A frustrating situation can occur when a UPS package arrives and no one is home to sign for it, so the UPS delivery person has to try and deliver the package another day. If you are expecting a package but know that you will not be home to sign for it, you can take action to get the package on the first delivery attempt. Leaving a note for UPS saves you from waiting another day for your delivery.

Track Your Package

First, you'll need to get the tracking number from the sender if you haven't gotten it already. Track your package on the UPS home page or on the UPS Tracking web page by entering your shipment's tracking number into the Tracking or InfoNotice Numbers field. By tracking your shipment, you will find out the shipment's scheduled delivery date.

You can view your tracking detail once you have entered your tracking number into the UPS website. You can view the progress of your package – where it is at the moment – and the scheduled date of delivery.

Write Your Note

Compose a handwritten note to give directions to UPS once you have tracked your package and learned the expected date of delivery. Specifically ask UPS to leave your package on your doorstep, under the doormat or in another safe area near your front entrance. On the date of expected delivery, tape the note for UPS on the outside of your front door before you leave the house. This may not an acceptable option in cases where the package requires a signature, but you can still leave a note as long as you plan ahead.

UPS Signature Required

Sometimes UPS has no choice when it comes to choosing to leaving a package on your door – if the package requires a signature and you aren't home, they will have to take the package back to the local delivery hub. If your package requires a signature, or if you are worried about leaving a package unattended on your doorstep, you can try leaving a note on your front door asking UPS to leave your package with a neighbor. Make sure that the neighbor you ask to help you will be home during the day to sign for your package.

UPS Package Intercept

If you do not have a neighbor you can trust or none of your neighbors will be home during the day, you can visit the website or call UPS over the phone to change your options of delivery to one of the following: Will Call, which holds the shipment for pickup; Reschedule Delivery, which holds the shipment until another date; Return to Sender; or Deliver to Another Address.

This is known as requesting a Delivery Intercept and it is also a good option if you failed to leave a note in time and the package was not left on your doorstep or if you know a day or address where it would be more convenient for you to receive the package during the day. It's worth noting that all of these options require paying a fee with the exception of the Will Call option.