Royal Mail tracking status
Royal Mail “Delayed”: what it means
The short answer
Keep an eye on itYour parcel has missed Royal Mail's delivery aim, for example because a mail centre or delivery office is behind or it went to the wrong office. Royal Mail only treats it as lost 10 working days after the due date (7 for Tracked).
When to act: If it is still not there 3 working days after its due date, file a complaint and we send it to Royal Mail.
Also shown as: “Sorry, your item went to [town] DO in error, so we re-routed it immediately. More information will be available as it travels through our network.”
What to do now
- 1
Work out the due date. Royal Mail aims to deliver 1st Class and Tracked 24 the next working day, 2nd Class within three weekdays and Tracked 48 within two to three working days, plus a day with a Redirection. Also check the delivery date the seller gave you.
- 2
Look up your area on Royal Mail's service update page, which lists delayed mail centres and delivery offices by postcode.
- 3
Check the tracking once a day. A re-routed item gets a new scan when it reaches the right office.
- 4
Keep screenshots of the tracking, with the due date and your order number, so your complaint shows how late it is.
- 5
Still not sorted? File your complaint here. We write it with you and send it to Royal Mail, so you do not have to chase it yourself.
Running late with another courier
- FedEx: Clearance delay
- UPS: Delay
- USPS: In transit, arriving late
- Amazon: Delayed, not yet shipped
- OnTrac: Delayed. Delivery date updated
- SpeedX: Delay in transit
- Veho: Package delayed
- GLS: Delivery Rescheduled
- Cainiao: Import customs clearance delay
- Evri: Delayed
- DPD: Delayed due to an unexpected issue in your area
- Yodel: Your parcel has been delayed
- APC Overnight: Your parcel won't be delivered today
- DX: Not arrived or delayed
- ArrowXL: Couldn't deliver
- Canada Post: Item delayed, stay tuned for updates
- Purolator: Delayed in transit due to disruption
- Canpar: Delayed at facility
- Intelcom: Delivery postponed
- Australia Post: Possible delay
- StarTrack: Possible delay
- Aramex: Parcel delayed
- CouriersPlease: Delivery rescheduled
- Team Global Express: Held up in transit
- NZ Post: Parcel delayed
- An Post: Parcel delayed
What does “Delayed” mean?
Royal Mail's tracking has no separate Delayed status. A late parcel usually just stops moving and stays on In transit, We've got it or Ready for delivery after the day it was due. Sometimes you see a short apology instead, such as the item going to the wrong delivery office and being re-routed. A message that Royal Mail was unable to deliver the item that day means a delivery attempt failed, and the postie usually tries again the next working day.
Royal Mail aims to deliver 1st Class and Tracked 24 the next working day, 2nd Class within three weekdays and Tracked 48 within two to three working days. When a mail centre does not process all its mail on schedule, or a delivery office is short of staff and rotates its rounds, mail can arrive later than planned.
Why does Royal Mail show it?
- A mail centre did not process all its mail on schedule
- Staff shortages at your delivery office, so rounds are rotated
- Busy weeks before Christmas and the days after a bank holiday
- Bad weather or a road closure
- The item was mis-sorted and sent to the wrong delivery office
- A Redirection on the address, which adds a working day
- A parcel from abroad waiting to enter Royal Mail's system
How long does it last?
A late item usually moves again once the backlog clears, and a re-routed item gets a new scan when it reaches the right office. Royal Mail's service update page lists the areas that are behind. If it has not arrived 10 working days after its due date (7 for Tracked 24 and Tracked 48), Royal Mail treats it as lost.
Other Royal Mail statuses
- Fee to payTake action
- Delivery attemptedTake action
- Tracking not workingNormal
- In transit or We've got itKeep an eye on it
- Delivered but not receivedTake action
- Item retentionKeep an eye on it
- We're expecting itKeep an eye on it
- Ready for deliveryNormal
- Returned to senderTake action
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 “Delayed”
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.
Is Royal Mail delayed at the moment?
Check the service update page for current problems. Delays are most common in the weeks before Christmas, after bank holidays and in bad weather.
How long can a Royal Mail parcel be delayed before it counts as lost?
Royal Mail treats an item as lost 10 working days after its due date for 1st Class, 2nd Class and Signed For, and 7 working days for Tracked 24 and Tracked 48.
Can I get compensation for a late Royal Mail parcel?
Royal Mail's own delay compensation is limited: a book of 1st Class stamps when a 1st Class, 2nd Class or Signed For item arrives 3 or more working days late (6 with a Redirection), a refund of the fee when Special Delivery Guaranteed misses its time, and nothing for Tracked 24 or Tracked 48. If you bought online, the seller is responsible until the parcel reaches you. File a complaint on Complain.biz and we send it to Royal Mail.
Why does my tracking say my item went to the wrong office?
It was mis-sorted. Royal Mail says it re-routes the item straight away and updates the tracking as it travels on, so expect it later than planned.
Based on
- Royal Mail: My item hasn't arrived yet, what should I do?
- Royal Mail: Find out if my item is lost or delayed
- Royal Mail: Service updates (delayed mail centres and delivery offices)
- Royal Mail: My tracking message looks wrong
- Royal Mail: Track your item (status categories and on-page messages)
- royal-mail-tracking library README: Royal Mail tracking event codes and messages (secondary)
- Royal Mail: Retail compensation policy for loss
- Royal Mail: UK delivery services and compensation cover
- Royal Mail: Non-account terms and conditions (holding periods, tracked product terms)
- legislation.gov.uk: Consumer Rights Act, section 29 (goods stay at the seller's risk until delivered)