Yes, you can track your mail using a receipt number, specifically if it is a USPS shipping receipt or a Royal Mail proof of postage. The 20 or 22-digit tracking number (often starting with 9) is printed on the receipt provided by the post office.
Whichever option you choose — at the Post Office retail counter or online at USPS.com — you'll have access to the same USPS Tracking® information. Just remember to hold on to your retail receipt! The Postal Service cannot track or locate an item without the tracking number.
Checking Your Receipt or Confirmation Email
Reviewing your purchase receipt can help you find a USPS package without a tracking number. If you used a self-service kiosk, find the tracking details on the receipt printed at the end of the transaction.
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The tracking number on a receipt is usually near the top or middle, often labeled "Tracking Number," "Track," or under the barcode, as a unique string of numbers and letters that identifies your package for carriers like USPS or UPS. It's often printed at the bottom of a Post Office mailing receipt or on the peel-off stub of the shipping label itself.
Using the tracking numbers, you can check the delivery status online at USPS Tracking®. If seven (7) or more days have passed since the date of mailing and the recipient has confirmed the item has not arrived, you may either submit a search request for your lost mailpiece and/or email us.
Check your receipt, emails, or USPS account for the tracking number. If you cannot recover it, visit a post office with package details or file a Missing Mail Search request to locate your package.
If you've lost your tracking number or didn't receive one, reach out to the sender:
Please keep in mind that not everything has a tracking number. Postcards and First-Class Mail® letters without extra services fall into this category. We invite all customers to sign up for Informed Delivery® notifications by USPS®.
You can use the USPS Informed Delivery service to track and manage your mail and packages without the need for the tracking number. Simply sign up for Informed Delivery on the USPS website to gain access to tracking information for your incoming mail.
You can use the reference number on your proof of postage to track your items. Royal Mail and Parcelforce Worldwide can only be tracked if you've bought a service with a tracking or reference number. You'll need the reference number on your Post Office receipt to track your items.
You generally can't track a parcel directly by address with most carriers like FedEx or UPS, needing a tracking number instead. However, USPS offers Informed Delivery, letting you sign up with your address to see and manage incoming mail and packages automatically. For other carriers, you might use a reference number set by the sender or look for a central tracking site, but the tracking number is key.
If a parcel goes missing, the seller is generally responsible for getting it to you, meaning they must refund or replace it, as they hold the contract with the carrier, but the carrier (USPS, FedEx, etc.) becomes responsible once they take possession, with the buyer becoming liable if they provided instructions for leaving it in an unsafe spot (like "leave at door") and it's gone. You should first contact the seller, who then handles claims with the carrier, but if you arranged the shipment yourself, you bear the risk.
Your number is between 9 and 27 characters long. You'll find it on your item's label or your Post Office® receipt. It may be called a barcode or a reference. If you're using a Customer Collection, your manifest should list the reference numbers of items collected.
We aim to deliver Tracked 24® the next working day and Tracked 48® / Tracked Returns with 2-3 working days. (Please add an extra working day if there's a Redirection in place). If the item hasn't been delivered by the due date plus 7 working days the sender might be able to claim for compensation.
Informed Delivery is a free service from USPS that shows you preview images of incoming mail, as well as status updates about your incoming and outbound packages.