UPS takes lost-package claims through the same form as damage claims and sets one hard clock on both: sixty days from the scheduled delivery date. Default liability rides at $100 per package unless declared value was bought at label time, and a few common shipping choices remove the right to file at all. Every rule below is quoted from ups.com, read 2026-08-11.
UPS routes lost and damaged parcels through the same guest claim tool. The lost path skips the photo requirement and asks for proof of value instead.
The instruction on the file-a-claim page reads: “Start a claim within 60 days of the scheduled delivery for packages that have been lost or damaged, or if a collect on delivery (C.O.D.) payment wasn't received.” The count runs from scheduled delivery, not from the ship date, which matters when a package is stuck in a facility for a week before anyone notices.
There is no separate waiting period after which UPS labels a package lost. The practical guidance is to wait a few extra days when tracking is quiet after the promised date, then open the claim while the window is still open and let UPS trace from there.
A lost claim is simpler than a damage claim, because there are no photographs to take. It still needs evidence of value and enough shipment detail to trace.
| Item | What UPS asks for |
|---|---|
| Shipment | The 1Z tracking number |
| Merchandise detail | Description with brand, model, serial number, size or colour where applicable |
| Value | “Keep any invoice that can provide value of the package” — purchase receipt, wholesale invoice or replacement quote |
| Filer | Log-in for shippers with multiple claims; the guest route for recipients and third parties |
A proof-of-value document that names the article and matches the description on the claim is what closes the file quickly. A generic bank statement or a screenshot without an item breakdown does not.
The UPS Tariff sets the automatic ceiling. The tariff text linked from ups.com reads that UPS's liability “for loss or damage to each domestic package or international shipment shall be limited to $100.00” when no declared value was declared at the time of the label. Payments above that ceiling flow only where declared value was purchased, and only up to the value declared.
The full pricing per $100 and the excluded categories are on our UPS declared value cost page, sourced to the same tariff document.
Three exclusion paths catch senders and buyers off guard. All three are on the file-a-claim page.
Packages released at the driver's discretion or under a UPS My Choice release instruction are, in the carrier's words, “not eligible to be submitted for lost claims”. A standing release on the delivery address quietly removes the remedy for anything that walks off the porch after the scan.
Packages moved on UPS Ground Saver and handed to the Post Office for the final leg sit outside the usual UPS claim path. Anything that scans as delivered to the local Post Office rather than to the address may need to be traced through USPS instead.
Some UPS shipper accounts turn off recipient guest filing. When the shipper's setup blocks it the buyer has to go back to the seller, who files from the account that bought the label.
UPS revises the tariff and the claim form without notice. Treat the rules above as what UPS published on the date shown and check the current version before filing a case with money on it.
UPS does not name a fixed number of days after which a parcel becomes lost. It sets a 60-day filing window that runs from the scheduled delivery date, which is the practical marker for when to open a claim rather than keep waiting.
Up to $100 is included on every domestic package under UPS's default liability. Anything above that pays only if declared value was purchased when the label was bought, and it pays only up to the value declared.
Yes. UPS accepts guest claims from a recipient or third party using the tracking number. Some shipper account settings block that route, in which case the shipper has to file the claim.
UPS says most claims resolve in 8 to 10 business days barring further investigation, and that payment is issued in roughly 3 days once documents are validated. A case moved to investigation runs longer.
It can end one. UPS excludes packages released at the driver's discretion or on a My Choice instruction from lost-package claims. A standing release on the delivery address quietly removes the remedy.