📬 USPS Tracking
Track USPS packages worldwide with real-time updates
📋 Where to Find Your USPS Tracking Number
- Your tracking number is on your shipping receipt or confirmation email
- USPS tracking numbers are typically 20 or 22 characters long
- Common formats: 9400100000000001234567 (Priority Mail), 9205500000000001234567 (USPS Ground Advantage), EC123456789US (International)
- Wait 24-48 hours after shipping notification for first tracking update
- For Certified Mail, tracking numbers may start with 9407 or 9414
Note: Not all USPS services include tracking by default. Priority Mail, Priority Mail Express and USPS Ground Advantage include tracking. First-Class Mail (letters, flats, postcards) and Marketing Mail may not include tracking unless purchased separately.
Checking multiple tracking sources for the most accurate information
About USPS Package Tracking Service
The United States Postal Service (USPS) is the independent agency of the federal government responsible for providing postal service in the United States. Founded in 1775, USPS is the oldest federal institution in the country and operates the world's largest civilian fleet of vehicles, delivering mail and packages to every address in the United States, including 160 million residences, businesses, and Post Office Box addresses.
Our free USPS tracking service allows you to monitor your shipments in real-time, from the moment they're accepted at a USPS facility until they reach their final destination. Whether you're tracking a Priority Mail package across the country or an international Priority Mail International shipment, our tracking tool provides detailed status updates and estimated delivery dates for all USPS services with tracking.
Track your USPS packages easily by entering your tracking number in the search box above. USPS tracking numbers vary in format depending on the service type, but most are 20 or 22 characters long and start with prefixes like "94", "92", "EC", or "EA". Once your package ships, you'll receive real-time updates showing each scan location, transit progress, and delivery confirmation as it travels through USPS's extensive network.
Quick USPS Tracking Guide (30 Seconds)
How to Track USPS Package in 3 Steps:
- Find your tracking number - Check your receipt, email confirmation, or USPS notice card. It's usually 20-22 digits starting with "94" or "92".
- Paste the number above - the first four digits name the service, which sets both the scan rhythm and the claim clock.
- Read the scan history, not just the headline - the last scan names the plant or Post Office holding your parcel and whether a notice was left.
Tip: If tracking shows "Pre-Shipment Info Sent to USPS," wait 24-48 hours for the first scan.
USPS Shipping Services
🚀 Priority Mail Express
USPS's fastest domestic service with guaranteed overnight to 2-day delivery to most addresses. Includes $100 insurance, tracking, and money-back guarantee. Ideal for time-sensitive documents and packages up to 70 lbs.
Overnight - 2 Days📦 Priority Mail
Popular domestic service with 1-3 business day delivery to most addresses. Includes $100 insurance, tracking, and free package pickup. Flat-rate options available for packages up to 70 lbs. Perfect for e-commerce sellers and online shoppers.
1-3 Business Days✉️ First-Class Mail
Letters up to 3.5 oz, postcards, and flats or large envelopes up to 13 oz. Since 2023 it covers mail only, not packages: First-Class Package Service was folded into USPS Ground Advantage. Retail letters and flats carry no tracking, so proof of delivery means adding Certified or Registered Mail. Typically 1-5 business days.
1-5 Business Days📚 Media Mail
Economical service for educational materials including books, sound recordings, recorded video, printed music, and computer-readable media. Weight limit 70 lbs. Delivery typically 2-8 business days. Strict content restrictions apply - no advertising or personal correspondence allowed.
2-8 Business Days📦 Parcel Select
Cost-effective ground delivery service for commercial shippers with high-volume requirements. Delivery in 2-8 business days depending on distance. Economical alternative to Priority Mail for non-urgent shipments. Available only to commercial customers through approved mailers.
2-8 Business Days📝 Certified Mail
Provides mailing receipt and proof of delivery for important documents. Includes tracking number and electronic verification of delivery. Optional Return Receipt provides copy of recipient's signature. Ideal for legal documents, tax forms, and official correspondence.
