Easily track mail without added cost!
There is some mail that you should always send certified, so that you have official documentation showing proof of mailing and delivery confirmation for legal reasons or compliance purposes.
But when you just want to know the status of your mail piece, and you don’t need tracking that shows a documented chain of custody as an admissible legal safeguard, Postalocity offers tracing that will show when your job was mailed up through when it is out for delivery.
You can track mail sent first-class for free through Postalocity’s tracing feature on postcards and pieces like letters, bills, invoices, and statements mailed in a standard size #10 envelope with a valid address that matches a standard USPS address. No upgrade is needed and you’re not paying an extra charge to have basic tracking for time sensitive items like receipts, bills, invoices, tax forms, or any other qualifying mailing you need to send.
When you send mail that you want to track directly through USPS, tracking is not available on first-class mail unless you’re sending it certified mail; you must pay extra to send your mail using Priority Mail or Priority Mail Express instead to receive tracking information. As of August 2025, Postalocity’s pricing for certified mail starts at $7.64 and priority mail starts at $11.87.
Ready to track the mail you send out without the added cost?
How does mail tracking with Postalocity work?
Postalocity’s system uses a feature called an Intelligent Mail Barcode (IMB). This prints below the address on the envelope of the mail piece that you’re sending. This IMB will be scanned by USPS as your mail travels through the postal system in route to its destination, and the updates in status are automatically posted by Postalocity to your mail job for each individual piece you’ve sent out.
When can I track mail?
The tracing feature that allows you to track your job is available on postcards and pieces like letters, bills, invoices and statements that are mailed in a standard size #10 envelope. Mail pieces must also be sent to addresses that match a standard USPS address. You’ll know that your addresses match when our system tells you in green that you have a Good Domestic Address. The tracing feature is not available for international mail.
Is it as reliable as certified mail or priority mail?
Tracing through IMBs is not intended to replace certified mail; it doesn’t require proof of delivery and cannot serve as legal documentation. It is similar to priority mail, but it won’t provide you with delivery confirmation and the terminology you’ll see is industry specific. It will reference what phase your mail piece is in, up through being out for delivery. If you’re used to tracking mail or packages through the USPS app or website it may not seem as user-friendly because its primary purpose is use by USPS itself.
It cannot be used when an address is not verified as a good domestic address or is undeliverable for some other reason. Undeliverable mail for good domestic addresses is rare.
How do I track mail through Postalocity?
Tracking is available when you’re logged in to your Postalocity account. Click on the Job History button on the left-hand menu from the home page. If you’re on a different page of the site, you can click on the Home link on the top menu and select Job History from the drop-down menu.
Once you’re on the Job History page, select the job that you would like to track. This will load a page that has full details on your mailing. At the top of the page you will see your job status, including the date it was mailed. Once your job has been mailed, you will be able to track its progress through the green Tracking Info button to the right of the mailing date.
When you click on the Tracking Info button it will bring up a new page that will show you the status for each piece that’s a part of your job, including the time when the change in status occurred and the zip code where it took place. If you’re most interested in a piece being out for delivery the phase to look for under the Controls column is Phase 4c – Delivery, which means your mail piece has been distributed to a carrier for delivery. You can click on the current phase status of your piece if you want to see its full tracking history.
Here is a breakout of common phases you might see when tracking a mail piece using IMB on your Postalocity account:
- Phase 1 – Origin Processing – Distribution of originating mail
- Phase 2a – Destination MMP Processing – Mail that is processed at a destinating facility that has arrived from another processing plant or ADC labeled presort trays
- Phase 2b – Destination SCF Processing – Primary distribution of one or more 3-digit ZIP Code separations for a destinating plant from an origin plant or SCF labeled presort tray
- Phase 2c – Destination Primary Processing – Primary 5-digit distribution of incoming mail for local zones, delivery units, firms, box sections, and other local destinations
- Phase 3a – Destination Secondary Processing – Distribution of carrier route mail for local delivery units, firms, box sections, and other local destinations
- Phase 3b – Destination Box Mail Processing – Distribution of mail to PO Box sections or firms
- Phase 3c – Destination Sequenced Carrier Sortation – Sequenced distribution of carrier route mail for local delivery units, firms, box sections, and other local destinations
- Phase 4c – Delivery – Handling unit distributed to a carrier for delivery
Ready to track the mail you send out without the added cost?
