Here’s How to Get a Free Home Test for COVID-19 from the USPS

Now that cooler fall temperatures have arrived, it’s a good time to start thinking about COVID-19 protection. You may consider getting the updated COVID vaccines — including the new Novavax vaccine. And if you want to keep testing kits close at hand, you’re in luck: the federal government has started sending out home tests for COVID once again.

Using the COVIDTests.gov website, US families can also order four home COVID test kits. The government opened the ordering process on September 26.

Beyond the free testing from the USPS, there are still a few different ways to get tested for free for COVID-19. Read on to find out ways you can get a free COVID test, and how you can get free COVID treatment.

To find out more, read the best time to get a flu shot and how to know if your symptoms are COVID-19, the flu or just an allergy.

How does the USPS free COVID-19 testing program work?

In January 2022, President Joe Biden announced the launch of CovidTests.gov, a website where families can order four free antigen tests for COVID-19 sent by the Postal Service. The site has added four more free tests in March 2022, eight more in May 2022, four in December 2022 and four more in September 2023. This new round of deployments includes four more COVID tests to start. It is uncertain if there will be another round of free trials this winter.

Unlike other complicated government applications, ordering free tests from the Postal Service is easy. It takes less than 2 minutes to fill out a short form that asks for your name and mailing address, and tests should be sent within a week or two. People without Internet access or those who have trouble ordering online can request a test using the toll-free number: 800-232-0233

It’s not clear how long the free COVID-19 test will last, so it’s best to get your order in early.

How can I order a free test from USPS?

Visit CovidTests.gov and click the blue button to read Order Free at Home Testswhich will take you to the order page. You only need to provide your name and address to order your test. You can also enter an email if you want to receive shipping notifications. You don’t need to provide any credit or debit card information — testing and shipping are free.

All orders will be shipped via First Class Package Service. People who cannot access the website or have trouble ordering online should be able to call 800-232-0233 to order their free trial.

When will my COVID test come?

In the past, the free COVID test from USPS arrived about two weeks after ordering. Tests are usually shipped within seven to 12 days and delivered by USPS within one to three days after shipping.

What are my other free options for testing for COVID-19?

In addition to the Postal Service’s free COVID testing program, you have five main ways to find free COVID-19 testing sites across the US: HRSA health centers, clinical testing sites, ICATT testing sites, private health insurance, and and Medicaid or the Children’s Health Insurance Program. These options work the same way, but we’ll break down the steps to find your nearest free testing site.

HRSA health centers offer free COVID-19 testing

The Health Resources and Services Administration funds health facilities throughout the US. At these HRSA health centers, you will be able to get a free COVID-19 test. You can use the HRSA location tool to find a center near you.

First, select the language in which you would like to receive your results. Then just enter the location you wish to search in the box labeled as Location. Location also allows you to widen your search radius, so you can see all the options your area has to offer.

Once you’ve found a facility that works for you, click through to that facility’s website and follow their specific instructions for getting a free COVID-19 test.

Treatment testing sites have testing for COVID and medications

Test to Treat is a government-sponsored health care program that provides accessible COVID-19 care. This option is different from the others in this article as you can use Test to Treat centers to get both a COVID test and disease treatment. Like other free testing options for COVID-19, Test to Treat has a location tool you can use to find a suitable Test to Treat center near you.

The Test to Treat center site works like other search tools for testing for COVID. Enter your location in the search bar and the tool will show you check points for you to manage in your area. A sliding bar allows you to resize the search radius to capture all Test to Treat centers in your area.

Within the results of the medical test location, you will be able to see the address of each location, their COVID-19 test and other special instructions you may need to know to get tested. If there is no option to schedule a COVID test online through the site of your choice, you may need to call.

Increasing Public Access to Testing offers COVID testing to the uninsured

Expanding Public Access to Testing is another free testing program you can use if you need access to free testing for COVID-19. ICATT works differently than the other programs on this list.

ICATT is specifically designed for uninsured patients who have been exposed to COVID-19 or have symptoms of COVID-19. Anyone can get an ICATT test at one of the program’s locations, regardless of insurance status. If you do not have insurance and wish to be tested at an ICATT eligible facility, you will not need to pay for your test. If you are insured, you may have to pay a fee.

The ICATT location tool works like other free COVID testing location tools — enter your address or ZIP code to find ICATT locations near you. There is a search radius modifier in this area to adjust your search to capture the entire area you want to search.

Once you’ve found a location, follow the steps on your screening site to schedule your appointment.

What about free COVID testing from health insurance, Medicare or Medicaid?

On Jan. 10, 2022, President Joe Biden announced that all health insurance companies will be required by law to offer their customers eight free tests for COVID-19 per month. That requirement expires when the COVID-19 national emergency ends on May 11, 2023.

California law still requires all health care providers to offer eight free at-home COVID-19 tests each month to their clients. Other than that, you’ll need to check with your own health insurance to learn their policy on protection against illegal COVID testing.

Medicare generally does not pay for over-the-counter products such as COVID-19 test kits, according to the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services. Medicare coverage of home-based COVID testing has ended as a public health emergency.

If you’re enrolled in Medicare Plan B, you still have access to “lab tests for COVID-19” like the polymerase chain reaction test, but you won’t be covered for over-the-counter rapid antigen tests. If you have health care through Medicaid or the Children’s Health Insurance Program, you can still get a free home COVID test through Sept. 30, 2024.

To find out more, learn how your blood type can make you more susceptible to COVID.