3-5 Business Days🌍 Priority Mail International
International shipping service with delivery to over 190 countries. Flat-rate boxes available for most destinations. Delivery typically 6-10 business days to Canada, 6-12 days to Europe, and 6-14 days to other major markets. Includes $200 insurance for most destinations.
6-14 Business Days✈️ Global Express Guaranteed
USPS's premium international service with date-certain delivery and overnight to 1-2 day delivery to many countries. Includes $100 insurance and full tracking. Delivery guaranteed to most destinations within 1-3 business days. Most expensive but fastest international USPS service.
1-3 Business DaysSpecial Services & Features
USPS offers several value-added services to enhance your shipping experience. USPS Informed Delivery is a free digital preview service that sends email notifications with grayscale images of incoming mail pieces. Available for residential addresses, it provides visibility into what's coming to your mailbox each day.
USPS Hold Mail allows you to temporarily pause mail delivery while you're away for up to 30 days. USPS Change of Address service forwards your mail to a new address for up to 12 months for First-Class Mail, Priority Mail, and packages. USPS Package Intercept allows shippers to stop delivery or redirect packages that haven't been delivered yet.
USPS Signature Services include Signature Confirmation, Adult Signature Required, and Restricted Delivery. These services provide added security and verification for valuable or sensitive shipments. USPS Insurance provides protection against loss, damage, or theft with coverage up to $5,000 for domestic shipments and $200-$2,000 for international shipments depending on service type.
USPS Service Comparison
Priority Mail Express is the only domestic USPS service carrying a money-back guarantee; everything else publishes estimated dates. Included insurance and claim waiting periods also differ by service. The table below sets them side by side.
| Service | Delivery Time | Tracking | Insurance | Max Weight | Signature |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Priority Mail Express | Overnight-2 days | ✓ | $100 included | 70 lbs | Optional |
| Priority Mail | 1-3 business days | ✓ | $100 included | 70 lbs | Optional |
| USPS Ground Advantage | 2-5 business days | ✓ | $100 included | 70 lbs | Optional |
| Media Mail | 2-8 business days | Basic | Up to $5,000 | 70 lbs | ✗ |
| Certified Mail | 3-5 business days | ✓ | Up to $5,000 | Depends on class | ✓ Required |
| Priority Mail International | 6-14 business days | ✓ | $200 included | 70 lbs | Optional |
| Global Express Guaranteed | 1-3 business days | ✓ | $100 included | 70 lbs | ✓ Required |
🚀 Priority Mail Express
📦 Priority Mail
📦 USPS Ground Advantage
📚 Media Mail
📝 Certified Mail
🌍 Priority Mail International
✈️ Global Express Guaranteed
Understanding USPS Delivery Guarantees
Priority Mail Express: USPS guarantees overnight to 2-day delivery for most US addresses with a money-back guarantee if the package isn't delivered by the guaranteed date. Delivery is typically by 6:00 PM or 8:00 PM depending on the destination and service level selected. This service includes $100 insurance and tracking as standard features.
Priority Mail: While Priority Mail provides estimated delivery dates based on origin and destination zip codes, it doesn't include the same delivery guarantee as Priority Mail Express. However, Priority Mail does include $100 insurance and comprehensive tracking at no additional cost. Flat-rate options make it predictable and economical for e-commerce businesses.
Media Mail and Parcel Select: These economical services are designed for non-urgent shipments and don't include delivery guarantees or automatic insurance. However, customers can purchase additional insurance up to $5,000 for Media Mail and Parcel Select shipments. These services are ideal for businesses shipping high volumes of non-time-sensitive items.
