How to File a USPS Insurance Claim: Step-by-Step

To file a USPS insurance (indemnity) claim, log in to a free USPS.com account and start a domestic claim at usps.com/help/claims.htm. You’ll need the tracking or label number, evidence that the item was insured, proof of its value and, for damage, photos and a repair estimate.

Damage and missing-contents claims can be filed right away, and no later than 60 days after the mailing date. Lost-package claims have a waiting period: 7 days after mailing for Priority Mail Express, and 15 days for Priority Mail, Ground Advantage and other insured mail. They must also be filed within 60 days. USPS says it usually sends a decision within 5-10 days and pays approved claims within 7-10 business days.

Key Takeaways

Ground Advantage, Priority Mail and Priority Mail Express all include up to $100 of insurance when the label has a USPS tracking barcode. You can buy more, up to $5,000.
Either the sender or the recipient can file. For a lost package, the person filing needs the mailing receipt or online label record.
The 60-day limit is firm. It runs from the mailing date for every domestic service except military mail.
Keep the box, packing and contents, including undamaged items, until the claim is settled. USPS may ask you to bring them to a Post Office.
Denied? You get two appeals, each due within 30 days of the decision.

Before You File: Was the Package Insured?

USPS can pay only for insured items. Its claims page says it “may not legally pay compensation for uninsured lost or damaged articles.”

Service	Included insurance	Can you add more?
Priority Mail Express	Up to $100	Yes, up to $5,000 total
Priority Mail	Up to $100 (with a tracking barcode)	Yes, up to $5,000 total
USPS Ground Advantage (retail and commercial)	Up to $100 (with a tracking barcode)	Yes, up to $5,000 total
Media Mail, Library Mail, Bound Printed Matter	None	Yes, insurance can be purchased
First-Class Mail	None	Insurance is available for eligible pieces
Registered Mail	Based on declared value	Compensation is capped at $50,000

A few limits are worth knowing:

Included coverage doesn’t apply to Priority Mail Open and Distribute or Premium Forwarding Service.
Postal insurance can be bought from only one source per package. You can’t combine coverage from two providers on the same piece.
When you buy additional insurance, it replaces the included $100 rather than adding to it, according to USPS’s Priority Mail terms.

If the package wasn’t insured and is missing, submit a Missing Mail search request instead. USPS will try to locate it but won’t pay for it.

Step 1: Check Your Filing Window

Damaged or missing contents: file immediately, no later than 60 days after the mailing date.

Lost packages: file within these windows, counted from the mailing date on your receipt:

Service	File no sooner than	File no later than
Priority Mail Express	7 days	60 days
Priority Mail	15 days	60 days
USPS Ground Advantage	15 days	60 days
Insured mail, COD	15 days	60 days
Registered Mail and Registered COD	15 days	60 days
APO/FPO Priority Mail Express Military Service	21 days	180 days
APO/FPO/DPO insured or Registered Mail	45 days	1 year
APO/FPO/DPO insured mail (surface only)	75 days	1 year

The waiting period gives a delayed package time to turn up. If it arrives during that time, you won’t need a claim.

Step 2: Document the Problem

Damaged items:

Photograph the outside of the box from several angles, including the label.
Photograph the damage to the box and the damaged contents, along with the packing materials.
Get an estimate of repair costs from a reputable dealer, which USPS asks for on damage claims.
Don’t throw anything out, and don’t reship undamaged items. Keep them with the damaged ones.

Missing contents: photograph the opened package as it arrived and list what’s missing, with values.

Lost packages: save the tracking history and your mailing receipt or label record.

Step 3: Gather Your Documents

USPS asks for four kinds of evidence:

Tracking or label number. It’s 13 to 34 characters long, and is on your receipt, label or online label record.
Evidence of insurance. Any one of these works: the original mailing receipt, the outer packaging showing the names and addresses and the insured label, or the electronic label record from the application you used to buy the label and insurance.
Proof of value. For example, a sales receipt, paid invoice or bill of sale, a credit card statement, a dealer’s statement of value or repair estimate, or a printout of an online transaction showing buyer, seller, price, date and item.
Proof of damage. Photos and the repair estimate for damage claims, and the packaging and contents if USPS asks to inspect them.

Step 4: File the Claim

Online (preferred): Log in to or create a USPS.com account, then start a domestic claim. You can save a partly finished claim, check it later in your Claim History, and opt in to email status updates. Upload proof of value as a PDF or JPEG file.
By mail: If you can’t file online, call USPS National Materials Customer Service at 1-800-332-0317 (Monday-Friday, 6 a.m.-6 p.m. Central). Ask for a paper Domestic Claim Form, then mail it with your proof of value and evidence of insurance to the address on the form.

Claim only the item’s actual value. USPS won’t pay more than an item was worth when mailed, or more than the coverage you paid for.

Step 5: The Decision and Payment

USPS Accounting Services decides whether to pay the claim in full, pay part of it, or deny it. USPS says decisions are usually sent within 5-10 days, and that approved claims are paid within 7-10 business days. How the amount is worked out:

Used items are depreciated based on their expected life.
For a lost insured package, USPS also refunds the postage you paid, but not the insurance fee.
Repair costs can’t exceed the original purchase price.

Step 6: If Your Claim Is Denied

The decision letter lists the reasons. The Domestic Mail Manual (section 609.4.3) lists the situations in which USPS doesn’t pay. Common ones:

no evidence of insurance, or a claim filed after the time limit
damage from scraping or abrasion to items that weren’t properly wrapped
damage from shock or the transportation environment with no damage to the box
items too fragile to survive the mail, or packed so poorly they couldn’t have arrived undamaged
perishables that spoiled or melted
sentimental value or consequential losses, rather than actual value
loss after the recipient or their agent signed for the package
gift cards and lottery or sweepstakes tickets
mail without the complete names and addresses of the sender and recipient

To appeal:

Within 30 days of receiving the decision, submit an appeal the same way you filed. Online, start it from your Claim History.
Focus on the specific reasons for the denial, and add new documentation, such as better photos, a dealer’s estimate or proof of the purchase price.
If the first appeal is denied, you can file a final appeal within 30 days of receiving that denial.

Tips for a Smoother Claim

File as soon as the waiting period ends. There’s no advantage in waiting, and the 60-day limit doesn’t move.
Photograph valuable items before you ship. A photo of the item and of the packed box makes value and condition easy to prove.
Pack for machines. USPS packages go through automated equipment alongside parcels weighing up to 70 lb. Fill all voids and use 2-inch-wide packing tape. See how to ship fragile items.
Insure high-value items above $500. USPS then records a signature at delivery as the delivery record. Coverage costs $9.05 for $500.01-$600 as of October 2026, plus $1.50 for each additional $100.
Write complete names and addresses for both sender and recipient, since missing names can make a claim nonpayable.
Keep everything until the claim is resolved, including receipts, label records, the box and the contents.

Next Steps

Start your claim at usps.com/help/claims.htm once your filing window opens.
For UPS and FedEx claims, see our complete claims guide.
For coverage options beyond USPS’s $100, see the shipping insurance comparison.
For better packing materials, see best shipping supplies compared.

This guide covers domestic claims. For packages sent abroad, USPS has a separate international claims process.