United States Postal Service: lost package

Collect

• tracking or label number
• original mailing receipt or online label record
• proof of value (receipt
• invoice
• card statement)
• sender and recipient addresses

Steps

1. Check USPS Tracking. If the item is a purchase, ask the seller first; the seller often holds the receipt and the insurance.

2. From 7 days after mailing, submit a Missing Mail search request with addresses, container type, contents and photos.

   FormMissing Mail search request

3. If the item had insurance (Priority Mail, Priority Mail Express and Ground Advantage include up to $100), file a claim online. Do not wait for the search to finish.

   OnlineDomestic insurance claim (file, appeal and check status) Sign-in required

4. If the claim is denied, appeal within 30 days of the decision. If the appeal is denied, file a final appeal within 30 days.

   OnlineDomestic insurance claim (file, appeal and check status) Sign-in required

5. For a claim filed by mail, send the final appeal in writing to the Consumer Advocate.

   MailUSPS Consumer Advocate Consumer Advocate, US Postal Service, 475 L'Enfant Plz SW, Washington DC 20260-2200

6. If you bought the item and nobody pays, dispute the charge with your card issuer.

More contacts for this issue

Facts you can cite

• Deadline

  Missing Mail search requests can be submitted starting 7 days from mailing.

  Source: usps.com, verified 2026-10-12

• Deadline

  A lost-item claim can be filed 7 to 60 days after mailing for Priority Mail Express, and 15 to 60 days after mailing for Priority Mail, USPS Ground Advantage, Insured Mail, COD and Registered Mail.

  Source: usps.com, verified 2026-10-12

• Policy

  For a lost article, the mailer or addressee who has the original retail mailing receipt (or the online label record) can file the claim.

  Source: pe.usps.com, verified 2026-10-12

• Process

  USPS usually sends claim decisions within 5 to 10 days, and pays approved claims within 7 to 10 business days.

  Source: usps.com, verified 2026-10-12

• Limit

  Priority Mail Express, Priority Mail and USPS Ground Advantage include up to $100 of insurance when the piece has a USPS Tracking (IMpb) barcode. Up to $5,000 of insurance can be bought.

  Source: usps.com, verified 2026-10-12

• Limit

  If only the outer packaging is submitted as evidence of insurance, indemnity can be limited to $100 for insured mail, $50 for COD, $100 for Registered Mail and $100 for Priority Mail Express.

  Source: pe.usps.com, verified 2026-10-12

• Deadline

  Appeal a claim decision within 30 days of the decision. If Accounting Services sustains the denial, a final appeal is due within 30 days; mail filers send it to the Consumer Advocate.

  Source: pe.usps.com, verified 2026-10-12

If that fails, escalate

Go up one step at a time. Keep the reference numbers and dates from each contact.

1. Customer service

   PhoneUSPS Customer Care Center (1-800-ASK-USPS) +1-800-275-8777

2. Written complaint

   OnlineDomestic insurance claim (file, appeal and check status) Sign-in required

   Insurance claim. Sender or recipient can file; a lost-item claim needs the original mailing receipt.

3. Executive office

   MailUSPS Consumer Advocate Consumer Advocate, US Postal Service, 475 L'Enfant Plz SW, Washington DC 20260-2200

   Final appeal for claims filed by mail; general complaints by letter.

4. Card or bank dispute

   Fair Credit Billing Act billing-error and purchase-dispute rights (Regulation Z)

   Electronic Fund Transfer Act error resolution and unauthorized-transfer liability (Regulation E)

   Dispute with the seller who shipped the item.

5. Federal regulator

   RegulatorUSPS Office of Inspector General +1-800-275-8777

   Independent oversight of the Postal Service. Not a claims channel.

State agencies for this sector: your state’s attorney general. Find yours in the list of state agencies, or as JSON in states/<code>.json (for example states/ny.json).

Watch out

Related

• Lost package at other companies
• How United States Postal Service complaints actually go (dossier, checked 2026-10-12)
• Parcel and mail carriers — how complaints work
• United States Postal Service: item arrived damaged or defective
• United States Postal Service: late delivery or service guarantee