Complete Guide to USPS Tracking
Understanding USPS Tracking Numbers
A domestic USPS number is a 22-digit Intelligent Mail package barcode, and the opening four digits tell you which service was bought. That is worth knowing before the first scan, because the service decides how fast scans should appear and, later, how long you must wait before a claim can be filed.
| Starts with | Service | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Starts with9270 | ServicePriority Mail Express | What it meansThe only domestic service with a money-back guarantee |
| Starts with9205, 9400 | ServicePriority Mail, USPS Tracking | What it meansEstimated dates, not guaranteed. Frequent scans |
| Starts with9214, 9261 | ServiceUSPS Ground Advantage | What it meansGround network, up to 70 lb. Sparser scans by design |
| Starts with9407, 9414 | ServiceCertified Mail | What it meansProof of mailing and delivery, thinner scan history |
| Starts withEA to EZ, then 9 digits and US | ServicePriority Mail Express International | What it meansThe S10 international format |
| Starts withCP, LK, RA, RB or RR, then 9 digits and US | ServicePriority Mail International and other outbound | What it meansScans thin out once it leaves the US |
Ground Advantage is not a small-parcel service. It replaced First-Class Package Service and Retail Ground in 2023 and carries up to 70 pounds. The old 13-ounce ceiling belonged to First-Class Package, which no longer exists, and plenty of guides still repeat it.
Retail First-Class Mail letters and flats are not trackable. There is no tracking product you can buy for them; proof of delivery means upgrading to Certified Mail, Registered Mail or Return Receipt. Presorted commercial mail is the exception: it carries an Intelligent Mail barcode that produces scan data, but usps.com cannot display those numbers, so a reader holding one will find it returns nothing here or anywhere public. That absence explains most cases where a sender insists they posted an item but can supply nothing to track.
Reading the Rhythm of USPS Scans
Pre-Shipment Info Sent to USPS: a label exists and USPS has nothing. Sellers print these in batches, so a number can sit here for days. Only the sender can move it along.
Accepted at USPS Origin Facility: the first physical scan and the moment custody transfers.
Arrived at / Departed USPS Regional Facility: movement between processing plants. Several pairs on a cross-country route is expected, and a Ground Advantage parcel may post none at all between plants.
Out for Delivery: on a carrier route for that day. USPS carriers work fixed routes, so your delivery window is more predictable than any estimate on the site once you have watched a few.
Notice Left: an attempt failed and a PS Form 3849 was left. The hold clock starts here.
Available for Pickup: the branch shown in the detail line is holding it. Photo ID matching the addressee gets it released.
Forwarded: rerouted under a Change of Address filed by the recipient. Add a few business days.
Delivered: logged against a timestamp and a place: Front Door, Mail Room, Parcel Locker. Read the description before assuming theft, because a locker delivery leaves a key in your mailbox rather than a parcel at the door.
When a USPS Number Stops Moving
Judge the silence against the service. Priority Mail Express should scan often. Ground Advantage posts fewer scans by design, and a rural route can go two or three days between them without anything being wrong.
Start a Missing Mail Search before a claim, not after. This is the step most people skip. USPS expects a completed Missing Mail Search on a lost package, and filing the claim first tends to stall it. The search is free and starts at usps.com.
Sundays and holidays. USPS runs no regular Sunday delivery and closes on federal holidays, and processing plants run reduced weekend operations. A Friday evening scan and nothing before Monday is ordinary.
Informed Delivery is free and underused. It emails you scans of incoming mail and parcel status each morning. For anyone chasing a package it removes the need to keep checking, and it often shows a mailpiece before tracking updates.
Call 1-800-ASK-USPS (1-800-275-8777) or open a case at usps.com under Help with Missing or Delayed Mail. Written cases produce a reference number, and a claim later gets built from that record.
USPS Claims: The Rules the Rest of the Internet Gets Wrong
Either the sender or the recipient can file. USPS states this outright, and it contradicts the advice repeated across most shipping guides. What matters is that the person filing holds the original mailing receipt, and that only one claim per package is allowed. Coordinate with the other party rather than both filing.
