USPS Form 1000: How to File a Lost or Damaged Mail Claim

USPS Form 1000 is the paper indemnity claim form once used to report lost, damaged, or rifled insured mail. It has been replaced by the online claims portal at usps.com as the standard way to file, though a paper form is still available if you call and request one. Either route pays out under the same rules: file within the deadline, prove the item was insured, prove what it was worth, and keep the packaging until USPS says otherwise.

Who Can File and What Mail Is Covered

Either the sender or the recipient can file for a damaged package or one that arrived with missing contents. For a lost package, whoever files needs the original mailing receipt or a printed record of the online label purchase showing insurance was bought.¹

Priority Mail Express, Priority Mail, and USPS Ground Advantage each include up to $100 of insurance in the price when the package carries an Intelligent Mail package barcode or USPS retail tracking barcode, with additional coverage available up to $5,000. Registered Mail can be insured for up to $50,000 at a Post Office counter. Collect on Delivery includes coverage up to $1,000.²

Deadlines That Actually Matter

Two clocks run at the same time. For damage or missing contents, file as soon as you can and no later than 60 days from the mailing date. For a lost package, you have to wait out a minimum period first — file too early and the claim is rejected as premature.¹

Priority Mail Express lost: no sooner than 7 days, no later than 60 days from the mailing date.
Priority Mail and USPS Ground Advantage lost: no sooner than 15 days, no later than 60 days.
Registered Mail lost: no sooner than 15 days, no later than 60 days.

Every window is measured from the mailing date on your receipt, not the expected delivery date. Miss the 60-day cap and USPS will not pay, regardless of how much insurance you bought.

What to Gather Before You Start

The online form requires uploads at submission, so pull everything together before you open the portal. Missing paperwork is one of the quickest paths to a denial.

Proof That Insurance Was Purchased

You need the original counter receipt or a printout of the online label showing the tracking number, total postage paid, insurance fee, declared value, mailing date, origin ZIP Code, and delivery ZIP Code.¹

Proof of What the Item Was Worth

USPS will not pay more than the item was actually worth when it was mailed, no matter how much coverage you bought. Acceptable proof includes a sales receipt, paid invoice, or bill of sale; a statement of value from a reputable dealer; paid repair bills or estimates for partial damage; a credit card statement showing the amount paid; or, for online marketplace purchases, a printout of the completed transaction showing buyer, seller, price paid, date, item description, and payment platform. Upload documents as PDF or JPEG files.³

The Packaging and the Damaged Item

For damage or missing-contents claims, the recipient has to keep everything: the mailing container, the packaging materials, and whatever contents arrived. USPS may ask to inspect these at the local Post Office, and throwing them away before the claim is resolved results in automatic denial.¹ Photograph the damage thoroughly before you start the online form, because photo uploads are part of submission. If you bring the item in for inspection, the postal employee completes a form on the spot that serves as your receipt confirming the item was presented.⁴

Filing Online

The online portal is the fastest route. You need a free USPS.com account.⁵ Enter the tracking number and mailing date, and the system pulls up the mail class and insurance information. Select loss or damage, enter sender and recipient addresses, describe the contents, and enter the dollar amount you are claiming. Make sure that number lines up with your proof-of-value documentation. Upload your files, review, and submit. Save the confirmation number. You can opt in to email notifications and track status through Claim History in your account.

Getting a Paper Form

If you cannot file online, call USPS National Materials Customer Service at 1-800-332-0317 and request a paper claim form. Complete it and mail it, along with proof of value and evidence of insurance, to the address printed on the form.⁵ Paper filing takes longer to process than online.

How USPS Calculates What You Get

USPS pays the lesser of the item’s actual value at the time of mailing or the maximum coverage of the insurance purchased. Several rules bend this in ways that catch people off guard.

Used items are depreciated based on their expected lifespan. A five-year-old laptop will not be valued at what you paid for it new.
Repair costs for partial damage are payable but cannot exceed the item’s actual value when mailed.
Bulk-insured items are paid at the lesser of actual value or the sender’s wholesale cost.
Negotiable items, currency, or bullion sent outside of Registered Mail are capped at $15, no matter how much insurance you bought. Ship cash in a Priority Mail envelope with $5,000 of insurance and the most you can recover is $15.
Stamps and coins with collectible value are appraised at fair market value using a recognized dealer or current collectors’ trade publication, with the valuation dated before the mailing date.

USPS will also reimburse the cost of a custom outer container that was designed and built specifically for the shipped item.¹

Why Claims Get Denied

USPS publishes a detailed list of non-payable situations, and a handful account for most denials.¹

Inadequate packaging. If the item was not wrapped and cushioned well enough to survive normal handling, or was so fragile that no packaging could have protected it, the claim fails.
No damage to the outer box. When the contents are broken but the mailing container shows no sign of mishandling, USPS typically treats it as a packaging failure.
Perishables that spoiled. Food or other perishables that froze, melted, spoiled, or deteriorated in transit are not covered.
Sentimental value. USPS pays market value, not emotional attachment.
Consequential losses. You can claim the item, not the business you lost because it did not arrive on time.
Discarded evidence. Throwing away packaging or damaged contents before USPS asks to see them results in automatic denial.
No proof of insurance. Without the receipt or online label record, the claim cannot proceed.
Prohibited or restricted items. Anything not mailable in the first place, or restricted items not prepared to postal standards, is excluded.

Decision and Payment Timeline

USPS usually issues a decision within 5 to 10 days of receiving the claim. Higher-dollar or complicated claims can take up to 30 days.⁵ Approved payments arrive by mail 7 to 10 business days after approval.³ USPS does not offer direct deposit for claim payments.

Appealing a Denial

You get two levels of appeal, each with a 30-day window. Miss either and you forfeit further review.

File the first appeal through the online portal within 30 days of the original decision. Log in, go to Claim History, start the appeal there, and include a written explanation along with any additional documentation.⁵ If that appeal is denied, you can file a second and final appeal to the USPS Consumer Advocate within 30 days of the second denial. That is the last step inside USPS.³

International Shipments Follow a Different Process

If the package went outside the United States, this process does not apply. International claims require an International Inquiry first, filed by the U.S. sender through a USPS.com account, and the filing windows and waiting periods differ by service and destination country.⁶

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Postal Explorer. 609 Filing Indemnity Claims for Loss or Damage
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USPS. Insurance and Extra Services
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United States Postal Service. Domestic Claims – The Basics
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USPS. Claims Process Updates – Domestic and International
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USPS. File a USPS Claim – Domestic
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USPS. File a USPS Claim – International