Claiming for a lost or damaged Royal Mail Tracked parcel
Updated · Rotomal
On a Royal Mail business account, you can claim for a lost Tracked 24 or Tracked 48 parcel once 7 working days have passed since it was due, and you must claim within 30 calendar days of that eligible date. Royal Mail pays your actual loss, meaning your cost price rather than the sale price, up to £150, or the market value if lower. You need the tracking number, proof of posting, electronic proof of cost price in pounds and, for damage, photos of the item and packaging.
Limits and deadlines by service
| Service | Claim for loss after | Claim within | Compensation up to |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tracked 24 / Tracked 48 | 7 working days after due date | 30 calendar days of the eligible claim date | £150 (£100 if posted before 3 April 2023) |
| Tracked Returns | Not stated separately | 30 days (Royal Mail's page gives both the posting date and the eligible claim date; plan for the earlier) | £150; £50 without the Tracked Returns enhancements |
| Special Delivery Guaranteed | 5 working days (Mon to Fri) after due date | 80 days of posting; 14 days for a late-delivery fee refund | £750, or £1,000 / £2,500 if bought |
| International Tracked, Tracked and Signed | 10 working days after due date | 180 days of posting, by the sender | £100, or up to £300 if bought |
| International Signed | 10 working days after due date | 180 days of posting, by the sender | £50, or up to £250 if bought |
| Untracked services on account | Not applicable | Not applicable | No loss or damage compensation, apart from listed exceptions |
Working days are Monday to Saturday excluding public and bank holidays, and Monday to Friday for Special Delivery Guaranteed. Parcelforce includes up to £150 as standard, with claims within 30 calendar days of the eligible date (15 days for Global Express).
What Royal Mail asks for
- Full sender and recipient details, the service used, the tracking or barcode number, and the date and place of posting.
- Electronic proof of cost price, in GBP. Royal Mail says it should not include the item's sale price, and claims in other currencies are not accepted.
- For damage or missing contents, digital images of the damaged item and its original packaging.
- If the parcel was scanned as delivered, Royal Mail asks you to run its delivered-item checks before claiming.
Single or bulk claims
- Single-item claims go through the online single-item form.
- For several items, fill in Royal Mail's multi-item Excel form (inland or international, with separate Parcelforce versions), up to 500 items per submission, and upload the output through the bulk claim form.
- Royal Mail usually gives a full response within 30 days for UK items, and up to 90 days for international ones where it contacts the foreign postal operator.
- Franked items use a separate franking claim form.
If you want this done for you
Claim Ledger watches every tracked parcel, opens a case on the right day, attaches your cost price and photos, and prepares weekly bulk files for you to upload. Every plan starts with a look-back at your last 30 days; you pay 20% of what Royal Mail pays, or £29 a month flat.
Questions
Can I claim the price I sold the item for?
No. Royal Mail compensates actual loss: what the item cost you to acquire, purchase or manufacture, or the repair cost for damage, up to the service limit.
Does Royal Mail pay for consequential loss?
Not on Tracked services. On Special Delivery Guaranteed it does only if consequential loss cover was bought, and that claim must be made within 14 days of posting.
How long does Royal Mail take to decide?
It says it usually responds fully within 30 days for UK claims, and asks for up to 90 days for international claims.
Can I send more evidence later?
Yes. Royal Mail has an online form to add evidence to an existing claim, using the claim reference from its email.
Sources
- Royal Mail: Business Account Claims Centre (what you can claim, when, evidence, bulk forms) Source: help.royalmail.com