# USPS Lost Package: How to File a Missing Mail Search

> Submit a USPS Missing Mail search request at missingmail.usps.com between 7 and 365 days after the original mailing date if your package is lost.

- **Author**: Charles Helms
- **Published**: 2026-11-04
- **Category**: usps
- **URL**: https://trackingadvice.com/usps-lost-package/

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If your package has not arrived, you can file a USPS Missing Mail search request at [missingmail.usps.com](https://missingmail.usps.com) once 7 days have passed since mailing. The latest you can submit is 365 days after the mailing date. Insurance claims require a separate process. Check the [USPS tracking page](https://trackingadvice.com/carriers/usps/) before filing.

## When you can file a USPS Missing Mail search

**You can file a USPS missing mail search request as early as 7 days and up to 365 days after the mailing date.**

Missing Mail covers undelivered, lost, or late packages not delivered by the expected delivery date. The application accepts submissions from 7 to 365 days after mailing. (Yes, 365 days: a full year after the mailing date.) USPS strongly advises filing as soon as possible within that window on the [USPS Missing Mail basics page](https://faq.usps.com/s/article/Missing-Mail-The-Basics).

Priority Mail Express, Priority Mail, and USPS Ground Advantage include tracking. First-Class Mail includes tracking only if an extra trackable service was purchased, such as Certified Mail, Signature Confirmation, or USPS Tracking.

| Service                  | Tracking                              | Earliest search            |
| ------------------------ | ------------------------------------- | -------------------------- |
| Priority Mail Express    | Included                              | 7 days after mailing date  |
| Priority Mail            | Included                              | 7 days after mailing date  |
| USPS Ground Advantage    | Included                              | 7 days after mailing date  |
| First-Class Mail         | Only if a trackable service was added | 7 days after mailing date  |
| Parcel Select            | Included                              | 14 days after mailing date |
| Domestic Registered Mail | Included                              | 14 days after mailing date |

For Parcel Select, allow 8 days from mailing for the item to arrive before taking action. If 14 or more days pass and the recipient confirms it has not arrived, submit a search request or email USPS. If tracking shows the item going back to the sender, it is not lost.

## How to file a Missing Mail search

**To submit a USPS missing mail search request, register or sign in at MissingMail.USPS.com and provide detailed descriptions of the lost package.**

You can file without a tracking number, though USPS calls one highly recommended.

What you need:

- Sender and recipient mailing addresses and mailing date
- Tracking numbers, mailing receipt, or Click-N-Ship label receipt
- Packaging type, size, and color (such as a 12 x 10 brown box covered in stickers)
- Item descriptions (title, color, size, brand, make, and model) and photos if available

Filing process:

1. Go to [MissingMail.USPS.com](https://missingmail.usps.com) and sign in or register an account.
2. Enter your mailing date, sender address, and recipient address.
3. Provide container size, color, and packaging details.
4. List all enclosed items with descriptions and photos.
5. Save the form as a draft if needed, noting drafts expire after 7 days.
6. Submit the search request and save your confirmation notice.

Each request covers one mailpiece. If one box held several items, list them all together; separate mailpieces require separate requests.

USPS Customer Care (1-800-ASK-USPS, 1-800-275-8777, see our [USPS customer service](https://trackingadvice.com/usps-customer-service/) guide) cannot file the search for you; you file it online yourself.

Online only.

After submitting, you can edit only the contents. To change addresses or container details, cancel from the Missing Mail Search History page using the X or Cancel option and submit a new request. Canceling changes the status to Canceled and stops all matching and emails. A search does not guarantee success.

## Package shows delivered but you do not have it

**If a USPS package shows delivered but you cannot find it, search exterior locations around your address and submit an online inquiry after one postal business day.**

Check around your property first. USPS suggests checking the porch, garage, exterior doors, and spots out of the weather or out of street view, such as under a mat or near a back entrance. Ask household members, and check your mailbox later in the day since packages may arrive separately from regular mail.

In a community mailbox, a key in your compartment indicates the item is in a parcel locker. In an apartment or condo, check with the management office.

If a neighbor may have it, see what to do when [USPS delivered to the wrong address](https://trackingadvice.com/usps-delivered-to-wrong-address/). If you suspect porch theft, see guidance for a [USPS stolen package](https://trackingadvice.com/usps-stolen-package/).

If more than one postal business day passes after the delivered scan and the item is still missing, submit a service request to your local Post Office on the USPS [package inquiry page](https://emailus.usps.com/s/package-inquiry).

## What the Missing Mail search status means

**Each USPS Missing Mail search status tells you whether the search is still running, found your mail, or has ended.**

Status updates arrive by email, and you can view all requests on the Missing Mail Search History page.

| Status          | What it means                                                        |
| --------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Saved as Draft  | Saved but not submitted; drafts expire after 7 days.                 |
| Accepted        | Received and entered into the active inventory search.               |
| Mailpiece Found | Identified and retrieved; being rewrapped and mailed to you.         |
| Rejected        | Rejected by a clerk, such as for a duplicate entry.                  |
| Canceled        | Canceled by you from the history page.                               |
| Expired         | Reached its retention period without a match and no longer searched. |

If found, USPS rewraps the mailpiece, ships it to the address on the form, and emails you. If no match is found before expiration, USPS emails you that it could not be located. You receive a final email when the item is returned or the search expires.

