USPS Lost My Package: What to Do and When to File

If USPS lost your package, two clocks started on the day it was mailed, not the day it was due. You can ask USPS to search for it from day 7. You can file an insurance claim from day 7 on Priority Mail Express, or day 15 on Priority Mail, USPS Ground Advantage and most other services, and for domestic services the claim has to be in by day 60. Either the sender or the recipient can file. This page covers how to tell whether the package is actually lost, which deadline applies to the service you used, and what USPS needs from you.

The search form itself is covered screen by screen in How to file a USPS Missing Mail search request. This page is the triage: what to do first, and by when.

First, confirm it is lost and not just late

USPS defines missing mail as mail that has not been delivered by its expected delivery date. Before you file anything, look at the tracking number, because the right next step depends on the last scan. What the USPS tracking status updates mean explains each status.

• Tracking shows "Shipping Label Created, USPS Awaiting Item" or a shipping-partner scan: USPS does not have the package yet. The sender needs to confirm it was handed over. If a scheduled pickup never happened, see USPS didn't pick up my package.
• Tracking shows "Delivered" but nothing arrived: work through the next section before you file a search.
• Tracking has stalled in transit, or the package was never scanned after drop-off: go to the Missing Mail search once 7 days have passed since the mailing date.

Tracking says "Delivered" but the package never arrived

USPS's tracking help says a "Delivered" scan records a date, time and delivery location, and that the carrier may have put the package somewhere safer than the doorstep. Check the garage, the porch, exterior doors, spots out of street view such as under a mat or near a back entrance, and with other people in the household. Packages may arrive separately from regular mail, so check the mailbox again later in the day. If you have a community mailbox and there is a key in your mail compartment, the package is in a parcel locker. In an apartment or condo, ask the building office whether it was left there.

If it is still missing after more than one postal business day since the "Delivered" scan, USPS's instruction is to submit a service request to your local Post Office through the Email Us page on usps.com. That is where the official guidance ends. USPS does not publish a longer waiting period for this situation, and the Missing Mail search below is defined for mail that has not been delivered, so start with the service request and keep the tracking number handy.

Two clocks, both counted from the mailing date

Every USPS deadline on this page runs from the date on the mailing receipt or label record, not from the day the package was supposed to arrive. The search and the claim are separate remedies with separate windows, and Priority Mail Express adds a third.

These run in parallel. Filing a search does not pause the claim deadline, and a claim does not stop the search. For a lost Priority Mail Express package you may end up filing all three.

Step 1: Submit a Missing Mail search request (day 7 to day 365)

The Missing Mail application accepts a search request from 7 days after the original mailing date up to 365 days after it, and USPS recommends filing as early in that window as you can. Customer Care representatives cannot submit the request for you, and each mailpiece needs its own request. You can list several items that were inside one package, but not several packages in one request.

Have this ready before you start:

• Sender and recipient mailing addresses
• The mailing date, from the receipt or the label record
• The tracking number, if you have one (USPS lists it as highly recommended, if available)
• Size and type of the box or envelope, with the color or other identifying details
• A description of each item inside, including brand, model, color or size, plus photos if you have them

After you submit, USPS emails a confirmation, then periodic status updates. A request sits at "Accepted" while USPS searches its inventory, moves to "Mailpiece Found" if the package turns up, and changes to "Expired" if the search runs out without a match. If the package is found, USPS rewraps it and sends it to the address you gave on the request. USPS does not guarantee a result, and it will not search for or return restricted items such as hazardous materials, perishables, opened beauty products, and over-the-counter or prescription drugs.

The screen-by-screen walkthrough of the form, including saving a draft and checking status later, is in How to file a USPS Missing Mail search request.

Step 2: File the insurance claim (day 7 or 15 to day 60)

A search request tries to recover the package. The claim is how you recover money, and it only exists if the package was insured. Priority Mail Express, Priority Mail and USPS Ground Advantage each include up to $100 of insurance in the price, as long as the package had a USPS Tracking barcode. Coverage above that must be purchased separately, up to $5,000. Services without insurance, such as First-Class Mail with no added coverage, carry no indemnity at all. USPS states that it may not legally pay compensation for uninsured articles, so for those the Missing Mail search is the only path.

Either the sender or the recipient may file. The person filing needs the tracking number, proof that the package was insured, and proof of what the contents were worth.

Filing windows by service

All windows count from the mailing date, per USPS's domestic claims page. Packages that arrived damaged or with contents missing can be claimed immediately, with the same 60-day outer limit.

