USPS package tracking works by attaching a unique identification number to every trackable shipment and logging a scan each time the package moves through a postal facility. Enter that number on the USPS website, in the mobile app, by text, or over the phone, and you’ll see a chronological scan history from acceptance through delivery. The system covers domestic and international mail, and the same lookup is the starting point whether your package is on time, running late, or missing.
Where to Find Your Tracking Number
Every lookup begins with the number assigned when the item was mailed. Most domestic services, including Priority Mail and USPS Ground Advantage, use a 22-digit numeric string.1United States Postal Service. USPS Tracking – Section: What does my tracking number look like? Certified Mail uses a 20-digit format, and Priority Mail Express uses a 13-character alphanumeric code starting and ending with letters, like EA 123 456 789 US.
If you mailed the package, the number is on your counter receipt and on the barcode label. If you’re waiting on an online order, it’s in the shipping confirmation email from the retailer. Without the number, USPS has no way to connect your inquiry to a specific package, so hold onto whichever record you have.
International shipments use a 13-character format: two letters, nine digits, then “US” for the country of origin.2USPS (Postal Bulletin). International Products Field Information Kit – Frequently Asked Questions Expect gaps between scans once the package crosses into the destination country’s postal system. A quiet stretch of a few days isn’t unusual on international mail.
How to Check the Status
The most direct route is the USPS website. Go to the tracking page, enter your number, and the results show every scan event with facility location, date, and time. The mobile app works the same way and lets you scan the barcode with your phone camera instead of typing.
If you’d rather use text, send the tracking number to 28777 (2USPS). USPS replies with the latest status and can subscribe you to ongoing updates for that shipment. For a phone lookup, call 1-800-222-1811 and enter or speak the number to hear a status summary.3USPS. USPS Text Tracking FAQs – Section: Who do I contact for additional help?
Standard tracking confirms delivery but doesn’t include a signature image. If you need one, the item must have been sent with Signature Confirmation, and the complete delivery record with the signature can be requested two to three days after delivery. Records stay accessible for one year.4United States Postal Service. How is Signature Confirmation and Signature Confirmation Restricted Delivery Used
What the Status Labels Mean
The labels follow the package through the network in a predictable order:
- Pre-Shipment: a label has been created, but USPS hasn’t received the package yet. If this sits for several days, the seller likely hasn’t dropped it off.
- Accepted at USPS Origin Facility: the package is in the mail stream and had its first scan.
- Processed Through Facility: it was sorted at a regional distribution hub.
- In Transit to Next Facility: it’s moving between sorting centers. This status is the most likely to sit unchanged for a day or two, especially on cross-country trips.
- Arrived at Unit: the package reached the local post office handling your route.
- Out for Delivery: a carrier loaded it onto their vehicle for the day.
- Delivered: it was left at the address or placed in the mailbox.
When a carrier can’t complete delivery, they leave a PS Form 3849 (the pink slip) with the reason and your options.5United States Postal Service. PS Form 3849 Redelivery Notice You can schedule a redelivery, pick the package up at your local post office, or use a USPS Smart Parcel Locker if the item qualifies. If the package requires a signature, you or an authorized agent must be present in person; signing the pink slip and leaving it out doesn’t work.
Redirecting or Stopping a Package Already in the Mail
If the package is on its way and you want to change where it lands, USPS offers two tools.
Delivery Instructions
Through your USPS.com account, you can tell the carrier to leave the package at a specific door, with a neighbor on the same route, in the garage, or at the post office for pickup. You can also redirect it to a different domestic address, though that requires paying postage for the rerouted trip.6USPS. USPS Delivery Instructions – The Basics
Not every package qualifies. Shipments insured for $500 or more, international mail, items requiring a signature, and packages already out for delivery are ineligible. To check, enter the tracking number on the USPS Tracking page; if the package qualifies, a “Delivery Instructions” link appears below the status. Once submitted, the request cannot be canceled.
Package Intercept
Package Intercept is the heavier option, and only the sender can request it. It stops a package in transit and either returns it, redirects it, or holds it at the post office. The fee is $19.45, charged only if the intercept succeeds. You’ll also owe Priority Mail postage for the return or redirect unless the original shipment used Priority Mail Express, Priority Mail, Ground Advantage, or First-Class Mail.7United States Postal Service. Package Intercept – Stop Delivery of Letter or Package The package must have a tracking barcode and can’t exceed 130 inches in combined length and girth. Marketing Mail, periodicals, and items addressed to a commercial mail receiving agency don’t qualify. Intercept isn’t guaranteed. If the package has moved too far along, USPS may not catch it, and you won’t be charged.
When a Package Doesn’t Arrive
Tracking that sits on “In Transit” for a few days isn’t alarming on its own, particularly during holidays or bad weather. But if several days pass with no movement, or the estimated delivery date has come and gone, take action.
Start with a Missing Mail search request at missingmail.usps.com. The form can be filed starting seven days after the mailing date. You’ll need the sender and recipient addresses, the tracking number or mailing date, the size and type of container, a description of the contents, and any photos that might help USPS identify the item.8United States Postal Service. Missing Mail and Lost Packages USPS confirms receipt by email and sends updates as the search progresses.
The Missing Mail search and an insurance claim are separate processes. You don’t need to finish one before starting the other, and if your package had insurance, file the claim in parallel. The claim deadlines are strict and won’t pause while the search runs.
Filing an Insurance Claim
If your package included insurance, either purchased separately or built into the service (as with Priority Mail Express), file at usps.com/help/claims.htm. Deadlines depend on the service and whether the package is lost or damaged.9Postal Explorer. Filing Indemnity Claims for Loss or Damage
For damaged packages or missing contents, file immediately; the hard deadline is 60 days from the mailing date. For a lost Priority Mail or insured package, wait at least 15 days from the mailing date, but still file within 60 days. Priority Mail Express claims can be filed after 7 days. Military mail (APO/FPO/DPO) gets longer windows, up to one year for some services.
USPS requires two categories of evidence: proof you purchased insurance and proof of the item’s value. For insurance, keep your mailing receipt or the online label record showing the tracking number, postage, insurance fee, and declared value. If you only submit the outer packaging without a receipt, your payout may be capped at $100 for most services. For value, acceptable documentation includes a sales receipt, credit card statement, paid invoice, or a printout of the online transaction showing buyer, seller, price, and completed status. For damaged items, get a repair estimate from a reputable dealer.
For damage claims, the recipient must keep the original container, all packaging material, and the damaged contents. USPS may ask to inspect everything at the local post office, and discarding any of it before that inspection triggers an automatic denial.
If your claim is denied, you have 30 days from the denial date to appeal through the same online portal. If that appeal is also denied, you get one more within 30 days of the second denial, which goes to the Consumer Advocate for a final review.
Informed Delivery for Ongoing Monitoring
Informed Delivery is a free USPS service that emails you scanned images of incoming letter-sized mail before it lands in your mailbox. Flat-size mail like magazines and large envelopes isn’t captured. The dashboard also functions as a package hub: you can view tracking for incoming packages, leave delivery instructions, schedule redeliveries, and manually add tracking numbers for shipments you’re expecting.10United States Postal Service. Informed Delivery Click-N-Ship packages are added automatically.
Sign-up requires a USPS.com account and an identity verification step. Most residential addresses, PO Boxes, and business addresses in eligible ZIP Codes qualify, though some apartment buildings without uniquely coded mailboxes may not. If online verification fails, you can complete it in person at a participating post office. USPS requires multifactor authentication for some accounts and recommends it for everyone.