## What USPS will not search for or return

**USPS will not search for or return hazardous materials, ammunition, opened beauty items, medications, or perishable foods.**

USPS says that, for the safety of customers and employees, it will not search for or return these items:

- Hazardous materials and live ammunition
- Opened hair or beauty products
- Prescription drugs and over-the-counter drugs
- Perishables and food

Handguns are returned only to a licensed dealer on your behalf.

## Missing Mail search, claim, or refund: which one you need

**Deciding between a USPS lost package search, an insurance claim, or a postage refund depends on whether the shipment is covered by insurance or delivery guarantees.**

Insurance claims apply only to insured mail, whether included or bought separately. Priority Mail, Priority Mail Express, and USPS Ground Advantage include up to $100 of insurance with most shipments, subject to restrictions. Legally, USPS may not pay compensation for uninsured lost or damaged mail. For uninsured items, the route USPS offers is a Missing Mail search.

To pursue compensation, read how to [file a shipping claim](https://trackingadvice.com/file-a-shipping-claim/) and file online at the [USPS claims page](https://www.usps.com/help/claims.htm). Either the sender or recipient may file, providing proof of insurance and proof of value. USPS typically issues a decision within 5 to 10 days, and approved payments arrive in 7 to 10 business days. For damage or missing contents, file right away, no later than 60 days after mailing.

| Situation                           | Use                 | Deadline                                      |
| ----------------------------------- | ------------------- | --------------------------------------------- |
| Uninsured lost mailpiece            | Missing Mail search | 7 to 365 days after mailing date              |
| Priority Mail Express lost          | Insurance claim     | 7 to 60 days after mailing date               |
| Priority Mail lost                  | Insurance claim     | 15 to 60 days after mailing date              |
| USPS Ground Advantage lost          | Insurance claim     | 15 to 60 days after mailing date              |
| Insured or Registered Mail lost     | Insurance claim     | 15 to 60 days after mailing date              |
| Damaged contents or missing items   | Insurance claim     | Immediately, up to 60 days after mailing date |
| Late Priority Mail Express delivery | Postage refund      | Within 30 days of mailing date                |

Priority Mail Express includes a money-back guarantee. If it fails to arrive by the guaranteed date or time on your receipt, request a refund within 30 days of mailing at the [USPS refunds page](https://www.usps.com/help/refunds.htm).

## Where undeliverable mail ends up: the Mail Recovery Center

**The USPS Mail Recovery Center is the Postal Service's lost and found for mail that can be neither delivered nor returned to the sender.**

Mail with a wrong address and no return address goes to the local Post Office, which handles it or sends it to the [Mail Recovery Center](https://faq.usps.com/s/article/What-is-the-USPS-Mail-Recovery-Center).

Items valued over $25 (or $20 for cash) are held 60 days if barcoded, or 30 days if not barcoded. Employees scan pieces and open items of value to locate an address to forward or return the mailpiece. Unclaimed items are donated to non-profit organizations, recycled, destroyed, or sold at auction.

## FAQ

### How long does a missing mail search take, and is there a time limit?

A search remains active until the mailpiece is matched or reaches its retention period and expires. You can submit a request up to 365 days after the mailing date, but USPS recommends filing as early as possible within the 7 to 365 day window. You will receive email notifications while the search is ongoing and a final email when it concludes.

### Can I call USPS to file a missing mail search?

No, USPS Customer Care representatives cannot submit a Missing Mail search request for you. You must create or log into a USPS.com account and complete the application online yourself.

### Can I file a missing mail search without a tracking number?

Yes. USPS calls a tracking number highly recommended, not required. You can submit a search for a lost package without tracking number by providing sender and recipient addresses, mailing date, container descriptions, and item details. Adding photos or a mailing receipt also helps staff identify the parcel.

### How do I check the status of my missing mail search?

You can check status of missing mail search requests directly on the Missing Mail Search History page inside your USPS account. USPS also emails status updates to the contact address entered on your form. A final email arrives when the mailpiece is returned or the search expires.

### What happens to lost mail USPS cannot deliver or return?

Mail that cannot be delivered and has no return address is handled by the local Post Office or sent to the Mail Recovery Center. Items meeting value thresholds are held for 30 or 60 days while staff attempt to find an address. Unclaimed goods are donated to non-profit organizations, recycled, destroyed, or sold at auction.

### Does USPS pay for an uninsured lost package?

No, USPS cannot legally pay compensation for lost or damaged mail that was uninsured. For uninsured mail, the route USPS offers is a Missing Mail search.