How soon, and how late, can I file a USPS claim?

For a lost Priority Mail, Ground Advantage or other insured package, USPS takes claims from 15 days after the mailing date until 60 days after it; Priority Mail Express opens at 7 days. For damage or missing contents there's no waiting period: file right away, and no later than 60 days after mailing.

Fees from USPS Notice 123 effective Oct 4, 2026 (the same since Jul 12, 2026); rules quoted from the Domestic Mail Manual and usps.com, each with its section. USPS decides every claim and refund; this is a guide to its published rules.

Rates verified on Oct 19, 2026

Lost, most services: Day 15 to day 60
Lost, Priority Mail Express: Day 7 to day 60
Damaged or missing contents: Right away to day 60
Missing Mail search: From day 7

Every USPS claim window

“Damaged or Missing Contents: customers should file a claim immediately but must file no later than 60 days from the date of mailing.”

— DMM 609.1.4, checked Oct 19, 2026

Days after the mailing date. Source: DMM 609.1.4 and USPS's claims page, both checked Oct 19, 2026.
Mail or service	Lost: no sooner than	No later than
Priority Mail, Ground Advantage, other insured mail	15 days	60 days
Priority Mail Express	7 days	60 days
Priority Mail Express COD, COD	15 days	60 days
Registered Mail, Registered COD	15 days	60 days
APO/FPO Priority Mail Express Military Service	21 days	180 days
APO/FPO/DPO insured and Registered Mail (Priority Mail, First-Class Mail, Ground Advantage Retail, PAL)	45 days	1 year
APO/FPO/DPO insured mail, surface only	75 days	1 year
Damaged or missing contents, any service above	Right away	60 days

DMM 609.1.4 lists Priority Mail under insured mail (the included coverage in DMM 503.4.2). USPS's claims page lists Priority Mail and Ground Advantage as their own rows, with the same 15 and 60 days.

Worked example: the dates for a package mailed Oct 1, 2026

For a package mailed Oct 1, 2026. Day counts from DMM 609.1.4 (claims) and USPS's Missing Mail page.
What	Earliest	Latest
Lost: Priority Mail, Ground Advantage, insured mail	Oct 16, 2026 (day 15)	Nov 30, 2026 (day 60)
Lost: Priority Mail Express	Oct 8, 2026 (day 7)	Nov 30, 2026 (day 60)
Damaged or missing contents	Right away (Oct 1, 2026)	Nov 30, 2026 (day 60)
Missing Mail search (any mail)	Oct 8, 2026 (day 7)	No end date listed

We count from the mailing date on your receipt or label record, as USPS's table does. If you're near day 60, file now rather than on the last day.

What if day 60 has passed?

DMM 609.1.4 says customers must file by the limit and gives no late-filing exception for domestic mail, so a claim filed after day 60 won't fit the rule. That's why it pays to file for damage the day it's reported and to put day 15 in your calendar when a package stalls.

What to do while you wait for day 15

Check the tracking history for the last scan and its date.
From day 7, file a Missing Mail search; it can run while you wait for the claim window.
Collect proof of value and print the label record now, while they're easy to find (what USPS accepts).
For Priority Mail Express, the money-back refund window is a separate clock, from day 2 to day 30 (how to apply).

Questions

Can I file a USPS claim before 15 days?

Not for a lost package, except Priority Mail Express from day 7. For damage or missing contents you can file as soon as the package arrives.

Is the 60 days counted from mailing or from delivery?

From the mailing date, for lost and damaged claims alike (DMM 609.1.4).

Do weekends and holidays count in the 15 and 60 days?

DMM 609.1.4 counts days from the mailing date and doesn't say business days, so the dates on this page count calendar days, weekends and holidays included.

How long do I have for APO/FPO packages?

Insured and Registered Mail to APO/FPO/DPO addresses: from day 45 to one year. Surface-only insured mail: day 75 to one year. Priority Mail Express Military Service: day 21 to day 180.

How long do I have to appeal?

30 days from the decision, then 30 days more for the final appeal (appeals).

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.
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.
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.
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.
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.

More in Claims for lost or damaged packages: Proof of value for a sold item

All 20 questions: USPS claims, refunds and extra services · Tracking statuses explained

How we checked this

Fees come from Notice 123 effective Oct 4, 2026, read on Oct 19, 2026 by USPS's own price code for each fee and matched to the USPS price file; earlier fees come from the same codes in the Postal Explorer archive editions back to Jul 13, 2025. 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. Rules are quoted word for word from the Domestic Mail Manual sections and usps.com pages listed below, fetched on Oct 19, 2026. Package postage in examples is USPS's own price; selling platforms and label services can charge their own.

Sources

Rates verified on Oct 19, 2026 from each official page below.

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.