Claiming compensation from Royal Mail
This advice applies to England. See advice for See advice for Northern Ireland, See advice for Scotland, See advice for Wales
You might be able to claim compensation from Royal Mail if your post or parcel has been lost, damaged or delayed.
Check if you can claim compensation
You can claim compensation if both of the following apply:
you sent the item or you were meant to receive it
the item was posted in the UK and sent using a Royal Mail service - for example at a post office
If the item was sent using the Tracked 24 or Tracked 48 service, only the sender can claim compensation.
You can’t get any compensation if your post is delayed and one of the following applies:
it was posted to an address outside the UK
it was posted by special delivery and it had to be redirected
it was posted using the Tracked 24 or Tracked 48 service
Check you've got the evidence you need
To get any compensation, you’ll need proof of posting. This could be your receipt or certificate of posting if you sent something at the Post Office. If you received the item, you can use the packaging with the postmark on.
You’ll also need some other evidence depending on what you’re claiming compensation for. For example - if you're claiming for a damaged item, you’ll need photos of how the parcel looked when it arrived.
You might get some extra compensation if your item was valuable. You’ll need original proof of its value, such as a receipt, bank statement, repair quotations or paypal records.
You can find out what evidence you need on the Royal Mail website. You’ll need to select the reason for your claim and the type of postage used to send your item.
Check how much time you've got to make a claim
There are different rules depending on if the item was damaged, delayed or lost in the post.
If the item was put in a post box or sent at a Post Office after the last delivery of the day, it counts as being posted on the next working day.
If the item was damaged
If the item was sent to an address in the UK, you must claim within 80 days from the date it was posted. If there’s extra insurance for the item (called ‘consequential loss insurance’), you must claim within 14 days from when it was posted.
If the item was sent to an address outside the UK, you must claim within 6 months from when it was posted.
If the item was delayed
If the item was sent to an address outside the UK, you can’t get any compensation.
If your item was sent to an address in the UK, you can’t claim compensation straight away. How long you need to wait before you claim depends on how the item was sent. If it was sent:
by first class post, you can claim 4 working days after the item was posted - or 7 days if it had to be redirected
by second class post, you can claim 6 working days after the item was posted - or 9 days if it had to be redirected
by special delivery, you can claim 1 working day after the item was due to arrive
using the articles for the blind service, you can claim 4 working days after the item was posted - or 7 days if it had to be redirected
For example if the item was posted by first class post on a Wednesday, you can claim the following Tuesday - or the Friday after that if it was redirected.
If the item was sent at any time between the first Monday in December and the first working day in January, you’ll need to wait an extra day before you can claim.
Check the deadline for claiming compensation
The deadline depends on whether you sent the item or received it.
If you sent the item, you must claim within 3 months of the date it was posted. If you received the item, you have 1 month from the date it was posted.
If the item was lost in the post
If the item was sent to an address in the UK, you must claim within 80 days from the date the item was posted. How long you need to wait before you claim depends on how it was sent. If it was sent:
by first class post, you can claim 11 working days after it was posted
by second class post, you can claim 14 working days after it was posted
by special delivery, you can claim 5 working days after it was due to arrive
using the articles for the blind service, you can claim 11 working days after it was posted
For example if the item was posted by first class post on a Wednesday, you can claim 2 weeks later on Wednesday.
If the item was sent at any time between the first Monday in December and the first working day in January, you’ll need to wait an extra day before you can claim.
If the item was sent to an address outside the UK
You must claim within 6 months from when it was posted. How long you need to wait before you can claim depends on where it was sent. If it was sent:
to Europe, you can claim 20 working days after it was due to arrive
outside of Europe, you can claim 25 working days after it was due to arrive
Check how much you can get
How much you can get depends on what happened to the item.
If the item was delayed
If a letter or large letter was sent to an address in the UK, you might get the price of the postage as compensation.
For parcels sent to an address in the UK, you might get the lowest price of the postage for that size parcel.
Toni used first class postage to send a medium parcel that weighed 10kg. It cost her £7.65 to send. The parcel was delayed and she wants to claim compensation.
The amount of compensation she’d get is the same as the cost of sending a 2kg parcel using first class postage - this is £5.85.
There are exceptions if it was sent by special delivery, Tracked 24 or Tracked 48.
If the item was sent by special delivery guaranteed by 9am, you’ll get a full refund of the postage cost.
If the item was sent by special delivery guaranteed by 1pm or special delivery Saturday guarantee, you’ll get £5. You’ll get £10 if it arrives at least 7 working days after it was due to arrive.
If the item was sent using the Tracked 24 or Tracked 48 service, you can’t get compensation for a delay.
If the item was sent to an address outside the UK, you can’t get compensation for a delay.
If the item was damaged or lost in the post
If the item was sent to an address in the UK, how much you can get depends on how it was sent. If it was sent:
by first or second class post, you might get stamps and the value of the item up to £20, or you might just get stamps
by first or second class signed for post, you might get stamps and the value of the item up to £20, or you might just get stamps
by special delivery by 1pm, you'll get a refund of the postage and the value of the item up to £750 – or more if there’s extra insurance for the item
by special delivery by 9am, you can get the value of the item up to £50 – or more if there’s extra insurance for the item
using the Tracked 24 or Tracked 48 service, you can get the value of the item up to £150
using the articles for the blind service, you might get stamps and the value of the item up to £46, or you might just get stamps
If the item was sent to an address outside the UK
How much you can get depends on:
how it was sent
if the item has any value - if it doesn’t have value, you won’t get any compensation
If it was sent by international standard post, economy post or HM Forces Mail, you might get stamps and the value of the item up to £20. You might just get stamps to cover the cost of the original postage.
If it was sent by international tracked or signed for post, you might get stamps and the value of the item up to £50 – you might get more if there’s extra insurance on the item. You might just get stamps to cover the cost of the original postage.
Check how to claim compensation
You can make a claim for compensation by either:
filling in an online form - claim compensation on Royal Mail’s website
filling in a paper form and posting it to Royal Mail
You can get a paper claim form from your nearest Post Office and send it to the address on the form. Find your nearest Post Office on the Royal Mail website.
If you can't use the online form or send a paper form
You can call Royal Mail Customer Services for help making a claim.
Royal Mail Customer Services
Telephone: 03457 740 740
Textphone: 03456 000 606
Monday to Friday, 8am to 6.30pm
Saturday, 8am to 3pm
Sunday, 9am to 2pm
Relay UK - if you can't hear or speak on the phone, you can type what you want to say: 18001 then 0345 266 0075
You can use Relay UK with an app or a textphone. There’s no extra charge to use it. Find out how to use Relay UK on the Relay UK website.
Your call is likely to be free of charge if you have a phone deal that includes free calls to landlines - find out more about calling 0345 numbers.
If the item was sent by HM Forces Mail
You can’t use Royal Mail’s online form. You can claim compensation by either:
filling in a paper form - you can get one from any Post Office
contacting the British Forces Post Office
British Forces Post Office enquiries
Telephone: 03457 697978
Monday to Thursday, 8am to 3.30pm
Friday, 8am to 4.30pm
Email: desbfpo-enquiries@mod.gov.uk
Your call is likely to be free of charge if you have a phone deal that includes free calls to landlines - find out more about calling 0345 numbers.
Check what happens after you claim
You’ll get a response within 30 days - or 90 days if the item was sent to an address outside the UK. If your claim is successful you’ll get a cheque in the mail.
If you’re not happy with Royal Mail’s decision about compensation
You can make a complaint to Royal Mail. If you’ve already complained, you can escalate your complaint.
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