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Canada Post tracking status

Canada Post “Check delivery progress”: what it means

The short answer

Keep an eye on it

Delivery of your parcel has been interrupted, and the reason is in the delivery progress lines below the bar in Track. If the bar ends in an arrow, the parcel has been returned to the sender. An address check is one possible reason.

When to act: If your address is correct and there is no new scan after 2 business days, or a return has started, file a complaint and we send it to Canada Post.

Bizzy online

Tell me what happened. I write your complaint with you and we send it to Canada Post.

Also shown as: “Verifying recipient's address; Possible delay” · “Customer addressing error found; attempting to correct. Possible delay” · “Item on hold at postal facility to verify address of recipient” · “Item arrived at postal facility. Item on hold.” · “Business temporarily closed; item on hold”

What to do now

  1. Read the lines below the progress bar in Track, because they give the real reason.

  2. Look at the end of the bar: an arrow means the parcel has been returned to the sender.

  3. Check the address on your order, including the street number, unit number and postal code.

  4. In an apartment, check that your name and unit work on the intercom, because Canada Post counts trying the intercom as a delivery attempt.

  5. Keep screenshots with dates and note your tracking number.

  6. Still not sorted? File your complaint here. We write it with you and send it to Canada Post, so you do not have to chase it yourself.

    Start my complaint

What does “Check delivery progress” mean?

This is what Canada Post says: delivery has been interrupted, so check the section below the progress bar for details. A bar with an arrow at the end means the parcel has been returned to the sender. Updates on the return then show below the bar. 'Verifying recipient's address; Possible delay' means Canada Post found an addressing error and the delivery agent is checking the address, before or after trying delivery.

This does not mean the parcel is lost, but it can move fast. If the address can be verified, delivery carries on. If not, the parcel goes back to the sender, and once that starts it cannot be stopped. In histories people share, a return has started within hours of 'Item out for delivery'. Canada Post does not define the 'Item on hold' lines. In older histories, they appeared when an address was being checked or a parcel reached the wrong route, and the parcel sometimes came a day or two later.

Why does Canada Post show it?

  • An addressing error, such as a missing unit number
  • A label that is hard to read, in histories people share
  • The parcel was sorted to the wrong route, in histories people share
  • A failed delivery attempt
  • Weather or transport problems
  • The parcel is on its way back to the sender

How long does it last?

If the address is verified, the parcel moves on, in histories people share sometimes within a day or two. Look for 'Item out for delivery' next. If it cannot be verified, the bar ends in an arrow and the parcel goes back to the sender, in some histories the same morning.

Other Canada Post statuses

All Canada Post statuses →

Who is responsible for a late or missing parcel from Canada Post?

If you bought online from a business, the seller chose Canada Post and is its customer, so a late, lost or missing order is in most cases for the seller to put right, with a replacement or a refund. Canada Post also says that only the sender can receive compensation for a missing parcel.

For a parcel you sent yourself, Canada Post's General Terms and Conditions are the contract between you. Most Priority, Xpresspost and Expedited Parcel shipments include cover of up to $100, the first $100 must be bought for Regular Parcel, and you can add more when you mail it, up to $5,000 within Canada and $1,000 for most US and international shipments. Compensation is the lowest of the item's value, the cover you bought or the cover included, plus postage where it applies. A claim for a missing parcel has to start within 90 days of the shipping date within Canada, or 6 months for the US and abroad. A late parcel on a guaranteed service may earn the sender a postage refund, but the terms excuse causes beyond Canada Post's control, including labour disruptions and customs.

Questions about “Check delivery progress”

What does 'Check delivery progress' mean on Canada Post?

Canada Post says delivery of your parcel has been interrupted. The reason is in the lines below the progress bar, so read those first.

What does 'Verifying recipient's address; Possible delay' mean?

Canada Post found an addressing error and the delivery agent is checking the address. If it cannot be verified, the parcel goes back to the sender, and that return cannot be stopped once it starts.

What does the arrow on the Canada Post progress bar mean?

A 'Check delivery progress' bar with an arrow at the end means the parcel has been returned to the sender. The bar no longer follows it, but updates still show below.

What does 'Item on hold' mean on Canada Post?

Canada Post does not define it. In older histories people share, it shows up when a postal facility is checking an address or re-sorting a parcel, and delivery sometimes follows a day or two later. 'Business temporarily closed; item on hold' is another line people share, which it does not define either.

Can I correct the address on a Canada Post parcel?

Canada Post says it tries to fix addressing errors, but it cannot correct an address once the parcel has been mailed. Commercial customers can pay for a redirection, so a business sender has more options than you do.

Based on

  • Canada Post: Tracking statuses (check delivery progress, verifying recipient's address)
  • Canada Post: Tracking Events and Services (addressing errors)
  • Canada Post: My package hasn't arrived (address cannot be corrected once mailed, redirection for commercial customers)
  • Canada Post: Delivery options (intercom counts as an attempt)
  • Canada Post developer documentation: Get Tracking Details (sample event wordings)
  • RedFlagDeals forum: Item on hold at postal facility to verify address of recipient (shared tracking history)
  • RedFlagDeals forum: Item arrived at postal facility, item on hold (shared experience)
  • Reddit r/CanadaPost: shared experience (Item has been returned and is enroute to the Sender about an hour after out for delivery)
  • Reddit r/CanadaPost: shared history (Customer addressing error found, Item being returned to sender. Incomplete address)
  • Reddit r/CanadaPost: shared experience (Verifying recipient's address, then Business temporarily closed; item on hold)
  • Canada Post: My package hasn't arrived (who can be paid, time limits, $100 base cover)
  • Canada Post: My package was delivered late (postage refund for the sender, guaranteed services)
  • Canada Post: Coverage options, parcel guide ($100 included, first $100 bought for Regular Parcel, up to $5,000)
  • Canada Post: General Terms and Conditions, customers without a Standing Offer Agreement (liability cover, excusable delay)

Parcel still not here?
File a complaint about Canada Post.

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