The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services said it will again make four free COVID tests available through the mail for households.

Any U.S. household can order four free COVID-19 tests on the United States Postal Service webpage specifically designated for the test kits. The tests along with shipping to households are free starting Sept. 30, according to the U.S. Postal Service.

The state Department of Health is encouraging New Yorkers to take advantage of the free COVID-19 tests available once again to all households in the United States through the U.S. Postal Service. Each household is eligible to receive four at-home test kits as announced last week by the federal government.

If you have unused COVID tests lying around at home, they may be OK to still use. Here’s what to know as the cold and flu season ramps up.

One quick step you should take before beginning (in addition to washing your hands well): check the packaging for an expiration date. Yes, over-the-counter COVID tests expire. And while it won't be necessarily harmful to use one after its date has passed,

Your free COVID-19 tests from the government will expire soon, but there is a reason why the tests have a short shelf life.

The U.S. government announced last month it would ship out more free COVID-19 tests, a batch that appears to have a short shelf life. However, the Food and Drug Administration said it has extended the expiration dates for them.