Royal Mail tracking
Royal Mail tracking statuses explained
Royal Mail delivers to every UK address, usually Monday to Saturday, and some parcels also arrive in the evening or on a Sunday. Tracked items are scanned when Royal Mail receives them, as they pass through mail centres and your local delivery office, and when they are delivered. Some services, such as Signed For, are only scanned at the start and at delivery, so the tracking can stay the same for a few days.
Every Royal Mail tracking status explained
| Status | What it means | Should you worry? |
|---|---|---|
| Fee to pay | Royal Mail is holding your parcel at your local Customer Service Point until a fee is paid, because the sender paid… | Take action |
| Delayed | Your parcel has missed Royal Mail's delivery aim, for example because a mail centre or delivery office is behind or it… | Keep an eye on it |
| Delivery attempted | Royal Mail tried to deliver but could not leave the parcel, and the postie usually tries again the next working day. | Take action |
| Tracking not working | Royal Mail's tracking system has a problem, not your parcel: the website or app could not load your details, often… | Normal |
| In transit or We've got it | Royal Mail has your parcel and it is moving through its mail centres towards your local delivery office. | Keep an eye on it |
| Delivered but not received | Royal Mail scanned your parcel as delivered, to your address, a neighbour or your Safeplace, but you do not have it. | Take action |
| Item retention | Royal Mail is holding your parcel at the delivery office because the address asked for no delivery that day. | Keep an eye on it |
| We're expecting it | The sender has told Royal Mail your parcel is coming, but Royal Mail has not received or scanned it yet. | Keep an eye on it |
| Ready for delivery | Your parcel has reached the delivery office that serves your address. | Normal |
| Returned to sender | Royal Mail could not deliver your parcel and is sending it back, for example because the address could not be… | Take action |
Royal Mail delays
Delays build up in the weeks before Christmas, around bank holidays and in bad weather. Royal Mail's service update page also lists mail centres that did not process all their mail on schedule and delivery offices where staff shortages mean rounds are being rotated.
Is your parcel from Royal Mail late or missing?
Who is responsible for a late or missing parcel from Royal Mail?
If you bought it online from a business, the seller is usually responsible until the parcel reaches you. Under UK consumer law (the Consumer Rights Act) the goods stay at the seller's risk until they are in your hands, or with someone you named to take them, unless you chose and booked the courier yourself. The Act does not mention safe places, so if you asked for a Safeplace, the seller may say the parcel was delivered.
If you sent the parcel yourself, your contract is with Royal Mail, under its terms for the service you bought. Standard cover for loss or damage is up to £20 for 1st Class, 2nd Class and Signed For, up to £75 for Tracked 24 and Tracked 48, and up to £750 for Special Delivery Guaranteed by 1pm.
Questions about Royal Mail tracking
Is a Royal Mail fee to pay text a scam?
Often, yes. Royal Mail never asks for underpaid postage by text or email, but it may text or email about a customs charge if the sender gave it your details, and then a grey Fee to Pay card or letter comes as well. Never pay through a link in a message: open Royal Mail's website yourself and enter the reference from the card, letter or message. Royal Mail also never calls you to ask for payment.
Which postcodes are affected by Royal Mail delays today?
Royal Mail lists them on its service update page. It names mail centres that did not process all mail on schedule and delivery offices where rounds are being rotated, with the postcodes they cover.
Royal Mail missed my delivery but left no card. What now?
Check outside, under the doormat and with your neighbours. You can still book a redelivery with the name, address and date of the attempt. If the tracking shows an attempt at an address that is not yours, check the delivery address on your order: Royal Mail delivers to the address on the item.
Is Royal Mail tracking down today?
If you see Internal exception occurred or We could not retrieve your details, Royal Mail says it is having system issues. Try again later. Your parcel is not affected.
What does We've got it mean on Royal Mail tracking?
Your item is in Royal Mail's network. Royal Mail updates the status as it moves, and for services that only confirm delivery, the next update comes when it has been delivered.
Based on
- legislation.gov.uk: Consumer Rights Act, section 29 (goods stay at the seller's risk until delivered)
- Royal Mail: Non-account terms and conditions (holding periods, tracked product terms)
- Royal Mail: UK delivery services and compensation cover