Australia Post tracking status
Australia Post “It's on its way”: what it means
The short answer
NormalAustralia Post has scanned your parcel, or another parcel on the sender's list, and it is not with a driver yet. This headline can stay the same for days, depending on distance and the time of year.
When to act: If the parcel has not arrived 10 business days after its expected delivery date, file a complaint and we send it to Australia Post.
Also shown as: “Your delivery is on its way” · “Your parcel is on the way” · “In transit” · “In transit to next facility” · “Picked up from sender” · “Received by Australia Post”
What to do now
- 1
Find the expected delivery date at the top of the tracking page and count from that date, not from the last scan.
- 2
Open 'Tracking history' to see the last facility and the time of the last scan.
- 3
Turn on notifications in the AusPost app so you see the 'It's coming today' message on the morning of delivery.
- 4
If you may not be home, set a safe place or redirect the parcel in the app or MyPost before it is onboard for delivery.
- 5
Keep a screenshot of the tracking and your order number.
- 6
Still not sorted? File your complaint here. We write it with you and send it to Australia Post, so you do not have to chase it yourself.
What does “It's on its way” mean?
'It's on its way' is a headline that covers most of the journey. Australia Post's notification guide says the first message comes when it scans your parcel or another parcel on the same list from the sender, so that first message alone does not prove your own parcel has been scanned. The most recent update underneath says more: 'Picked up from sender' or 'Received by Australia Post' when a parcel first enters the network (only some parcels get these scans), and 'Item processed at facility' each time it goes through a facility. In tracking histories people share, 'In transit to next facility' appears between sites.
The headline stays the same while those lines change, so it can look as if nothing is happening. It does not mean the parcel will arrive today. That is the next headline, 'It's coming today', on the morning of delivery.
Why does Australia Post show it?
- The parcel was picked up or lodged and scanned
- Another parcel on the sender's list was scanned, which can bring up this headline before your own parcel has a scan
- It went through a processing facility on the way
- It is waiting for the next part of the journey
- Newer scans are hidden or late, because tracking shows only the most recent and relevant events
How long does it last?
The next headline is usually 'It's coming today' on the morning of delivery, then 'Delivered'. Some parcels go to 'Awaiting collection' instead. Watch the expected delivery date at the top of the tracking: a 'Delayed' badge or a new date means Australia Post knows the parcel is late. Most late parcels arrive within 5 business days of the expected date.
Other Australia Post statuses
- Label created by senderKeep an eye on it
- PendingKeep an eye on it
- Item processed at facilityNormal
- Onboard for deliveryNormal
- Possible delayKeep an eye on it
- Tracking not updatingKeep an eye on it
- Attempted deliveryTake action
- Awaiting collectionTake action
- Delivered but not receivedTake action
- Returning to senderTake action
- Cannot be deliveredTake action
Who is responsible for a late or missing parcel from Australia Post?
If you bought online from a business, it is in most cases for the seller to put right. The Australian Consumer Law (section 36) says a business that took your payment must supply the goods within the time it stated, or a reasonable time if it stated none, unless the failure was due to someone else or a cause beyond its control and it took reasonable precautions and due diligence to avoid it. A seller may argue that a failure by Australia Post falls under that exception. Section 36 does not itself set out a refund, and the Australian Consumer Law does not say in so many words who carries the risk of a parcel lost in the post. Government guidance in Victoria and Western Australia says the seller is responsible for resolving delivery problems with Australia Post, and that you are entitled to a refund if the seller still does not deliver. State sale of goods law and the seller's terms can also matter and are not covered here. Australia Post generally pays the sender for a lost domestic parcel, but its terms leave the claim with the addressee, up to $100, on parcels a business lodges under Business Standard or Business Express Delivery.
If you posted the parcel yourself, you have a contract with Australia Post, and its General Terms and Conditions apply. Most parcel services include compensation of up to $100 plus a refund of the postage when a parcel is lost or damaged and Australia Post is at fault, and Extra Cover bought when posting can raise that. It pays nothing for delays, except a refund of the postage when Express Post misses its next business day guarantee. Its terms say any rights you have under the Australian Consumer Law apply in addition to them.
Questions about “It's on its way”
What does 'It's on its way' mean on AusPost?
Australia Post describes an item that has been posted and processed and is moving through its sorting facilities, and it is not with a delivery driver yet. The first message can come from a scan of another parcel on the sender's list, so read the line under the headline for the most recent scan.
How long does 'It's on its way' last?
Australia Post says it depends on distance and the time of year, so it can last several days. Go by the expected delivery date, not by the time since the last scan.
Does 'In transit' mean my parcel is out for delivery?
No. It means the parcel is moving between sites. The lines to watch for are 'It's coming today' and 'Onboard for delivery', which mean a driver or postie has it.
Can I change the delivery address while it says 'It's on its way'?
Often, yes. With a MyPost account you can redirect an eligible parcel until it is onboard for delivery. Allow an extra business day, plus any extra days to reach the new address.
Based on
- Australia Post: Tracking service ('It's on its way', distance and time of year)
- Australia Post: Improving your customers' tracking experience (typical tracking flow)
- Australia Post: Trusted tracking and notifications guide (first scan of this parcel or another on the same manifest)
- Australia Post help: No recent update (only the most recent and relevant events)
- Australia Post: Parcels in transit (redirect and safe place rules)
- Australia Post: Lost or late items (5 and 10 business days)
- OzBargain: a tracking history a customer shared ('In transit to next facility')
- IceInSpace forum: a tracking history a customer shared ('Received and ready for processing', 'In transit to next facility')
- Australian Consumer Law (Competition and Consumer Act, Schedule 2), section 36: supply within the stated period or a reasonable time
- Government of Victoria: Products missing or damaged in transit (the seller resolves delivery problems, refund if the goods are not supplied)
- Government of Western Australia: Missing or damaged products (the seller resolves delivery problems, refund if the goods are not delivered)
- Australia Post General Terms and Conditions, clauses 3.1 to 3.8 (delays, lost items, included compensation, claims by addressees on business parcels)
- Australia Post: Compensation (generally who is paid, amounts, Express Post refund)