USPS Tracking Plus: What It Is, Cost, and When to Buy It
USPS Tracking Plus is a paid add-on that has USPS keep a package's tracking history for longer than usual and email you a statement of that history when you ask for it. It doesn't change how the package ships or how it's insured. For an online seller, it earns its price on the few orders where a dispute could land after the free tracking history is gone.
How long USPS keeps tracking without it
Without Tracking Plus, standard tracking history stays on USPS.com for 120 days on items without a signature and 2 years on items with a signature. After that, the scans are no longer available on the USPS Tracking page.
The Tracking Plus terms describe the service as a paid request to keep scan data, or scan and signature data, for up to 10 years. The signature option generally requires a signature service such as Signature Confirmation unless the package went Priority Mail Express.
What Tracking Plus costs
You pay per package, and the price depends on how long you want the history kept. These are the domestic prices in USPS Notice 123, effective Oct 4, 2026:
Keep history for | Scans only | Scans and signature |
|---|---|---|
6 months | $2.50 | Not available |
1 year | $3.00 | Not available |
3 years | $3.75 | $5.25 |
5 years | $4.75 | $6.25 |
7 years | $5.80 | $7.30 |
10 years | $7.00 | $8.50 |
Retrieving an archived statement of tracking costs $10.00 per report, and an archived signature letter costs $20.00. International outbound packages use the same tiers but stop at 7 years.
How to buy it
Enter the tracking number on the USPS Tracking page, pick a retention period under "USPS Tracking Plus," and check out with a USPS.com account. The Tracking Plus FAQ spells out the rules: Post Office counters don't sell it, you can buy it only once per package, and you have to buy it before the standard history runs out.
Tracking Plus works on Priority Mail Express, Priority Mail, USPS Ground Advantage, Parcel Select Non-presort, Library Mail, Bound Printed Matter and Media Mail. First-Class Mail letters and flats and USPS Marketing Mail parcels qualify when they carry a trackable extra service. USPS lists the eligible mail classes alongside its other extra services.
What Tracking Plus doesn't include
Under the Tracking Plus terms, the service keeps existing tracking data longer and lets you pull a statement of it. It doesn't add new tracking features. These are separate from it:
- Tracking updates: basic USPS Tracking costs nothing. For which mail classes include it, see does all USPS mail have tracking.
- Insurance: Priority Mail and USPS Ground Advantage include up to $100 of insurance, with restrictions.
- Pickups: USPS schedules those through its separate Schedule a Pickup tool.
When an online seller needs it
Buy it on the orders where $2.50 to $8.50 is worth spending: a high-value order, a customer who has already questioned delivery, or a sale that could still turn into a chargeback or marketplace claim. Skip it on the rest. The catch is the deadline. You have to buy it while the standard history is still live, and you can buy it only once per package.
The Tracking Plus Statement can serve as USPS evidence of delivery to resolve disputes and claims, and as evidence of mailing or delivery in legal proceedings. The service can't be extended once the retention period ends. After that, the terms say archived tracking for past shipments can be bought for a fee when it's available.
If a 3PL ships your orders, it usually buys the labels, so ask how long it keeps tracking and proof-of-delivery records before you pay for Tracking Plus on those shipments. If you're still buying labels and packing orders yourself, Simpl's ecommerce fulfillment service includes postage in a flat per-order rate, and every shipment gets a UPS, USPS, or FedEx tracking number. Simpl also files the carrier claim for lost or damaged packages it shipped.
If a package never arrived, Tracking Plus won't help find it. See what to do when USPS loses your package, or check what each USPS tracking status means.
Questions about USPS Tracking Plus
How much does USPS Tracking Plus cost?
It ranges from $2.50 for 6 months of scan history to $8.50 for 10 years of scan and signature history, per USPS Notice 123.
Does every USPS package come with Tracking Plus?
No. Basic USPS Tracking is free, but Tracking Plus is a paid add-on you buy for each package.
How long does USPS keep tracking information?
USPS keeps tracking information for 120 days on items without a signature and 2 years on items with a signature, unless you buy Tracking Plus.
Where do I buy USPS Tracking Plus?
Only online, from the package's USPS Tracking page, with a USPS.com account.
Can I get a refund for Tracking Plus?
No. USPS says all Tracking Plus orders are final.
Sources
Shipping orders for your own store?
Simpl Fulfillment picks, packs and ships your orders from Austin. Flat-rate pricing starting at $7/order, with a $750/month minimum (you only pay the difference).