Postal Mail Tracking Codes: What They Mean

What does “Received By Agent” mean? You probably have seen that and a dozen other terms and not understood. The USPS uses such terminology as part of its mail and package tracking known as PTR (Product Tracking Codes).

Here is an updated list of the codes, terms, and descriptions utilized to track mail and packages. To see a complete PDF of the codes and terms with other information click here:

Event Code / Description

01  DELIVERED
The article has been delivered and a delivery scan recorded the time and date of delivery.

02  NOTICE LEFT
Delivery was attempted. The notice shows options for pickup or re-delivery.

53  RECEPTACLE BLOCKED
The path to the delivery receptacle was blocked by some physical condition.

54  RECEPTACLE FULL/ITEM OVERSIZED
The item could not be placed in the delivery receptacle, either because the receptacle was full or because the item was too large to fit.

55  NO SECURE LOCATION AVAILABLE
There was no location deemed safe to deliver the item and there was no endorsement to ‘leave if no response’.

56  NO AUTHORIZED RECIPIENT AVAILABLE
The item could not be delivered because a signature was required.

03  USPS IN POSSESSION OF ITEM
If the item was picked up, either as part of a scheduled pickup or by the carrier on the route, the event will display as ‘Picked Up’. If the item was scanned in the office, either at the retail counter or on the back dock, the event will display as ‘USPS in possession of item’.

04  REFUSED
The item was refused at the time delivery was attempted or after delivery to customer.

05  UNABLE TO DELIVER PROBLEM WITH ADDRESS
One or more of the address elements was incorrect, and the item could not be delivered.

06  FORWARDED
The addressee has an active forwarding order on file and the item was sent to the new address.

07  ARRIVAL AT UNIT
The item has arrived at the local Post Office on the day indicated and is scheduled for delivery. Usually, if the item arrives before 9:30 am, it will be delivered that day; if after 9:30 am, on the next business day.

08  MISSENT
USPS redirected the item to the correct delivery unit on the next mail dispatch after it was routed incorrectly.

09  RETURN TO SENDER
The item is being returned to sender for one of the following reasons:

21  NO SUCH NUMBER
Some component of the delivery address was missing or invalid.

22  INSUFFICIENT ADDRESS
There is not enough information in the address to make a delivery.

23  MOVED, LEFT NO ADDRESS
The addressee has moved and no forwarding order is active.

24  FORWARD EXPIRED
The addressee’s forwarding order has expired and the item is being returned to sender.

25  ADDRESSEE UNKNOWN
The addressee is not known at the address on the item.

26  VACANT
The house or business is vacant.

27  UNCLAIMED/BEING RETURNED TO SENDER
A notice and reminder were left but no one claimed the item before the DMM stipulated hold period (typically 15 to 30 days) was over.

28  RETURN TO SENDER
The item was returned to sender for a reason not specified elsewhere (typically when the recipient is deceased).

29  RETURN TO SENDER
The item was returned to sender for a reason not specified elsewhere.

10  PROCESSED THROUGH USPS FACILITY
The item was sorted in the processing facility indicated by the city, state and ZIP Code. Depending on the class of mail, or origin and destination of the parcel, customers may see more than one of these events, but only the first / last such scan at each site on a calendar day; others are suppressed. Note that on USPS internal sites the event is referred to as “Enroute / Processed”.

11  SEIZED BY LAW ENFORCEMENT
The item is in the possession of a law enforcement agency.

12  VISIBLE DAMAGE
This event indicates that a USPS noticed and documented damage to the item being delivered.

14  AVAILABLE FOR PICKUP
The item may be picked up at the post office or caller or firm service location.

15  MIS-SHIPPED
This use case is specific to packages destined to a military location.

16  AVAILABLE FOR RETURNS AGENT
A shipping partner or their agent responsible for transporting the item to USPS dropped it at the wrong USPS facility.

17  TENDERED TO RETURNS AGENT
Indicates a returned package is ready for pick up by Returns Logistics Agent at one of the Post Offices or Processing Facilities designated as a Parcel Return Service location. This event is applicable to Parcel Return Service only.

30  NO ACCESS
USPS handed off a Parcel Return Service package to the Returns Logistics Agent that processes returns for the shipping customer or merchant that sold the original item being returned.