Damage claims need no waiting period at all. If the box arrives broken, file that day. The wait applies only to packages that have gone missing, and even then it varies by service.
| Situation | File after | File before |
|---|---|---|
| SituationDamage or missing contents, any service | File afterImmediately | File before60 days from mailing |
| SituationPriority Mail Express, lost | File after7 days | File before60 days from mailing |
| SituationPriority Mail, lost | File after15 days | File before60 days from mailing |
| SituationUSPS Ground Advantage, lost | File after15 days | File before60 days from mailing |
| SituationPriority Mail Express Military (APO/FPO) | File after21 days | File before180 days |
| SituationOther insured military mail | File after45 days | File before1 year |
| SituationMilitary surface mail (SAM/PAL) | File after75 days | File before1 year |
The 60-day outer limit is firm and it runs from the mailing date, not from when you noticed the problem. Military and diplomatic addresses get far longer windows because transit times justify them, and almost nobody publishes those figures.
What the postage already buys: $100 of indemnity on Priority Mail Express, on Priority Mail and on Ground Advantage, so long as the item carries a USPS tracking barcode. Priority Mail International includes $200. Additional insurance can be bought up to $5,000 on domestic services, and Registered Mail insures up to $50,000, which is the figure most guides misquote as $5,000.
Insurance cannot be added later. It has to be purchased before you hand the package over, which makes it a decision only the sender can take.
The payout formula: USPS indemnifies whichever is smallest of actual value, purchase price, or the coverage in force. Sentimental value, lost earnings and consequential damages fall outside every carrier's indemnity.
Keep the packaging. USPS may ask to inspect it, and throwing out the box is the most common way a damage claim dies. If a claim is denied you have 30 days to appeal through the same portal with additional evidence.
Every carrier rewards the same preparation: sound packing, kept receipts, photographs taken early. We collect that in the shipping protection and claims guide. Above are the rules unique to the Postal Service.
People Also Ask About USPS Tracking
What does a USPS tracking number look like?
USPS tracking numbers are typically 20 or 22 digits long and start with specific prefixes depending on the service type:
- Priority Mail: 9400 1000 0000 0000 0000 00 (22 digits)
- Priority Mail Express: 9270 1000 0000 0000 0000 00 (22 digits)
- USPS Ground Advantage: 9205 5000 0000 0000 0000 00 (22 digits)
- Certified Mail: 9407 3000 0000 0000 0000 00 (20 digits)
- International: CP 123456789 US or EA 987654321 US (13 characters)
Why is my USPS tracking number not found?
If your USPS tracking number isn't found, it's usually because:
- The shipping label was printed but not scanned yet (wait 24-48 hours)
- You entered the tracking number incorrectly (check for typos)
- The service doesn't include tracking (First-Class Mail letters don't have tracking)
- The package hasn't been dropped off at USPS yet
How accurate is USPS tracking?
USPS tracking is generally accurate for packages (Priority Mail, Priority Mail Express, USPS Ground Advantage) with 95%+ scan rate at major facilities. However, tracking may be less frequent for rural deliveries or during peak holiday season. Expect scans every 4-8 hours during transit for domestic shipments.
Can I see exactly where my USPS package is right now?
No. USPS records barcode scans at fixed points rather than streaming a vehicle's position, so the newest entry tells you where the parcel last was, not where it is now. Between a departure scan and the next arrival, a package can be anywhere along that lane. Informed Delivery closes part of the gap by mailing you each morning's inbound scans, but it is still scan data rather than live location.
What does "Pre-Shipment Info Sent to USPS" mean?
This status means the sender created a shipping label and USPS received the electronic shipping information, but the physical package hasn't been scanned at a USPS facility yet. This is normal for the first 24-48 hours after a label is printed. The status will update to "Accepted" once USPS scans the package at a Post Office or during pickup.
How long does USPS tracking take to update?
The first scan lands when a clerk or carrier physically accepts the parcel, which may be a day or more after the label was printed. After that the rhythm follows the service: Priority Mail Express posts scans at every handling point, while Ground Advantage can move overnight between plants and post nothing in between. Rural routes are sparser again. Judge a gap against the service you paid for rather than a fixed number of hours.
