USPS Tracking: “Delivered, Left with Individual” – What Now?

You’re expecting a delivery from USPS and you have received a “Delivered, Left with Individual” tracking update.

What does this mean exactly? Which individual has your package and what do you do if the package has been left with someone unknown?

Let’s take a look…

What Does it Mean?

The USPS “Delivered, Left with Individual” update is a common alert used by the postal service when the recipient of the package is not available to take the delivery.

In most situations, this does not present a problem.

If you have housemates or other family members at the address they will collect the item from the postal worker, and this tracking alert will be sent.

The postal worker will also sometimes add the name of the individual who received the item.

At the very least, you will see confirmation within your USPS tracking page that “your item was delivered to an individual at the address” with details of the exact time and date.

You should then be able to contact whoever is at the address to confirm that your package is there.

If you live in an apartment complex with limited access, the “Delivered, Left with Individual” alert will often mean that the item has been left with a building manager, security, or reception.

Essentially, it is a convenient way for you to still receive your package without having to go through the inconvenience of arranging another time for the delivery or picking it up from the post office yourself.

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But USPS Has Not Left it With Anyone I Know!

A problem arises if you have received the “Delivered, Left with Individual” update and you cannot locate any individual who might have taken it.

This is probably why you have reached this article in the first place.

Alarm bells are now ringing.

If you know that no one else could have been at the address to receive the parcel, you will understandably be worried now.

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So Why Are You Receiving The “Delivered, Left with Individual” Alert in This Situation?

There are a small number of reasons you might receive this alert and not be able to trace any recipient of the package.

The first is a possible mis-scan by the postal worker. If delivery was made to your post box and the worker pressed the wrong delivery code, you could receive this alert.

In truth, the item is safely inside your post box.

There is also a small chance the postal worker is just plain unreliable. They have pressed this code because they haven’t been able to reach your address in that day’s round and plan on delivery first thing in the morning.

Finally, there is the possibility that the postal worker has handed over the package to someone they shouldn’t have.

A person pretending to be from your address for example, or a neighbor who has received the item in good faith but has not communicated the fact yet.

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What to do After a “Delivered, Left with Individual” Alert?

So, if you have no idea who actually has your package and you have explored all areas such as household members, neighbors, other residents, or building staff, you now have to contact your local post office.

It is important to speak to your local office rather than USPS general customer service because the driver who “delivered” will need to be involved in the discussion.

The post office manager will need to talk to them directly, to obtain as much detail about the delivery as possible.

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It is important to do this as soon as possible so that the postal worker has a better chance of remembering the details.

In most cases, this should give you enough information to determine who received the package and make arrangements to collect it from them.

If the situation is vague even after discussions with the post office, or the postal worker’s description of the delivery implies foul play, there is a chance your package has been stolen.

Further inquiries will likely be made by USPS, though essentially, you will end up going through the claims process in order to get compensation for the loss.

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Final Words

Overall, the “Delivered, Left with Individual” tracking alert from USPS is a standard update that means your package has been left with someone else at the address.

Assuming it is easy to trace who that person is, you will have no worries.

Problems start when the recipient of the package delivery cannot be found. Here, you will need to make inquiries fast to get to the bottom of who took the delivery.

This may include contacting USPS (via your local post office) so that the worker who made the delivery can shed more light on the circumstances.

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