USPS tracking status

USPS “Out for Delivery”: what it means

The short answer

Normal

USPS expects a carrier to deliver your package today, possibly later than your regular mail. If no Delivered scan shows by 9 pm local time, the line changes to Awaiting Delivery Scan. Act once 1 full postal business day has passed with no delivery.

When to act: If nothing has been delivered after 1 full postal business day following this scan, file a complaint and we send it to USPS.

Also shown as: “Out for Delivery, Expected Delivery by 5:15pm” · “Out for Delivery, Expected Delivery Between 6:45am and 10:45am” · “Out for Redelivery” · “Distribution to PO Box in Progress”

What to do now

Read the town, ZIP Code and time beside the line, and any expected time in the line itself.
Later in the day, look in the mailbox, on the porch and at other doors, and for a locker key if your building has parcel lockers. Packages can come separately from letters.
If the package needs a signature, make sure someone can sign. After a notice is left, USPS makes no second attempt on its own.
Sign up for tracking texts or emails if you want to see the Delivered scan as it comes in.
If nothing has come after 1 full postal business day, take a screenshot of the line with its date and time for your complaint.
Still not sorted? File your complaint here. We write it with you and send it to USPS, so you do not have to chase it yourself.

Start my complaint

What does “Out for Delivery” mean?

USPS's help page says the package has been prepared for delivery at your local post office and a carrier will deliver it today. It adds that not all packages come with the carrier who brings your regular mail, so yours may arrive at a different time or later in the day. A package going out again after a failed attempt can read Out for Redelivery. At a PO Box, Distribution to PO Box in Progress means USPS is putting it in your box.

The line is a plan, not a location. USPS's scan list says most of these scans are triggered by an employee marking the item to go out, and that can be for the same day, the next day, a Sunday or a holiday. So it does not prove the package is on a truck right now. Some lines add a time, such as Expected Delivery by 5:15pm or Expected Delivery Between 6:45am and 10:45am. USPS says delivery within an expected window is not guaranteed and the package may still come by the end of the day. USPS Delivery Instructions can no longer be set at this stage.

Why does USPS show it?

A normal delivery day: the post office has assigned it to today's delivery
A separate carrier brings packages, on a different schedule from your letters
A heavy day or a long route, so delivery comes late or slips a day
Traffic, staffing, severe weather or a route change, which USPS names as reasons for late delivery
It went on the wrong route and came back to be sorted again, as a carrier describes in a shared thread
The scan was made for the next delivery day rather than today

How long does it last?

Next should be a Delivered line that names where it was left, such as Delivered, In/At Mailbox or Delivered, Front Door/Porch. USPS says deliveries should be made by 5:00 pm local time Monday through Saturday, and that unusual circumstances can push them later. If no Delivered scan is recorded by 9 pm local time, the status becomes Awaiting Delivery Scan and USPS expects delivery the next business day. A failed attempt gets its own line, such as No Access to Delivery Location or Notice Left. In some shared histories, Arrived at Post Office or Processing at USPS Facility comes after this line, which points to the package being sorted again.

Other USPS statuses

Label created, USPS awaiting itemKeep an eye on it
Moving through networkNormal
Tracking not updatingKeep an eye on it
In transit, arriving lateKeep an eye on it
Alert: delivery exceptionKeep an eye on it
Origin Post is Preparing ShipmentKeep an eye on it
Arrived at Post OfficeNormal
Awaiting delivery scanKeep an eye on it
No access to delivery locationKeep an eye on it
Notice leftTake action
Held at post officeTake action
Insufficient addressTake action
ForwardedKeep an eye on it
Delivered, but not receivedTake action

All USPS statuses →

Who is responsible for a late or missing package from USPS?

Bought it online from a business? Then the seller is usually responsible until the package is delivered. The seller chose USPS, bought the label and holds the mailing record that USPS needs for a lost package, so a late, lost or damaged order is in most cases the seller's to put right with a replacement or a refund.

Sent it yourself? Then your contract is with USPS, under the mailing rules in its Domestic Mail Manual. Priority Mail, Priority Mail Express and USPS Ground Advantage include insurance of up to $100 for merchandise on most shipments; without insurance USPS pays nothing for loss or damage. Insurance does not cover delay, or a package lost or taken after delivery.

Questions about “Out for Delivery”

What does Out for Delivery mean on USPS?

USPS expects a carrier to deliver the package today. Its scan list adds that most of these scans come from an employee marking the item to go out, so the line shows a plan rather than where the package is right now.

What time will USPS deliver if it says Out for Delivery?

USPS says it cannot find out when a carrier will reach an address. It says deliveries should be made by 5:00 pm local time Monday through Saturday, and that traffic, staffing, weather or route changes can make them later. An expected time in the line is not guaranteed.

Can USPS still deliver at 8 or 9 pm if it says Out for Delivery?

It can. USPS's 5:00 pm figure allows for later deliveries in unusual circumstances, and the status only changes to Awaiting Delivery Scan if no Delivered scan is recorded by 9 pm local time. So give it until then.

Why did my USPS tracking go from Out for Delivery back to Arrived at Post Office or Moving Through Network?

USPS does not explain it. A carrier in a shared thread says a package sorted to the wrong route gets scanned in again, and that a hub passes packages on to the office that delivers them. A new Out for Delivery may follow. If there is no delivery after 1 full postal business day, file a complaint on Complain.biz and we send it to USPS.

Does USPS deliver on Sundays if it says Out for Delivery?

Only some mail. USPS says Priority Mail Express and Amazon parcels are the only mail delivered on Sunday. If yours is neither, expect it on the next delivery day, and read the date beside the line.

Based on

USPS FAQ: Where is my package? Tracking Status Help
USPS PostalPro: Domestic Tracking Scan Events (event codes and tracking texts)
USPS FAQ: Delayed mail and packages? (delivery hours, Sunday delivery)
USPS FAQ: USPS Tracking, The Basics (Expected Delivery Window)
USPS FAQ: USPS Delivery Instructions, The Basics
Reddit, r/usps_complaints: out for delivery then arrived at post office? (a carrier explains the scans)
Reddit, r/usps_complaints: a certified letter in Pennsylvania (Expected Delivery by 5:15pm)
Reddit, r/usps_complaints: a history from Illinois to Ohio (Expected Delivery Between 6:45am and 10:45am)
Reddit, r/USPS: Where is my package? (scans after Out for Delivery, and a return to a distribution center)
USPS Domestic Mail Manual 609: Filing Indemnity Claims for Loss or Damage
USPS FAQ: Domestic Claims, The Basics