31  RETURN TO SENDER / NOT PICKED UP
The item was attempted but not delivered because the employee could not access the delivery location (e.g., gated community where an access code is required).

32  DISPOSED BY POST OFFICE
This is an event used primarily for Parcel Return Service or Hold for Pickup Items.

33  DEAD MAIL / SENT TO RECOVERY CENTER
The mailed article cannot be delivered, forwarded or returned. Because the item was perishable, the local post office disposed of it.

34  n/a
This event is specific to Registered Mail. Your item arrived at our USPS facility in CITY, STATE ZIPCODE on DATE at TIME. The item is currently in transit to the destination. OrYour item departed our USPS facility in CITY, STATE ZIPCODE on DATE at TIME. The item is currently in transit to the destination.

35  VAULT TURNOVER
This event is specific to Registered Mail. Your item arrived at our USPS facility in CITY, STATE ZIPCODE on DATE at TIME. The item is currently in transit to the destination. OrYour item departed our USPS facility in CITY, STATE ZIPCODE on DATE at TIME. The item is currently in transit to the destination.

36  TRANSFER TO EMPLOYEE
This event is specific to Registered Mail. Your item arrived at our USPS facility in CITY, STATE ZIPCODE on DATE at TIME. The item is currently in transit to the destination. OrYour item departed our USPS facility in CITY, STATE ZIPCODE on DATE at TIME. The item is currently in transit to the destination.

38  REGISTERED MAIL DISPATCH SIGNATURE
This event is specific to Registered Mail. Your item arrived at our USPS facility in CITY, STATE ZIPCODE on DATE at TIME. The item is currently in transit to the destination. OrYour item departed our USPS facility in CITY, STATE ZIPCODE on DATE at TIME. The item is currently in transit to the destination.

39  REGISTERED MAIL DISPATCH WITNESS
This event is specific to Registered Mail. Your item arrived at our USPS facility in CITY, STATE ZIPCODE on DATE at TIME. The item is currently in transit to the destination. OrYour item departed our USPS facility in CITY, STATE ZIPCODE on DATE at TIME. The item is currently in transit to the destination.

40  TRANSFER FROM VAULT
This event is specific to Registered Mail. Your item arrived at our USPS facility in CITY, STATE ZIPCODE on DATE at TIME. The item is currently in transit to the destination. OrYour item departed our USPS facility in CITY, STATE ZIPCODE on DATE at TIME. The item is currently in transit to the destination.

41  RECEIVED AT OPENING UNIT
An Open & Distribute shipment has been received and opened at the destination processing facility or post office so the contents can be sorted.

42  USPS HAND OFF TO SHIPPING PARTNER
The item — typically Parcel Return Service — has been handed off to a returns agent. This activity takes place at a USPS processing facility (as opposed to a delivery unit). Note: the 42 event may also be seen on GXG items. This is when GXG items are added to a firm book for tender to the GXG partner.

43  PICKED UP
The item was delivered to the recipient. The 43 event indicates that the delivery took place at a postal facility.

44  INTERCEPTED
The mailer has authorized USPS to intercept a package before delivery and return it to the sender.

45  TENDERED TO MILITARY AGENT
The item has left the custody of the USPS (outbound) or has left the ISC enroute to inbound mail processing.

46  DUPLICATE 1 XXX (where XXX is the type of event duplicated).
The item is being flagged as having a tracking number that is the same as a tracking number on a different package.

51  BUSINESS CLOSED
The item cannot be delivered because the business is closed.

52  NOTICE LEFT
The item could not be delivered because of instructions provided by the customer.

57  DELIVERY EXCEPTION LOCAL WEATHER DELAY
The item could not be attempted and / or delivered due to local weather conditions.

58  HELD AT POST OFFICE AT CUSTOMER REQUEST
The item is being held at the post office because the customer has made a request to that effect.

59  ON ROUTE
A physical scan event stating that the article has left the delivery office with a carrier, and delivery is intended on that day. This scan is generally used for items that are being redelivered (following a failed first attempt).

60  TENDERED TO AGENT FOR FINAL DELIVERY
The item has been delivered to an agent of the residence or institution to where it has been addressed (college, hospital, condominium, etc.).

71  RESCHEDULED TO NEXT DELIVERY DAY
The local post office has indicated that there is a delay impacting the delivery of the item.

