do that.

How to Use PO Box when PO Boxes are Not Permitted

So basically… take your PO Box address:

J. Snow Creations
PO Box 1147
Fort Smith, AR 72822

And the address of the post office or location of PO Box:

3344 N. 87th Street
Fort Smith, AR 72801

Then combine the addresses to use a PO Box when PO Boxes are not permitted:

J. Snow Creations
3344 N. 87th Street #1147
Fort Smith, AR 72801

That’s it! Just remember the address is the post office and the PO box is the house/apt number.

I remember why I was shown this trick now. I was ordering something online that I didn’t want sitting on my front porch but the company I ordered from would not ship to PO Boxes and this was the trick that the post office taught me!

However, it probably wouldn’t be a good idea to use this trick for certain things such as Federal ID forms, taxes, insurance, etc. Also, the address examples used in this post are fake, obviously. ?

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