Parcelforce tracking status

Parcelforce “Item Retention”: what it means

The short answer

Keep an eye on it

Your parcel is staying at a depot today, and the message gives a request not to deliver as the reason. On Parcelforce parcels this also shows at home addresses where nobody asked. It often means the next working day, though some wait far longer.

When to act: If it has not moved 2 working days after Item Retention and nobody at the address asked for a hold, file a complaint and we send it to Parcelforce.

Also shown as: “Retention Item” · “We're holding this item at [depot]. We've received a request not to deliver mail to the property your item is addressed to today. We'll attempt delivery as per the instructions we've received, which is usually on the next working day.” · “Your parcel has reached your local delivery office. We've received a request not to deliver mail to the property your item is addressed to today. We'll attempt delivery as per the instructions we've received, which is usually on the next working day.”

What to do now

Read the place under the line. A PFW depot means the parcel is with Parcelforce, even if the message says your local delivery office.
Think back over what was booked. A redelivery, a new delivery day or a customs payment can keep the parcel until that day.
If your address is a business or shares a building with one, check whether anyone there has asked for no delivery on certain days.
Look for a new line the next working morning.
Keep a dated screenshot of the line and the message, and a note that nobody at the address asked for a hold.
Still not sorted? File your complaint here. We write it with you and send it to Parcelforce, so you do not have to chase it yourself.

Start my complaint

What does “Item Retention” mean?

Royal Mail's glossary describes a Retention Item as one for a business address with a service covering days it is closed. The line now also shows on Parcelforce depot scans, such as Milton Keynes PFW Depot, and people at ordinary homes report it when neither they nor the sender asked for anything. The wording is fixed, so it does not prove anyone at your address made a request.

Parcelforce does not explain this use. Commenters who say they work in the network or know it put it down to a round with no driver that day or a manager's instruction. After you book a redelivery it can appear in the same minute as Item Prepared for Redelivery, and then it may only be keeping the parcel for your booked day. It does not by itself mean the parcel is lost.

Why does Parcelforce show it?

A round with no driver that day, according to commenters in the network
A redelivery or delivery day you booked, so it waits for that day
A delivery day chosen after paying a customs charge
A business address that is closed that day

How long does it last?

The message says the next working day is usual. In histories people share, one parcel still came the same afternoon, while others stayed on this line for over a week, and a couple were reported at more than two weeks. It can also be followed by Due to be delivered today, or by Available for Redelivery or Collection.

Other Parcelforce statuses

Held as Customs fee to payTake action
Item ReceivedNormal
Due to be delivered todayNormal
Delivery AttemptedTake action
Available for Redelivery or CollectionTake action
Tracking not updating or parcel lateKeep an eye on it
Returned to senderTake action
We're expecting itKeep an eye on it
Delivered but not receivedTake action

All Parcelforce statuses →

Who is responsible for a late or missing parcel from Parcelforce?

Buy online from a business and the seller usually has to sort it out until the parcel reaches you. Under UK consumer law (the Consumer Rights Act, section 29) the goods stay at the seller's risk until they are in your hands, or with someone you named to take them, unless you booked the courier yourself and the seller did not offer it as an option. Parcelforce's own help also says the retailer has a legal responsibility to make sure you get what you paid for.

If you sent the parcel yourself, your contract is under the joint Royal Mail and Parcelforce Worldwide terms for the service you bought. UK express services include cover of up to £150 per item for loss or damage, and you can add more, up to £2,500 per item. A refund for late delivery depends on the service: 100% of the delivery cost for express10 and expressAM, 50% for express24 and nothing for express48 or express48large.

Questions about “Item Retention”

What does Item Retention mean on Parcelforce?

The parcel is being kept at the depot named under the line instead of going out today. Royal Mail's glossary ties the term to businesses closed that day, but on Parcelforce parcels people at home addresses see it too.

Nobody asked for this. Why does it say a request was made?

Many people report the same thing. The message is a fixed text and does not show who asked. Commenters who say they know the network say it can be used when a round is not covered, though Parcelforce does not say so itself.

Will my parcel still come today?

It can. One person's parcel came the same afternoon, after Item Retention and a time window both showed that morning. Plan on the next working day.

Can I collect a parcel on Item Retention?

Parcelforce's help only describes collection after a missed delivery, with a card and ID, and people on this line report no redelivery options. If the line stays, keep your screenshots and file a complaint on Complain.biz so we can send it to Parcelforce.

Is my parcel lost if it stays on Item Retention?

Not by itself. A few long waits ended badly, though: one parcel went back to the sender, and a commenter who says they work at Parcelforce was told their own was probably lost after about three weeks.

Based on

Royal Mail: What does my tracking message mean? (glossary for the tracker Parcelforce parcels now use)
Parcelforce: Redelivery (attempts, holding periods, ID)
Reddit r/royalmail (shared tracking history): Item Retention at Milton Keynes PFW Depot, home address, commenters on rounds (screenshots)
Reddit r/royalmail (shared tracking history): Item Retention at London South East PFW Depot, full message (screenshot)
Reddit r/royalmail (shared tracking history): Item Retention and Item Prepared for Redelivery at North Essex PFW Depot (screenshot)
Reddit r/royalmail (shared account): full message at London East PFW Depot, day 8, commenter who works at Parcelforce
Reddit r/royalmail (shared account): full message at London South East PFW Depot, over two weeks
Reddit r/royalmail (shared tracking history): Item Retention and a time window on one morning; parcel came that day
Reddit r/royalmail (shared account): Item Retention and Available for Redelivery at Coventry, then returned
Reddit r/royalmail (shared account): Item Retention on a Tracked 48 at a far away Parcelforce depot
Reddit r/royalmail (shared account): Parcelforce parcel held on instructions nobody gave
Reddit r/royalmail (shared account): same message after a redelivery booking
Reddit r/royalmail (shared tracking history): retention after paying customs, with a delivery date set
Reddit r/royalmail (shared account): retention on a customs item, what a depot said
legislation.gov.uk: Consumer Rights Act, section 29 (goods stay at the seller's risk until they reach you)
Parcelforce: Buying items online, who you should contact
Parcelforce: Enhanced and inclusive compensation
Parcelforce: Refunds for late delivery
Royal Mail: Terms and conditions (Royal Mail and Parcelforce Worldwide)