Track and get real-time status updates for USPS shipments.
USPS — the United States Postal Service — is the national postal operator of the United States and delivers to every address in the country, including Army and Fleet Post Office (APO/FPO) addresses and U.S. territories. It is also the last-mile carrier for a large share of parcels that start their journey somewhere else: many cross-border and marketplace shipments are flown into the U.S. by another company and handed to USPS for final delivery, so a USPS number is often the second tracking number an order receives.
USPS tracking is built on scans rather than a live position. USPS explains that a trackable label is scanned several times as it moves through the mail stream, and that tracking can begin as soon as the sender or a shipping partner tells USPS electronically to expect the package — before USPS has physically accepted it. That is why a brand-new number can show a label-created status and then nothing for a day or two: the label exists, but the parcel has not been handed over yet.
Not everything USPS carries is trackable. USPS Tracking is available for most domestic products that are large enough to carry a label, and it costs nothing extra on the products that include it automatically; ordinary First-Class Mail postcards, letters and flats are not eligible for it; for those, tracking comes only from an extra service such as Certified Mail or Registered Mail, which adds a barcode.
Ships for: Individuals and small businesses shipping within the United States, Online retailers and marketplace sellers, Overseas senders whose parcels are handed to USPS for final delivery in the U.S.
Tracking number format: 22 digits beginning with 9 — most often 92 or 94, sometimes 93 or 95. This shape covers about 96% of the USPS numbers seen on the 24hTrack platform; A longer barcode string that begins 420 plus the destination ZIP Code, followed by the 22-digit tracking number. Some labels print the routing prefix and the tracking number as one line; you can paste either the full string or just the 22 digits
Typical delivery time: USPS publishes a delivery standard for each mail class. The mail class of your item appears under Product Information once you look up the tracking number, and USPS recommends comparing it with its Mail Delivery Standards chart to see when the item should arrive. For parcels that come from abroad, the time before USPS receives them — international flight and customs — is not covered by that standard.
Based on delivered packages tracked on the 24hTrack platform, USPS shipments take a median of 9.4 days from first carrier scan to delivery — 80% arrive within 12.7 days. See full carrier statistics →
Knowing where your parcel is makes it easier to plan the day you collect it. With 24hTrack you don't need an account on USPS's website. Paste the tracking number in the box above and we work out which carrier it belongs to and show you every scan USPS has published, on one page.
Official carrier website: www.usps.com
USPS tracking is scan-based: each update appears when the label is scanned somewhere along the way, and USPS updates scan information throughout the day as the scans come in. Between two scans a parcel can be moving without anything new showing, so a quiet few hours is normal. The closest thing to a live arrival time is the Expected Delivery Window that USPS shows for some items — a two-hour slot on the delivery day, which USPS notes is not guaranteed. On 24hTrack you see the same scans laid out as a full timeline; we do not show a GPS map of the delivery truck.
Because the parcel has not been handed to USPS yet. USPS explains that tracking can start as soon as the sender or a shipping partner notifies it electronically to expect a package, and the next step is USPS actually accepting the package. Until that acceptance scan happens, the number exists but nothing is moving. If it stays that way for several days, the sender is the right person to ask — only they can confirm the parcel was dropped off or collected.
Most USPS tracking numbers are 22 digits long and begin with 9 — usually 92 or 94, sometimes 93 or 95. About 96% of the USPS numbers seen on the 24hTrack platform follow that shape. USPS says the tracking number is the series of numbers under the barcode on your label, and at a Post Office it is printed on your retail receipt. Some labels show a longer string that starts with 420 and the destination ZIP Code; that is a routing prefix, and the 22-digit tracking number comes right after it. You can paste the whole string here.
USPS only keeps tracking records for a limited time, and how long depends on the service. According to USPS, the history for USPS Tracking is kept for 120 days, while Priority Mail Express, Certified Mail and Registered Mail records are kept for two years. Once that period has passed, the history is no longer available anywhere. For a recent number that shows nothing, the more likely reason is that the label has been created but the parcel has not yet been accepted by USPS.
Yes. USPS states that the absence of a delivery scan does not necessarily mean the item was not delivered: the parcel can arrive without the final scan being captured. If you are the recipient and have the item, nothing further is needed. If you are waiting for it and tracking stalled on the last day, it is worth checking with neighbours and your mailbox before contacting the sender.