Signed For vs Special Delivery: 2026 Franking Guide

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Signed For and Special Delivery Guaranteed both add proof of delivery to your post, but they solve different problems and sit at very different price points. Pick the wrong one and you either overpay by several pounds an item, or you send something valuable with £50 of cover when it needed £750. This guide compares both services, shows where franking beats stamps, and sets out a simple rule for choosing between them.

Updated for October 2026: from 5 October 2026 Royal Mail raises the stamp price of Signed For parcels while holding every Mailmark franked price. Franking now saves on Signed For parcels as well as large letters, which was not previously the case. Full tables are in our October 2026 price update.

What each service actually gives you

Royal Mail Signed For is a bolt-on to standard 1st or 2nd Class post. Your item travels in the normal mail stream at the normal speed, and a signature is captured on delivery. Compensation is included up to £50.

Special Delivery Guaranteed is a different product entirely. It is a timed, tracked service with a delivery guarantee - by 1pm or by 9am the next working day - and compensation cover starting at £750. Saturday guarantee upgrades are available on both timings.

The distinction matters more than the marketing suggests. Signed For gives you evidence that something arrived. Special Delivery gives you a contractual commitment about when it arrives, plus meaningful financial cover if it does not. If your reason for adding a service is "I need to prove they received it", Signed For is usually enough. If your reason is "this is valuable" or "this has a deadline", it is not.

Signed For franking rates for 2026

Signed For is where franking earns its keep, because Mailmark rates undercut stamp prices. These letter and large letter rates are unchanged on 5 October 2026, and are exempt from VAT:

  • 1st Class Letter, 0-100g: £3.80 by stamp, £3.77 by Mailmark franking
  • 2nd Class Letter, 0-100g: £2.91 by stamp, £2.88 by Mailmark franking
  • 1st Class Large Letter, 0-100g: £5.30 by stamp, £4.86 by Mailmark franking
  • 1st Class Large Letter, 101-250g: £5.60 by stamp, £5.28 by Mailmark franking
  • 2nd Class Large Letter, 101-250g: £3.90 by stamp, £3.81 by Mailmark franking

The standout is the 1st Class Large Letter at 0-100g: £4.86 franked against £5.30 by stamp, a saving of 44p per item. On the 101-250g band the gap is 32p. Letters save a flatter 3p.

Signed For parcels: this changes on 5 October 2026

Until 5 October 2026, the stamp and Mailmark prices for Signed For parcels were identical, so franking made no difference to that line of your postage bill. A 1st Class Small Parcel up to 2kg was £7.05 either way.

From 5 October 2026 the stamp price rises while the Mailmark franked price holds, so a saving appears:

  • 1st Class Small Parcel, up to 2kg: £7.50 by stamp, £7.05 franked - 45p saved
  • 2nd Class Small Parcel, up to 2kg: £6.20 by stamp, £5.85 franked - 35p saved
  • 1st Class Medium Parcel, up to 2kg: £10.30 by stamp, £9.65 franked - 65p saved
  • 1st Class Medium Parcel, up to 20kg: £18.50 by stamp, £17.05 franked - £1.45 saved

Signed For adds a flat £1.60 to the parcel price and £2.00 to letters and large letters, and those fees are not changing. You can check every weight band on the Royal Mail Signed For postage rates page.

Special Delivery franking rates for 2026

Special Delivery Guaranteed by 1pm is priced by weight and by the level of compensation you select. The Mailmark franked rates are:

  • Up to 100g: £9.95 with £750 cover, £12.95 with £1,000 cover, £19.95 with £2,500 cover
  • Up to 500g: £10.95 / £13.95 / £20.95
  • Up to 1kg: £11.95 / £14.95 / £21.95
  • Up to 2kg: £15.95 / £18.95 / £25.95
  • Up to 10kg: £22.95 / £25.95 / £32.95

Compare that to Signed For and the decision becomes clearer. A 1st Class Signed For Large Letter at 0-100g costs £4.86 franked. The equivalent Special Delivery by 1pm item costs £9.95 - roughly double - but takes you from £50 of cover to £750, and adds a next-day guarantee. Full rate tables, including the 9am timing and Saturday guarantee options, are on the Special Delivery Guaranteed by 1pm rates page.

A simple rule for choosing

Work backwards from what goes wrong if the item is lost.

If the answer is "we reprint it and resend" - contracts, signed paperwork, notices, statements, anything where the cost of failure is administrative - Signed For at £2.88 to £5.28 is proportionate. The signature is the point.

If the answer involves replacing something worth more than £50, or missing a legal or contractual deadline, the £5 or so premium for Special Delivery is cheap insurance. A £600 replacement part sent Signed For leaves you £550 out of pocket if it disappears.

The expensive mistake is habit: mailrooms that default everything to Special Delivery "to be safe" typically overspend by around £5 on every item that only ever needed a signature. Auditing a month of outbound tracked post against this rule is usually the fastest saving available.

Getting the paperwork right

Both services need the correct Royal Mail barcoded label applied alongside the franking impression - the frank pays for the postage, the label carries the tracking. Items presented without a valid label may not be tracked or accepted, so keep stock on hand rather than discovering the shortage at 4pm. We stock Special Delivery and Signed For laser labels (192x39mm) for exactly this.

You will also need a legible frank. Faded or streaked impressions are a common cause of items being surcharged or returned, and they are almost always down to a dried or depleted ink cartridge rather than a machine fault.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Signed For cheaper with a franking machine?

Yes. A 1st Class Signed For Large Letter up to 100g costs £4.86 by Mailmark franking against £5.30 by stamp, a 44p saving per item, and letters save 3p. From 5 October 2026 Signed For parcels save too, between 35p and £1.45 per item, where before that date the franked and stamp parcel prices were identical.

Are Signed For prices going up in October 2026?

Only the stamp prices, and only on parcels. Signed For letter and large letter stamp prices are unchanged, and every Signed For Mailmark franking price is unchanged. The £2.00 letter fee and £1.60 parcel fee are not changing either.

How much compensation does Royal Mail Signed For include?

Signed For includes compensation up to £50. If the contents are worth more than that, Special Delivery Guaranteed is the appropriate service, as it starts at £750 of cover and can be bought at £1,000 or £2,500 levels for a higher price.

Does Signed For make my post arrive faster?

No. Signed For travels at standard 1st or 2nd Class speed and only adds a signature on delivery. Special Delivery Guaranteed is the service with a next-working-day delivery commitment, available by 1pm or by 9am.

Do I still need a Royal Mail label if I frank the item?

Yes. The franking impression pays the postage, but Signed For and Special Delivery items also require the correct Royal Mail barcoded label so the item can be tracked and the signature recorded. Items sent without a valid label may not be tracked.

Are these franking prices subject to VAT?

The Signed For and Special Delivery Guaranteed rates published by Royal Mail are exempt from VAT. Note that this applies to the postage itself, not to consumables such as ink cartridges or labels.

The bottom line

Signed For and Special Delivery are not two tiers of the same thing - they are proof of receipt versus guaranteed, insured delivery. Match the service to the consequence of loss, frank your large letters to capture the 44p and 32p savings, and from 5 October 2026 frank your parcels too for a further 35p to £1.45 an item. If you need ink, labels or envelopes to keep the mailroom running, browse our supplies range for your machine.