spent nearly Two years into the Covid-19 pandemic, we have our first round of free at-home rapid tests. Now, we’re doing it for the third time. Every household in the United States — including U.S. territories and military addresses — can request four more free tests. Orders start shipping this week. If you need a test right now, we have a guide to help you find the best at-home tests and outline the process for ordering and taking a test below. Plus, see our guide to the best N95 masks and other reusable masks we like. You can follow our Covid-19 coverage here.
Update December 2022: Another round of testing is now available and we’ve added details.
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Here’s how to order a test
Go directly to the US Postal Service’s Covid-19 page. If you browse CovidTests.gov, on the home page you should see “Order a free at-home test” in a blue speech bubble. Clicking it will redirect you to the correct USPS page. There, you will fill in your name and address. Include your email address so you can receive shipping notifications. After filling in the address, click the green “Checkout Now” button on the right. It’s completely free, including shipping. Only one person per household can apply.
If you prefer to place your order by phone, or you know someone who does not have access to the Internet, you can call the helpline at 1-800-232-0233, although you may be put on hold for a while. Do not call USPS, as no one you speak to will be able to place the order on your behalf.
It took weeks for the first round of tests to arrive, but the second round arrived within days. There’s no guarantee what brand you’ll get, and you don’t have a choice, but the website says these are FDA-authorized home rapid antigen tests. You may receive iHealth tests that we recommend.
You should get tested as soon as you start noticing symptoms or within five days of exposure, according to the Centers for Disease Control. If you are asymptomatic and the first test is negative, take another test according to the manufacturer’s instructions. This is usually done within two to three days of the first test – for this reason most tests have two tests per box. If you test positive, take another test to verify it and isolate for five days.
Do you need a test now?
If you need a test ASAP, check out our guide to rapid home tests for Covid-19 and where to find them. It also contains more information about accuracy. The rapid test typically shows results in about 15 minutes and is about 85 percent accurate.
Tests we recommend (see our more retailer guides). Preliminary results suggest that the starred tests better detect the Omicron variant:
