Explainer

What is a USPS Label Broker ID, and where do you print it in 2026?

That QR code in your inbox with instructions to visit a Post Office is a Label Broker ID. It means someone bought USPS postage for your package and left the printing to the Postal Service. Here's what the code is, how to find a Post Office or kiosk that prints it, and what this program does and doesn't cover.

Sourced from usps.comChecked 2026-08-23No printer involved

Price a shipment of your own

USPS Label Broker QR code at a Post Office

A label on layaway

The postage is already paid. The QR code just tells the Post Office which label to print for you.

What the program actually is

A USPS Label Broker ID is a QR code, paired with an 8-10 character alphanumeric backup code, that stands in for a shipping label someone already paid for but hasn't printed. To print it, bring the code on your phone or on paper, along with the sealed, ready-to-ship package, to a Post Office counter that supports Label Broker or to a Label Broker self-service kiosk — USPS runs two separate location-finder tools for these, one for staffed counters and one for the kiosks, both reachable from its location finder at tools.usps.com/locations/; staff or the kiosk scan the code, print the label, and take the package on the spot. Printing carries no separate charge. All of this is per usps.com/ship/label-broker.htm, checked 2026-08-27.

Using an ID you were sent

Keep the message. The ID arrives by email or text, typically from a retailer or marketplace handling your return, and sometimes from USPS Click-N-Ship.
Pack the item completely. The Post Office prints the label but expects a ready-to-ship package; sealing and padding are on you.
Find a participating location. Not every branch offers it, so run the USPS location finder before walking over. Counters and kiosks are listed separately.
Show the code, hand over the box. The clerk or kiosk scans the ID, the label prints, and the package is accepted then and there.

The economics are simple to state plainly: printing through Label Broker costs nothing extra because the postage behind the QR code was purchased when the label was created. The program moves the paper, not the payment.

Finding a Label Broker location

Not every Post Office offers this. USPS keeps the two location types separate on purpose, with one finder for staffed counters and another specifically for Label Broker self-service kiosks — the unattended machines that scan the code and print without a clerk. Both live inside USPS's own location finder at tools.usps.com/locations/, checked 2026-08-27, and the two lists don't always name the same branch, so checking before the trip beats finding out at the counter.

Whose tool this is

Label Broker belongs to USPS, full stop. We're describing it because our readers meet these QR codes constantly through marketplace returns, not because SMKlog operates any part of it. When something on this page conflicts with usps.com, trust usps.com.

Where SMKlog fits

A domestic USPS label bought through our calculator carries a Label Broker QR code next to its printable PDF (since 2026-09-05): show the code at a participating Post Office counter or kiosk and they print the label, or print the PDF at home from any phone browser. Use either the code or a printed copy, not both. UPS and FedEx labels, and USPS labels going abroad, are print-at-home only.

For sellers reading this

If your buyer or return recipient has no printer, a Label Broker ID from a USPS-integrated platform is the cleanest hand-off, and it beats emailing PDFs to strangers. For your own outbound shipping, a home-printed label stays the faster route.

Label Broker questions

What is a USPS Label Broker ID?

It's a QR code paired with an 8-10 character alphanumeric code that stands in for a shipping label you haven't printed yet. Per usps.com, checked 2026-08-23, retailers and ecommerce platforms send it by email or text, and Click-N-Ship can produce one as well.

Where does the Label Broker QR code get printed?

At Post Office locations that support Label Broker at the counter, and at a Label Broker self-service kiosk in select locations. USPS runs separate location-finder tools for each, both reachable from tools.usps.com/locations/, per usps.com/ship/label-broker.htm, checked 2026-08-27. Printing itself carries no separate charge.

What do I bring to the Post Office for Label Broker?

Two things, per the USPS page: your ready-to-ship package, sealed and packed, and the Label Broker ID on your phone or on paper. Staff or the kiosk print the label and the package enters the mail stream on the spot.

Is Label Broker part of SMKlog?

Label Broker is USPS's own program, and SMKlog labels use it: a domestic USPS label bought here comes with a Label Broker QR code on its label page, next to the printable PDF, since 2026-09-05. Show the code at a participating Post Office counter or self-service kiosk and they print the label; use either the code or a printed copy, not both. UPS and FedEx labels, and USPS labels going abroad, stay print-at-home.

Is the Label Broker ID the same as a QR code?

Yes. USPS treats them as one and the same — a Label Broker ID is a QR code paired with an 8-10 character backup code, and the QR code in your email or text is that same code, not a separate one to hunt for, per usps.com/ship/label-broker.htm, checked 2026-08-27. Either the QR code or the typed characters prints the label.

What is a Label Broker self-service kiosk?

An unattended USPS machine that scans the code, or accepts the typed 8-10 character ID, and prints the label without a clerk involved. USPS lists it as its own category, separate from a staffed Post Office counter, in the location finder at tools.usps.com/locations/, checked 2026-08-27.