USPS Informed Delivery Lets You Know When to Expect Settlement Checks

The United States Postal Service has implemented a new “Informed Delivery” service across most of the country that allows consumers to receive digital notifications of the mail they are going to receive before it’s delivered to their mailbox.

Informed Delivery is a useful service for consumers who are traveling and/or expecting important pieces of mail. It is is an excellent service for Class Members who have filed settlement claims and are concerned about their settlement checks getting lost or stolen. With Informed Delivery, claimants have visual confirmation that their payment was mailed and will know to expect the check.

If you receive notification through Informed Delivery that a piece of mail was sent but you don’t receive it, you can submit a delayed mail report to notify USPS that the mail was not delivered.

As part of its automated process for sorting and delivering physical mail, USPS creates digital images of the front of all pieces of mail that are run through its automation equipment. Until recently, these digital images were only used internally at USPS.

Recently, USPS started offering consumers the option of receiving digital notifications about the mail they should soon receive. This Informed Delivery service is an optional notification service that is now available to residential consumers.

Consumers who sign up for Informed Delivery will be sent an email from USPS with greyscale images of the front of letter-size pieces of mail that will soon be delivered. Notifications are sent only on days that mail is being processed, and the information for up to 10 pieces of mail will be included in the email. Consumers can view additional images of their mail online. These images are reportedly available online for seven days and can be viewed using a computer, tablet or mobile device.

As of April 14, Informed Delivery is available to the majority of ZIP codes in the United States, according to USPS. To find out if your address is eligible for Informed Delivery, visit https://InformedDelivery.USPS.com/box/pages/intro/start.action.

There are some limitations about consumers’ ability to sign up for Informed Delivery. The consumer must live at an eligible residential address and USPS must be able to verify the consumer’s identity. If you’re eligible for Informed Delivery, you can create an account at USPS.com to sign up for the service.

Once you’re signed in to your USPS.com account, go to My Preferences. You should see a box for Informed Delivery under Account Management. Click “Manage Your Mail.” To opt in to Informed Delivery, select the appropriate check box. You will need to confirm your address and complete the identity verification process.

NOTE: Informed Delivery will send notifications about all mail sent to one mailbox and will not differentiate between mail sent to individuals who share the mailbox. Therefore, Informed Delivery subscribers will receive images for mail sent to family members, roommates, or anyone else who receives their mail at the address.