72  DELIVERY EXCEPTION ANIMAL INTERFERENCE
The local delivery employee has indicated that because of interference by an animal at the delivery location, the employee could not attempt delivery of the item.

A1  ARRIVE USPS FACILITY
This is a trailer arrival event, meaning that the item was nested to a container that was scanned as arriving at a USPS facility.

AD  ACCEPTANCE AT DESTINATION
The item has arrived at the USPS destination entry processing facility or post office.

AE  ARRIVE USPS FACILITY
The item is in an Open & Distribute container that received an Acceptance (03) event.

AX  n/a
The item, following an acceptance event, is moving toward its destination.

B1  CUSTOMS CLEARANCE
The article has cleared US Customs and will be tendered to USPS.

B5  OUTBOUND – OUT OF US CUSTOMS
US Customs has released the article to USPS.

DE  DEPART USPS FACILITY
The item is in an Open & Distribute container that received an Enroute (10) event.

DX  DELIVERY STATUS NOT UPDATED
An acceptable delivery event (Delivery, notice left, etc.) has not taken place within 14 hours of the Out for Delivery event

E1  DEPARTED
The item is nested to a container that was scanned as departing a facility.

EF  DEPART USPS FACILITY
Sortation process at the distribution facility is complete; the item is being dispatched on the next available transportation to the next processing facility or the destination delivery unit.

GC  RETURN RECEIPT ASSOCIATED
Receipt Service, PS Form 3811 (Hard Copy Green Card). This event indicates that the tracking number for the host item and its Return Receipt tracking number have been associated during the acceptance process.

L1  DEPART USPS FACILITY
The item is nested to a container that was scanned as being loaded onto transportation at a USPS facility.

LD  ARRIVAL AT DESTINATION ADDRESS
USPS has used geo-location data and analytics to determine that the letter is on the delivery route to be delivered with today’s mail.

LX  PROCESSING EXCEPTION
USPS has detected a processing irregularity for the item.

MA  n/a
USPS has received the electronic transmission of manifest shipment information from the sender. This does not signify receipt of the shipment, only the intent to tender it to USPS. Once the shipment is received by USPS, tracking status will be updated and an expected delivery date will be made available. This event is displayed on USPS.com USPS Tracking only when it is the earliest status for the item.

MR  n/a
A Reverse Manifest has electronically recorded the item and the Reverse Logistics provider has sent the data to USPS in advance of payment.

MU  ALERT MID USER NEEDS TO BE REGISTERED
This is generated when the PIC MID does not exist in PTR’s customer reference data.

MX  ALERT MID HAS BEEN INACTIVATED
This is generated when the mailer ID in the EFN is not certified. This also gets generated if the PIC MID is not certified.

NT  N/A
This event helps to fill a visibility gap for customers using the tracking web site.

OA  ORIGIN ACCEPTANCE
A calculated event attaching acceptance to an item based on the first processing scan at a sort facility.

OD  PROCESSED AT USPS DESTINATION FACILITY
The item is in an Open & Distribute container that received a Received at Opening Unit (41) event.

OF  OUT FOR DELIVERY
The item is out for delivery. This may be triggered by the ‘Sorting Complete’ event or the employee’s scanning of the Depart2Route barcode. Additionally, if / when the event is generated by TRP, it may be triggered by the employee breaking the geofence, by the employee’s scanning of the Depart2Route barcode, and / or the employee’s scanning of the Hotcase barcode.

OX  PROCESSING EXCEPTION OTHER DELAY
The item was either being processed from or headed to a location that is being impacted by a delay of some sort.

PC  SORTING/PROCESSING COMPLETE
All packages intended for today’s delivery have been sorted to their respective carrier routes or Post Office Box sections. This event may trigger the ‘Out for Delivery’ scan event.

RB  LISTED ON REGISTERED MAIL DISPATCH BILL
Used for Registered Mail only. Item has been added to a Registered Mail Dispatch Bill.

RC  DISPATCH FORM DISCREPANCY
Used for Registered Mail only. The employee has noted a discrepancy related to the Registered Dispatch Bill.

SF  DEPART POST OFFICE
Articles receiving an Acceptance scan at the retail window or by a carrier have left the local Post Office and are enroute to the first USPS processing facility.

T1  DEPART USPS FACILITY
The item is nested to a container that was scanned as having departed a USPS facility.

