USPS tracking status

USPS tracking not updating: why, and what to do

The short answer

Keep an eye on it

USPS tracking only shows where your package is when it gets scanned, and gaps of a day or two between scans are normal. Compare the days since mailing with the standard for its mail class; a week without a scan is when to act.

When to act: If there is no new scan for about a week (at least 7 days after mailing), or for more than 1 postal business day after Arrived at Post Office or Out for Delivery, file a complaint and we send it to USPS.

Also shown as: “Tracking Not Available”

What to do now

Check the tracking number against the receipt or the seller's email; Tracking Not Available can simply mean a typing mistake.
If the package never had a USPS scan, USPS may not have it yet: compare the label date with the shipping date the seller gave you.
Look at the last real scan, not In Transit to Next Facility, and find the mail class under Product Information. Within the contiguous US, USPS's standards are 2 to 3 business days for Priority Mail and 2 to 5 for USPS Ground Advantage, neither guaranteed; Alaska, Hawaii and the territories take longer.
Turn on text or email updates on the tracking page; USPS keeps those requests active for 2 weeks.
Take a screenshot of the full tracking history, with the mailing date and the last real scan, 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

No update for days with another courier

What is going on

USPS tracking only shows where a package is when it is scanned: at acceptance, at each processing plant, at your local post office, when it goes out for delivery and at delivery. New scans appear throughout the day as they come in. Between scans the location does not change, and USPS fills the gap with system messages such as In Transit to Next Facility, which are not scans. USPS also shows only the first and last processing scan at each facility on a calendar day, so a package can look stuck while it is being handled.

Where the tracking stopped tells you the most. On Shipping Label Created or Pre-Shipment, USPS does not have the package yet; it is still with the sender. Tracking Not Available means USPS has no tracking for the number: its own message says the number may be invalid, USPS may not have received payment or the item yet, or the item has no tracking. Between plants (Arrived or Departed USPS Facility, In Transit to Next Facility), the package is usually moving, or waiting at a busy plant. On Arrived at Post Office or Out for Delivery, it should be delivered that day or the next postal business day.

Scans are sometimes missed, so tracking can jump ahead or stay quiet until delivery; USPS itself says a missing delivery scan does not necessarily mean the item was not delivered. A long gap alone does not make a package lost. USPS counts mail as missing once it has not arrived by its expected delivery date, and a Missing Mail search opens 7 days after the mailing date, not 7 days after the last scan.

Why it happens

The package is on a truck between plants, where there are no scans
It is waiting inside a plant to be sorted, and USPS only shows the first and last processing scan there each day
A scan was missed, so the next update comes further along the route
A backlog at a processing plant, often in peak season or after storms
USPS has not received the package yet (Shipping Label Created, Pre-Shipment or Tracking Not Available)
A mistyped or invalid tracking number

What usually happens next

Tracking usually catches up at the next scan, often with a jump to Arrived at Post Office or Out for Delivery. If USPS expects to miss the delivery date, the line changes to In Transit, Arriving Late. A package that never had a first scan starts updating once USPS receives and scans it.

Other USPS statuses

Label created, USPS awaiting itemKeep an eye on it
Moving through networkNormal
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
Out for DeliveryNormal
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 “Tracking not updating”

Why is my USPS tracking not updating?

Because nothing has been scanned since the last update. USPS scans packages at plants and post offices, not while they are on a truck, and shows only the first and last processing scan at each facility per day. Gaps of a day or two are common; longer ones happen in peak season, after storms or when a scan is missed.

How long can USPS tracking go without updating?

USPS sets no limit for gaps between scans. Compare the days since mailing with the delivery standard for the mail class. If there is no new scan for about a week and at least 7 days have passed since mailing, file a complaint on Complain.biz and we send it to USPS.

What does Tracking Not Available mean on USPS?

USPS has no tracking for the number. Its own message gives the possible reasons: the number is invalid, USPS has not received payment or the item yet, the item has no tracking, or other reasons. Check the number first; if it is right, the package may not have been handed over yet.

How long does it take for USPS tracking to update after drop-off?

A package that a clerk scans at the counter usually shows USPS in Possession of Item the same day. One left in a collection box or lobby drop is often scanned for the first time at the processing plant, so the first update can take a day or more.

Can a USPS package arrive without tracking updates?

Yes. Scans are sometimes missed, and USPS says a missing delivery scan does not necessarily mean the item was not delivered. Check your mailbox, porch and any parcel locker around the expected date, even if the tracking has not moved.

Based on

USPS FAQ: Where is my package? Tracking Status Help
USPS FAQ: USPS Tracking, The Basics
USPS PostalPro: Domestic Tracking Scan Events (event codes and tracking texts)
USPS FAQ: Delayed mail and packages? (delivery standards)
USPS FAQ: Missing Mail, The Basics
USPS Tracking (the Tracking Not Available message)
USPS Service Alerts
USPS Domestic Mail Manual 609: Filing Indemnity Claims for Loss or Damage
USPS FAQ: Domestic Claims, The Basics