United Airlines Lost or Delayed Baggage: How to File a Claim in 2026

The mistake that costs people money is missing a reporting window or throwing away documentation. Here's the process in the right order. For items left in the terminal or at security — not a checked bag — see airport lost and found.

Step 1: Report it before you leave the airport

The moment your bag doesn't appear, go to United's Baggage Service Office in the baggage claim area (or the United service desk). File a Property Irregularity Report (PIR) — sometimes called a delayed-bag report. You'll be given a file reference number. Keep it; every later step needs it.

For damaged bags, report the damage in person at the airport before leaving if at all possible — damage is hard to claim once you've walked out. If you only notice later, United lets you report by phone, text (BAGS to 32050), chat, or the United app to its baggage team, but in person is stronger.

United's bag-help page is the starting point for delayed, damaged, and missing checked bags: use it after you have the file reference. Fees and size limits for the bag itself are on United checked baggage.

Step 2: Know your reporting deadlines

Windows differ by trip type and by delayed-versus-lost. The reliable framing, which you should still confirm on United's site for your ticket:

• Report a delayed bag promptly — within about 24 hours of arrival for domestic travel is the safe target; report at your final destination, not the connecting hub.
• Domestic expense claims (including Puerto Rico, Guam, and the US Virgin Islands): United commonly allows 45 days from arrival to submit receipts. That is longer than American's 30-day expense window, but it is still a hard stop.
• International claims: under the Montreal Convention, written notice of delay within 21 days and damage within 7 days of receiving the bag. Miss these and you can lose the right to claim entirely.

Because the exact window depends on your specific itinerary, treat "report the same day, claim as early as possible" as the rule and confirm the deadline for your trip on united.com.

Step 3: File the right claim

While you wait (delayed bag): buy the essentials you need, keep the receipts, and file United's interim expenses claim online using your PIR reference and last name. Upload ID, your expense list, and the receipts. The DOT requires reimbursement of reasonable, verifiable, actual incidental expenses — United may not impose an arbitrary daily cap.

If the bag is declared lost: United typically advises filing a lost-baggage claim if the bag hasn't arrived about 5 days after you reported it delayed. Important: United will not always escalate a delayed bag to lost for you — you have to file that claim yourself, and you can't file it without first having reported the bag delayed. Under the Montreal Convention, a bag is formally deemed lost after 21 days.

The lost claim requires a detailed contents list — brands, colours, approximate values, quantities. Vague descriptions slow the claim and can reduce what you're paid. Attach receipts, warranty cards, or online order confirmations wherever you have them.

If the bag is damaged: report it at the airport. United may repair it, replace it, or send you to a repair partner. If you are sent to a partner, the claim window is often much tighter than the general 45-day domestic window — act on the instructions you are given that day, and confirm the current partner and deadline on united.com. If the bag can't be repaired, you claim directly.

Step 4: Know what you're owed

• Domestic flights: US Department of Transportation rules (14 CFR Part 254) require United to reimburse reasonable, verifiable, actual expenses from a baggage delay, up to a maximum of $4,700 per passenger. United can't impose arbitrary daily spending caps — that would violate DOT rules — and evaluates claims case by case, partly on how long you were without the bag.
• International flights: the Montreal Convention caps liability at 1,519 SDRs per passenger (about $2,175 on the DOT's published conversion) — not per bag. ICAO raised that limit from 1,288 SDRs on 28 December 2024.

Reimbursement is for reasonable, documented costs, which is why the receipts matter so much. If the bag is significantly delayed, you are also entitled to a refund of the checked-bag fee once a mishandled-baggage report is on file (12 hours domestic; 15 or 30 hours international depending on sector length).

American and Delta use different file IDs and damage clocks — see American and Delta baggage claims. For what belongs in the hold versus the cabin, see what you can pack in checked baggage.

What to keep, from the start

• Your PIR / file reference number
• Boarding pass and checked-bag tags
• Every receipt for essentials bought during the delay
• Photos of any damage
• All correspondence with United

You can check status online with your file reference. If United finds the bag, note that delivery terms (including any shipping you may be asked to cover) depend on the case — confirm when they contact you.