What USPS needs with the claim

• The tracking or label number (13 to 34 characters), from the label, the receipt, or the online label record
• Proof of insurance: the original mailing receipt, the outer packaging showing the sender and addressee with the insured label, or the printed electronic label record from the shipping software used to buy the postage and insurance
• Proof of value: a sales receipt, paid invoice, credit card statement, or an online transaction printout showing buyer, seller, price, date and item description. For damaged items, a repair estimate from a reputable dealer
• For damage, photos showing the extent of it. Keep the packaging and contents until the claim closes, because USPS may ask you to bring the whole package to a Post Office for inspection

File online with a free USPS.com account. The claim is saved to that account, appears in Claim History, and can be finished later if you cannot complete it in one sitting. If you cannot file online, call USPS National Materials Customer Service at 1-800-332-0317 and ask for a paper Domestic Claim form.

What happens after you file

USPS says it usually sends a decision within 5 to 10 days, and approved claims are paid within 7 to 10 business days after approval. USPS never pays more than an item's actual value. If a claim is denied or paid in part, the decision letter lists the reasons. You can appeal within 30 days of receiving it, using the same channel you filed through, and you may add new documents. A second, final appeal is allowed within 30 days of the first appeal's denial.

Priority Mail Express: the postage refund is a separate request

Priority Mail Express carries a money-back guarantee on its 1 to 3 day delivery commitment. If the package missed the guaranteed date or time printed on the receipt, USPS refunds the postage. That is a refund request, not an insurance claim, and it has its own clock: 2 to 30 days after the mailing date, or 30 to 60 days if you bought an extra service with the label. Each tracking number gets one refund request. It pays back what you paid to ship. The insurance claim in Step 2 is still how you recover the value of the contents, so a lost Express package usually means filing both.

For Express items to or from Alaska and Hawaii, USPS stopped processing refund requests for guaranteed service on August 1, 2023. Refund requests for loss are still processed.

Sender or recipient: who should act

USPS lets either party file the claim, so the practical question is who holds the evidence. The sender has the mailing receipt or label record and usually the sales receipt, which together cover proof of insurance and proof of value. If you bought something and it never arrived, contact the seller first. They can file the search request and the claim with the documents USPS asks for, and the refund or replacement is between you and them.

If you are the seller, treat the two problems separately. Your customer's refund or replacement is your decision on your own timeline. The USPS claim runs on the deadlines above and reimburses documented value up to the insured amount, so keep the electronic label record from your shipping software, since USPS accepts it as proof of insurance.

If you run a store and carrier exceptions are eating your week, Simpl's ecommerce fulfillment service ships orders through UPS, USPS and FedEx, and every shipment carries a tracking number that updates in real time.

Which service did you use?

Deadlines and coverage differ by service, and the service name is on the receipt or the label. If you are not sure which one you used, USPS First-Class Mail vs Priority Mail explains how to tell them apart.

• USPS Ground Advantage: tracking and up to $100 of insurance are included when the package has a tracking barcode. Search from day 7; claim from day 15 to day 60.
• Priority Mail: up to $100 included. Claim from day 15 to day 60. Insurance is not included when Priority Mail is bought with certain extra services, so check your receipt.
• Priority Mail Express: up to $100 included. Claim from day 7 to day 60, plus the separate postage refund within 30 days of mailing.
• First-Class Mail: no included insurance. Items sent with a trackable add-on can be checked in USPS Tracking, and any First-Class item can go into a Missing Mail search from day 7, but there is no claim unless you bought insurance.
• Registered Mail: USPS asks you to allow 14 or more days from mailing for it to arrive before filing a search or claim. Claim from day 15 to day 60.
• International shipments follow a different process. Start at USPS's international claims page.

Common questions

How long before a USPS package is considered lost?

USPS treats mail as missing when it has not been delivered by its expected delivery date. The Missing Mail search request opens 7 days after the mailing date, and that is the earliest USPS will act on a lost package. Insurance claims open at 7 days for Priority Mail Express and 15 days for Priority Mail, USPS Ground Advantage and most other domestic services.

Does USPS pay you if they lose your package?

Only if the package was insured. Priority Mail Express, Priority Mail and USPS Ground Advantage include up to $100 of coverage when the package has a USPS Tracking barcode, and higher coverage must be bought when mailing. USPS pays the documented value up to the insured amount, never more than the item's actual value, and states that it may not legally pay for uninsured articles.

Who is responsible if USPS loses your package?

Either the sender or the recipient may file the USPS claim, and whoever files must provide proof of insurance and proof of value. For a purchase, contact the seller first, because they usually hold the mailing receipt or label record and the sales receipt USPS requires. Whether the seller refunds or reships is between you and the seller. The USPS claim reimburses documented value up to the insured amount.