TSA Form 261 for Lost Property Return: Filing the SF-95 Claim

“TSA Form 261” is the informal name for the TSA Tort Claim Package, and the legally operative document inside it is Standard Form 95 (SF-95), the government-wide claim form. You fill it out, attach proof of what you lost or what the repair costs, and send it to the TSA Claims, Outreach, and Debt Branch within two years of the screening incident. Miss that two-year window and federal law permanently bars the claim.1Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 28 USC 2401 – Time for Commencing Action Against United States

When TSA Will Pay a Claim

TSA considers a claim when your property was lost or damaged as a direct result of negligence by a TSA employee during screening.2Transportation Security Administration. Claims That covers checkpoint screening and checked-baggage inspection. Common situations: a cracked laptop screen after a manual bag search, jewelry that disappears at the X-ray belt, or a suitcase with a broken zipper or lock after TSA opened it.

The item has to have been in TSA’s control when the damage happened. If your bag was crushed by the airline’s baggage system or the airline lost it, TSA will send you to the airline. Its claims page tells travelers directly to contact the airline for lost or missing baggage that wasn’t damaged during screening.2Transportation Security Administration. Claims

Where to Get the Form

Download the TSA Tort Claim Package from tsa.gov/travel/security-screening/claims.2Transportation Security Administration. Claims It’s a fillable PDF with instructions and the SF-95. You don’t need a form labeled “TSA Form 261.” Any written claim that meets the minimum requirements will be accepted, and the SF-95 inside the package is what does the legal work.3Department of Homeland Security. Privacy Impact Assessment for the Claims Management System

How to Fill Out the SF-95

Complete every numbered block. Write “NONE” where a block doesn’t apply rather than leaving it blank.4General Services Administration. Standard Form 95 – Claim for Damage, Injury, or Death The blocks that matter most for a property-damage claim:

  • Blocks 2–5 ask for your name, mailing address, date of birth, and marital status. Use the address where you want TSA to send correspondence.
  • Blocks 6–7 want the date and approximate time of screening. Pull it from your boarding pass or itinerary.
  • Block 8 is the basis of the claim. Describe what happened: the airport, the checkpoint or baggage area, and what you believe the screener did that caused the damage. Include the airline and flight number so investigators can pull the right records.
  • Block 9 is where you list each damaged or lost item, its condition before screening, and the nature of the damage. Note where the item can be inspected if you still have it.
  • Block 12d is the total amount claimed. This is legally required. TSA calls it a “sum certain,” and failing to put a specific dollar figure here can invalidate the entire claim. If you’re claiming property damage and personal injury both, break the amounts out in blocks 12a and 12b.4General Services Administration. Standard Form 95 – Claim for Damage, Injury, or Death
  • Block 13a is your signature. An unsigned form is not a valid claim.

The sum-certain rule catches a lot of filers. Don’t write “to be determined” or leave Block 12d blank. Pick a number based on the evidence you have. You can’t increase this amount later without refiling, so calculate carefully before submitting.

What to Attach

  • Purchase receipts for each item. If you don’t have receipts, credit card statements, bank statements, or professional appraisals can substitute.5Transportation Security Administration. TSA Tort Claim Package
  • Repair estimates. If an item can be repaired, get a written estimate from a shop. If it can’t be repaired, get a written statement from the shop saying so.5Transportation Security Administration. TSA Tort Claim Package
  • Photographs of the damage, taken as soon as you discover it. Close-ups of the broken parts alongside wider shots help the examiner.
  • The TSA inspection notice, if one was left inside your checked bag. Keep it. It links your luggage to a specific screening event.

One thing to know about the number you put in Block 12d: TSA values property at its current worth, not what you paid for it. A laptop you bought four years ago for $1,200 may be worth a few hundred dollars now. Build your figure around realistic current-market value. Inflated requests tend to slow the process without changing the payout.

How to Submit It

Three ways to send the package to the TSA Claims, Outreach, and Debt Branch:5Transportation Security Administration. TSA Tort Claim Package

  • Mail to TSA Claims, Outreach, and Debt Branch, TSA Mail Stop 6009, 6595 Springfield Center Drive, Springfield, VA 20598-6009. Use a tracked service. TSA’s own instructions warn that mail to federal facilities can be delayed up to three weeks by additional screening.
  • Email to TSAClaimsOffice@tsa.dhs.gov.
  • Fax to (571) 227-1904.

Email or fax avoids the mail-screening delay. Whichever route you take, keep a full copy of what you sent, including the signed form, every receipt, and every photograph. If something is lost in transit, you’ll need to reproduce the whole package.

What Happens Next

TSA sends an acknowledgment letter with a control number four to six weeks after it receives the claim.2Transportation Security Administration. Claims Save that control number. You’ll need it for every follow-up and to check status online at apps.tsa.dhs.gov/cmsstatus/.3Department of Homeland Security. Privacy Impact Assessment for the Claims Management System

A claims examiner reviews your evidence, pulls screening records, and may interview TSA personnel. The process is not fast. If the claim is approved, you’ll get a letter with a settlement agreement and payment instructions.2Transportation Security Administration. Claims

If TSA Denies the Claim or Goes Silent

A denial letter isn’t necessarily the end. If you have new evidence that wasn’t in your original submission, you can ask TSA to reconsider.3Department of Homeland Security. Privacy Impact Assessment for the Claims Management System

The Federal Tort Claims Act also gives you two routes to a federal courtroom. If TSA formally denies your claim, you can file suit in U.S. District Court, but only within six months of the date on the denial letter.1Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 28 USC 2401 – Time for Commencing Action Against United States If TSA doesn’t decide within six months of when you filed, you can treat the silence as a denial and sue any time after the six-month mark.6Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 28 USC 2675 – Disposition by Federal Agency as Prerequisite; Evidence Federal court is a much bigger commitment than an administrative claim, so weigh the value of the property against the cost and time of a lawsuit before going that far.