What is the difference between Head Post Office, Sub Post Office, and Branch Office?

Head Post Office (HO) is the apex office for a district or city — it manages all other post offices in the area, handles bulk mail sorting, and offers all postal services. Sub Post Office (SO) serves a town or urban locality, offers most services including Speed Post, savings accounts, and money orders, and reports to the HO. Branch Office (BO) is the smallest unit, typically serving a village or small locality, run by a Gramin Dak Sevak (GDS) employee, and offers limited services — primarily basic mail delivery, savings deposits, and small money orders.

What does Non-Delivery status mean for a post office?

A Non-Delivery post office (marked ND or Non-Delivery in India Post records) is a post office that sorts and processes mail but does not deliver directly to doorstep addresses. Instead, mail sent to a Non-Delivery PIN code is forwarded to the nearest Delivery post office for the final leg of delivery. This is common for administrative Head Offices and sorting hubs. If your PIN code shows Non-Delivery status on PincodesInfo, your actual mail delivery is handled by a nearby Delivery post office.

Does every village in India have its own post office?

India has over 1.55 lakh post offices — the world's largest postal network — but not every village has a dedicated post office. Small villages are served by the nearest Branch Office, which may cover 3-5 surrounding villages. A single Gramin Dak Sevak (Branch Postman) typically covers multiple villages on foot or by bicycle. India Post has been expanding rural coverage through the India Post Payments Bank (IPPB) and the new DigiPin addressing system.

What services are available at a Branch Office vs Sub Office?

Branch Office services: Basic mail acceptance (letters, registered post), cash withdrawals from Post Office Savings Bank (up to Rs 20,000/day), small money orders (up to Rs 5,000), Recurring Deposit installments, Aadhaar-enabled payments via micro-ATM. Sub Office additional services: Speed Post booking, NSC/KVP investment, larger savings account transactions, bill payments, Aadhaar enrollment/update. Head Office adds: Passport applications (at select offices), PLI/RPLI insurance, bulk business mail, international mail services, full banking.

How do I know which post office delivers to my address?

Search your 6-digit PIN code on PincodesInfo.in to see the post office details for your area. The "Delivery Status" field shows whether it is a Delivery or Non-Delivery post office. If it shows Non-Delivery, your mail is processed there but delivered by the nearest Delivery post office (usually within 1-3 km). You can also call India Post at 1800-11-2011 to find your delivery post office.

Branch Office vs Sub Office vs Head Office — India Post Office Types Explained 2026

📅 June 2, 2026 ⏱️ 7 min read ✍️ By PincodesInfo Editorial Team

When you look up a PIN code on PincodesInfo, you'll notice every post office is labelled as either a Head Office (H.O), Sub Office (S.O), or Branch Office (B.O). You might also see Non-Delivery listed under delivery status. What do all these mean — and does it affect how your mail is delivered?

This complete guide explains every post office type in India, what services each offers, and exactly how the hierarchy works.

India Post's Three-Tier Office Structure

India Post operates 1,65,000+ post offices across the country, organised in a strict three-tier hierarchy:

🏛️ HEAD POST OFFICE (HO)

One per district/major city — manages all offices below

↓

🏢 SUB POST OFFICE (SO)

One per town/urban locality — reports to the HO

↓

📮 BRANCH POST OFFICE (BO)

One per village/small area — reports to the nearest SO

Head Post Office (HO) — The Apex Office

Every district in India has at least one Head Post Office. In large metropolitan cities (Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai), there are multiple Head Post Offices spread across zones.

Key Facts About Head Post Offices

Number in India: Approximately 810 across all states and UTs
Management: Run by a Postmaster General or Senior Superintendent of Post Offices (SSPO)
Identification: The name ends in "H.O." — e.g., "New Delhi H.O." or "Mumbai G.P.O."
Special case: The largest Head Offices in major cities are called General Post Offices (G.P.O.) — Mumbai GPO, Delhi GPO, Chennai GPO, Kolkata GPO

Services Available at Head Post Offices

All standard postal services (letters, parcels, Speed Post, Registered Post)
Complete banking: Post Office Savings Bank, IPPB, large withdrawals/deposits
All investment schemes: PPF, NSC, KVP, SCSS, Sukanya Samriddhi
Postal Life Insurance (PLI) and Rural PLI
Passport Seva Kendra / Post Office Passport Seva Centre (at select HOs)
International mail: EMS, Parcel Post, International Speed Post
Philately: Commemorative stamps, first-day covers
Bulk business mail accounts

Sub Post Office (SO) — The Town-Level Office

Sub Post Offices are the middle tier of India's postal network. There are approximately 25,000 sub post offices across India, serving towns, urban wards, and larger rural areas.

Key Facts About Sub Post Offices

Number in India: ~25,000
Staff: Permanent India Post employees (APM, Postmaster level)
Identification: Name ends in "S.O." — e.g., "Andheri S.O."
Location: Typically in market areas of towns and urban wards

Services Available at Sub Post Offices

Speed Post booking (daily dispatch to HO sorting hub)
Registered Post and Parcel Post
Savings Bank accounts, RD, TD, NSC, KVP transactions
Money Orders (domestic and international)
Bill payments (electricity, water, telecom)
Aadhaar enrollment/update (at selected SOs)
IPPB full banking services

Branch Post Office (BO) — The Village Lifeline

Branch Offices are the most numerous and the backbone of rural India's connectivity. With approximately 1,39,000 Branch Offices across India, they bring postal services to the deepest villages and tribal areas.

Key Facts About Branch Offices

Number in India: ~1,39,000 (largest postal network in the world)
Staff: Gramin Dak Sevaks (GDS) — village-level postal workers, part-time employees
Identification: Name ends in "B.O." — e.g., "Rampur B.O."
Hours: Often shorter than SOs — typically 10 AM to 4 PM, and may be closed on alternate Saturdays
Infrastructure: Many B.Os operate from a small room in the GDS's home or a rented space

Services Available at Branch Offices

Mail acceptance (basic letters, registered articles)
Post Office Savings Bank deposits/withdrawals (up to ₹20,000/day via micro-ATM)
Recurring Deposit installments
Small Money Orders (up to ₹5,000)
IPPB Aadhaar-enabled payment services
Doorstep delivery of mail, Speed Post, and registered articles

What Branch Offices Do NOT Offer

Speed Post booking (take your parcel to the nearest Sub Office)
NSC/KVP investments
Passport services
Large cash transactions

What Does "Non-Delivery" Status Mean?

On PincodesInfo, every post office shows a "Delivery Status" — either Delivery or Non-Delivery. This is one of the most searched questions about PIN codes.

Delivery Post Office: Handles the final mile — the postman goes door-to-door to deliver letters, parcels, and Speed Post articles within the PIN code area.

Non-Delivery Post Office: Primarily a sorting/processing hub. Mail with this PIN code arrives here for sorting but is transferred to a nearby Delivery post office for actual doorstep delivery. Common examples include major Head Post Offices in central business districts where no one actually lives (e.g., Baroda House S.O., 110001 — a government office area).

If your PIN code shows Non-Delivery, your mail will still reach you — it just takes an extra routing step through the nearest Delivery post office.

Quick Comparison Table

Feature	H.O.	S.O.	B.O.
Speed Post Booking	✅	✅	❌
PPF / NSC / KVP	✅	✅	❌
Savings Account	✅	✅	✅ (limited)
Passport Services	✅ (select)	❌	❌
International Mail	✅	✅ (basic)	❌
Doorstep Delivery	✅	✅	✅

To find out the type, delivery status, and services available for any post office in your area, search the PIN code on PincodesInfo and view the complete post office details.