USPS claims, refunds and extra services for sellers
Lost-package claims open on day 15 after mailing (day 7 for Priority Mail Express) and close on day 60; Priority Mail and Ground Advantage include $100 of insurance, and buying more, from $2.80, replaces it rather than adding to it. Signature Confirmation is $4.15 online, Package Intercept $19.45, Hold For Pickup free, and an unused Click-N-Ship label can be refunded for up to 60 days.
20 questions, one page each, answered from the Domestic Mail Manual (sections 113, 503, 507, 508, 604 and 609), USPS's own help pages and the Notice 123 price list effective Oct 4, 2026, plus the Postal Regulatory Commission's Mail Classification Schedule for how long USPS keeps delivery records and how Restricted Delivery is priced, with every rule quoted and its section named. USPS decides claims and refunds; these pages explain its published rules.
Rates verified on
Deadlines at a glance
Counted from the mailing date unless the row says otherwise; the last rows are how long USPS keeps the signed delivery record. Each row links to the page that quotes the rule.
| What | Window | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Claim for a lost package (Priority Mail, Ground Advantage, insured mail) | Day 15 to day 60 after mailing | Claim time limits |
| Claim for a lost Priority Mail Express package | Day 7 to day 60 | Claim time limits |
| Claim for damage or missing contents | Right away, by day 60 | How to file a claim |
| Appeal a claim decision | 30 days from the decision, then 30 days for the final appeal | Claim denied: reasons and appeals |
| Missing Mail search | From day 7 after mailing | Missing Mail search |
| Refund of an extra-service fee USPS didn't provide | Day 30 to day 60 after mailing | Refunds for postage and fees |
| Priority Mail Express money-back refund | Day 2 to day 30 | Priority Mail Express late refund |
| Unused Click-N-Ship label | Up to 60 days after printing (self-serve to day 30) | Refund for an unused label |
| Unused label from a PC Postage provider | Within 30 days of printing | Refund for an unused label |
| Missing return receipt (Form 3811-A) | Within 90 days of purchase | Certified Mail and return receipts |
| Package Intercept request | Active 7 business days | Package Intercept |
| Pick up held mail after Hold Mail ends | Within 10 days of the end date | Hold Mail for sellers on vacation |
| Package needing a signature, not called for after a notice (Certified Mail, Adult Signature, insured over $500) | Returned to you after 15 days (5 for Priority Mail Express) | Nobody home to sign |
| Hold For Pickup package, buyer doesn't collect it | Returned to you after 15 days (5 for Priority Mail Express) | Hold For Pickup |
| USPS keeps a Signature Confirmation delivery record, signature included | 1 year | Proof of delivery with a signature |
| USPS keeps the signed delivery record for Certified Mail, Registered Mail, Adult Signature and insurance over $500 | 2 years | Proof of delivery with a signature |
Extra-service fees in 2026
Per piece, on top of postage. Most went up on Jul 12, 2026. Every fee on these pages is the same in the Jul 12, 2026 and Oct 4, 2026 editions: the Oct 4 holiday edition changed package postage, not extra-service fees.
| Service | Fee now | Before Jul 12, 2026 | Change | Page |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Insurance, up to $50 of coverage | $2.80 | $2.70 | +$0.10 | Details |
| Insurance, $50.01 to $100 | $3.50 | $3.40 | +$0.10 | Details |
| Insurance, $100.01 to $200 | $4.50 | $4.40 | +$0.10 | Details |
| Insurance, $500.01 to $600 | $9.05 | $8.95 | +$0.10 | Details |
| Signature Confirmation, online | $4.15 | $3.95 | +$0.20 | Details |
| Signature Confirmation, at a Post Office | $5.15 | $4.95 | +$0.20 | Details |
| Adult Signature Required | $9.70 | $9.70 | no change | Details |
| Adult Signature Restricted Delivery | $10.00 | $10.00 | no change | Details |
| USPS Tracking Plus, scan history kept 6 months | $2.50 | $2.50 | no change | Details |
| Certified Mail | $5.55 | $5.30 | +$0.25 | Details |
| Return Receipt, paper (green card) | $4.65 | $4.40 | +$0.25 | Details |
| Return Receipt, electronic | $2.91 | $2.82 | +$0.09 | Details |
| Certified Mail with Restricted Delivery (whole fee, not added to Certified Mail) | $14.35 | $13.70 | +$0.65 | Details |
| Insurance Restricted Delivery (insured over $500) | $8.80 | $8.40 | +$0.40 | Details |
| Registered Mail, value up to $100 | $21.50 | $20.40 | +$1.10 | Details |
| Certificate of Mailing (PS Form 3817) | $2.45 | $2.40 | +$0.05 | Details |
| Certificate of Mailing, per piece on a firm sheet (3 or more) | $0.75 | $0.70 | +$0.05 | Details |
| Package Intercept | $19.45 | $19.45 | no change | Details |
| Pickup on Demand | $26.50 | $26.50 | no change | Details |
| Priority Mail Express Sunday or holiday delivery | $12.50 | $12.50 | no change | Details |
Claims for lost or damaged packages
Who can file, when, what to upload, and what to do when USPS says no. From DMM 609 and USPS's claims page.
- How do I file a USPS insurance claim for a lost or damaged package?
Online at usps.com or on PS Form 1000: the window, the evidence and what happens after.
- How soon, and how late, can I file a USPS claim?
The earliest and latest day to file for each service, with dates for a real mailing.
- Who should file the USPS claim, the seller or the buyer?
Either can file for damage; a lost package needs the label record. And who gets paid if both file.
- What proof of value does USPS accept for an item I sold online?
