Royal Mail tracking status

Royal Mail “Fee to pay”: what it means

The short answer

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Royal Mail is holding your parcel at your local Customer Service Point until a fee is paid, because the sender paid too little postage or a customs charge is due. Check the fee is genuine, then pay it or let the item go back.

When to act: If you paid and the parcel did not arrive on the delivery day you chose, or the postage was right and you were still charged a fee, file a complaint and we send it to Royal Mail.

Also shown as: “Held with fee to pay”

What to do now

Check it is genuine. A real fee comes with a grey Fee to Pay card or a Royal Mail letter, also when Royal Mail texts or emails about a customs charge. Royal Mail never asks for underpaid postage by text or email, and it never calls you to ask for payment.
Work out what it is. Check your recent orders, including from sellers abroad, and any gifts you are expecting; the card may not say who sent it.
Pay online on the Pay a Fee page of Royal Mail's own website. Open the site yourself instead of following a link in a message, and use the details on the card or letter with a UK debit or credit card or PayPal. Royal Mail recommends paying online at least two days before the item is due to go back; you can also pay by post as the card explains.
To pay and collect in person, take the card and ID in the addressee's name, such as a bank card, passport or driving licence, to the office named on the card.
If you did not order anything and do not want it, you can leave it. Royal Mail sends unpaid items back to the sender after 18 days, or 21 days for a customs charge, and you are not charged.
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.

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What does “Fee to pay” mean?

Royal Mail will not deliver the item until the fee is paid. There are two reasons. The sender did not pay enough postage, or the parcel came from outside the UK and has import VAT, duty or both to pay. For unpaid postage the card shows a fee set by the size of the item and what was wrong with the postage. For customs charges Royal Mail pays the tax up front so your parcel is not held up, adds a handling fee (£8 on Royal Mail parcels, £12 on Parcelforce parcels and £25 when the goods are worth more than £900) and asks you to repay the total before delivery.

You get a grey Fee to Pay card or a letter through your door. For a customs charge you may also get a text or email, but only if the sender gave Royal Mail your contact details. Royal Mail holds the item for 18 days, or 21 calendar days when a customs charge is due, and then returns it to the sender.

Why does Royal Mail show it?

The sender used too few stamps for the size or weight
No stamp, a counterfeit stamp or an old stamp without a barcode
A parcel bigger or heavier than the postage paid for
Goods worth more than £135 sent from outside the UK (for Northern Ireland, from outside the UK and the EU)
A gift worth more than £39 sent from outside the UK
Alcohol, tobacco or vaping products from abroad, whatever their value
Import VAT or duty on a parcel from abroad, plus Royal Mail's handling fee

How long does it last?

Once you pay online you can choose a delivery day. If you pay in person at the Customer Service Point, you get the item there and then, and if you pay by post, Royal Mail sends it for delivery once it has your payment. If you do nothing, Royal Mail keeps it for 18 days, or 21 days for a customs charge, and then sends it back to the sender.

Other Royal Mail statuses

DelayedKeep an eye on it
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

All Royal Mail statuses →

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 “Fee to pay”

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.

Who is the sender of my fee to pay item?

The card may not say. Check your recent orders, including from sellers abroad, and any gifts you are expecting; a customs charge means the parcel came from outside the UK. The reference on the card is for paying the fee, and Royal Mail does not promise it shows who sent it.

How much is a Royal Mail fee to pay, and how can I pay it?

The card or letter shows the amount; a customs charge is the import VAT and duty plus Royal Mail's handling fee. For unpaid postage the fee depends on the item: on a letter or large letter £1.50 for too little postage, £2.50 for an old stamp without a barcode and £5 for no stamp or a fake one; on a small parcel £3.50, or £7 with no stamp or a fake one; on a medium parcel the missing postage plus £1.50. Pay online by card or PayPal, in person with the card at the office named on it, or by post as the card explains. For customs on goods worth more than £900 you can also pay by phone, on the number printed on Royal Mail's card or letter.

Why do I have to pay a fee on a gift from abroad?

Gifts worth more than £39 sent from outside the UK attract import VAT, and gifts worth more than £135 can attract Customs Duty as well. Royal Mail pays this up front, adds its handling fee (£8 on most Royal Mail parcels) and collects the total from you before delivery.

What if the customs charge on my parcel is wrong?

Royal Mail cannot change the charge itself. Border Force handles refunds of import VAT and duty that were charged wrongly, or paid on goods you send back, through form BOR 286, after you have paid to get the parcel. Royal Mail keeps its handling fee if the goods were declared wrongly.

Based on

Royal Mail: What does my tracking message mean? (postage tracking terms explained)
Royal Mail: Pay a fee (unpaid postage and customs charges)
Royal Mail: Help with paying a fee to receive my item
Royal Mail: Scam advice and how to recognise a genuine message
Royal Mail: Spot the scam (examples)
Royal Mail: What happens if Royal Mail can't deliver
GOV.UK: Tax and customs for goods sent from abroad (VAT, duty and refunds with form BOR 286)
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