TM  SHIPMENT RECEIVED ACCEPTANCE PENDING
An Acceptance event generated when a USPS employee scans PS Form 5630 (SCAN), the online manifest form.

TX  PROCESSING EXCEPTION REG TRANS DELAY
The item was either being processed from or headed to a location that is being impacted by a transportation delay (e.g., air or surface transport not available)

UA  ACCEPTED AT USPS FACILITY XX (where XX is the event that triggered the UA: 07, 10, or GX/MA
An Acceptance event generated for a single piece that was not part of a mailer’s manifest and which did not receive a physical acceptance scan.

VC  PACKAGE RESEARCH CASE CREATED XXX (where XXX is the case number if available)
A customer has initiated a case on the item via the call center. When this event is extracted, it is accompanied by the case number.

VF  REMINDER TO SCHEDULE REDELIVERY
The PTR system has determined that the item has met the published “second notice” number of days since the attempt event. The goal of this event is to let customers know that they should pick up or schedule a delivery for their item.

VH  DELIVERY INSTRUCTION REQUEST FAILURE
A shipper attempted to make a delivery instruction request on behalf of their customer, but the request failed to be processed. This is typically because insufficient or incorrect information was provided by the shipper about the delivery address (e.g., no street address provided).

VJ  DELIVERY INSTRUCTION UNFULFILLED
The item’s delivery instructions were not fulfilled. This may be because of safety concerns or another reason.

VP  CARRIER PICK-UP
The customer has scheduled a carrier pickup request. Currently, this is applied to the manifest record, but not to the associated mail pieces.

VR  REDELIVERY SCHEDULED
The customer has scheduled a redelivery for the item using the Redelivery website or application or by calling the Customer Care Center.

VS  PACKAGE RETURN NOTICE GENERATED
The item has been held for the maximum time period awaiting customer action to schedule redelivery or pick it up, and a message has been generated to indicate that the item will be returned or dispositioned locally, depending on the product class and Ancillary Service endorsements.

VX  PACKAGE RESEARCH CASE CLOSED XXX (where XXX is the case number if available
A case that had been opened on an item has not been closed. When this event is extracted, it is accompanied by the case number.

WN  n/a
The WN event is provided to PTR when an expected delivery window has been calculated for the item. PTR shares the WN information in conjunction with the Out for Delivery event.

WX  WEATHER DELAY
The item was either being processed from or headed to a location that is being impacted by a weather delay (e.g., major snow storm).

61  RECEIVED BY AGENT
USPS has delivered the item to an agent of the residence or institution.

62  RECIPIENT NOTIFIED BY AGENT
The agent notified the addressee that an item is waiting and available for pickup at the mailroom.

63  DELIVERED TO RECIPIENT BY AGENT
The agent has delivered the item to the addressee.

64  UNDELIVERABLE TO RECIPIENT BY AGENT
The agent was unable to deliver the item to the addressee and the item will be returned to the sender.

GX  SHIPPING LABEL CREATED
A shipper has created an address label and tracking barcode for the item.

80  PICK UP BY SHIP PTNR USPS AWAITS ITEM
The item is part of a shipment that the mailer has turned over to a consolidator or contractor for transport to USPS.

81  ARRIVED SHIP PTNR SITE USPS AWAITS ITEM
The item has arrived at the shipper’s depot for transport to USPS.

82  DEPART SHIP PTNR SITE USPS AWAITS ITEM
The shipper has dispatched the item and it is enroute to a USPS facility.

83  TENDERED TO POSTAL SERVICE
The shipper has turned over the shipment to USPS for processing and delivery. Starting with PTR release 12.0, this event will be suppressed on USPS.com USPS Tracking.

89  N/A
The shipper has indicated to USPS that a merchant has received an order for your shipment.

84  ARRIVED AGENT FACILITY
Parcel Return Service only — a PRS item has arrived at the return agent’s facility.

85  DEPART AGENT FACILITY
Parcel Return Service only — a PRS item has left the return agent’s facility and is enroute to the merchant.

86  DELIVERED TO AGENT BY MERCHANT
Parcel Return Service only — a PRS item has been tendered by the return agent to the merchant.

87  FINAL DISPOSITION BY AGENT
Parcel Return Service only — a PRS item is in the possession of the merchant.

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