The sale record USPS accepts, and what it pays: value when mailed, depreciation, postage.
- Why was my USPS claim denied, and how do I appeal?
The DMM 609 denial reasons that catch resellers, and the two 30-day appeals.
Insurance: included, bought, and Registered Mail
What extra coverage costs, what happens to the $100 that comes with the label when you buy more, and when Registered Mail is the better buy.
- How much does USPS shipping insurance cost?
The full Notice 123 fee table, a calculator, the included-$100 rule, and Media Mail versus Ground Advantage.
- When should I ship with USPS Registered Mail instead of insurance?
Up to $50,000 of coverage, and cheaper than insurance on high values, but counter-only.
Signatures, delivery records and Certified Mail
How to get a signature on record, what happens when nobody is home to sign, Restricted Delivery, and Certified Mail with a green card or an emailed receipt.
- How do I get USPS proof of delivery with a signature?
Tracking gives no signature: the four ways to get one on record, what each costs, and keeping it for years.
- What happens to a USPS package that needs a signature when nobody is home?
The notice, the redelivery options, the 15-day return and why the signature fee isn't refunded.
- What is USPS Restricted Delivery, and how much does it cost?
Delivery only to a named person: which services it needs, and every fee.
- How much is Certified Mail with a return receipt, and should I choose the green card or electronic?
$5.55 plus a green card or an emailed receipt, and when Signature Confirmation fits better.
Refunds
Unused labels, extra-service fees USPS didn't deliver on, Priority Mail Express's money-back guarantee, and the deadline for each.
- How do I get a refund for a USPS label I printed but didn't use?
Click-N-Ship within 60 days; other PC Postage labels within 30 days of printing.
- When will USPS refund postage or an extra-service fee?
When USPS refunds a fee it didn't deliver on, the 30-to-60-day window, and what it never refunds.
- How do I get a refund when Priority Mail Express arrives late?
The money-back guarantee: the 2-to-30-day window, who can apply, and the exceptions that block it.
Managing packages: intercept, searches, pickup, Hold For Pickup, Hold Mail, proof of mailing
The services sellers use around the label: stopping a package, finding one, having packages picked up or held at a Post Office, pausing delivery and proving you mailed it.
- How much does USPS Package Intercept cost, and will it stop my package?
$19.45 only if USPS catches it, and why Media Mail comes back as Priority Mail.
- Can I ship a package to a Post Office for the buyer to pick up?
Ship to the buyer's Post Office at no extra charge: which labels qualify, the ID rule and the 15-day return.
- When should I file a USPS Missing Mail search instead of a claim?
From day 7, insured or not: what to send, and how it differs from a claim.
- How does USPS Hold Mail work for a seller going on vacation?
Free for 3 to 30 days, returns included; the 10-day pickup rule and longer trips.
- Will USPS pick up my packages for free, and does Media Mail count?
Free with regular delivery, but Media Mail only rides along; Pickup on Demand is $26.50.
- How do I prove I mailed a package: SCAN form, Certificate of Mailing or receipt?
Certificate of Mailing at $2.45, firm sheets, Form 5630 SCAN forms, and what a claim needs.
How these pages are built
Fees are read from the live Notice 123 (effective Oct 4, 2026, checked Oct 19, 2026) by the price code USPS attaches to each fee, matched to its price file, and compared with the archived editions back to Jul 13, 2025. Every rule is a short verbatim quote with its Domestic Mail Manual section, usps.com page or Mail Classification Schedule section, and the worked examples use USPS's own postage. Selling platforms and label services can set their own prices and claim processes; check theirs for labels and coverage bought through them.
Sources
Rates verified on from each official page below.
- USPS Notice 123, Price List (effective Oct 4, 2026): Domestic Extra Services and Fees, Other Services
- USPS price file for that Notice 123 (CSV, final)
- USPS Domestic Mail Manual 503: Extra Services
- USPS Domestic Mail Manual 507: Mailer Services (Package Intercept, Pickup on Demand)
- USPS Domestic Mail Manual 508: Recipient Services (delivery rules, Hold Mail)
- USPS Domestic Mail Manual 604: Postage Payment Methods and Refunds
- USPS Domestic Mail Manual 609: Filing Indemnity Claims for Loss or Damage
- USPS: File a USPS Claim: Domestic
- USPS: Request a USPS Refund: Domestic
- USPS: Insurance & Extra Services
- USPS: Package Intercept
- USPS: Hold Mail Service
- USPS: Find Missing Mail
- USPS: Schedule a Pickup (eligibility and Pickup on Demand)
- USPS: Priority Mail (included insurance and delivery-date notes)
- USPS: Ground Advantage (included insurance)
- USPS: Mail & Shipping Services (delivery days by service)
- USPS Domestic Mail Manual 113: Priority Mail Express prices and eligibility (guarantee, delivery time)
- USPS: Priority Mail Express (money-back guarantee and refunds)
- USPS: Schedule a Redelivery (PS Form 3849 options)
- Postal Regulatory Commission: Mail Classification Schedule (revisions through Jul 12, 2026)
- USPS Notice 123 effective Jul 13, 2025 (Postal Explorer archive)
- USPS Notice 123 effective Jan 18, 2026 (Postal Explorer archive)
- USPS Notice 123 effective Apr 26, 2026 (Postal Explorer archive)
- USPS Notice 123 effective Jul 12, 2026 (Postal Explorer archive)
Free 1-page Reseller Cheat Sheet: fees on 8 platforms, Media Mail and stamp prices
What each platform takes from a $10, $25 and $50 sale, Media Mail 1-10 lb, Ground Advantage to Zones 1, 5 and 8, and the Forever stamp, on one printable page. The link appears as soon as you sign up.