Short answer: Amazon account health rests on a few core metrics. Amazon's published targets are an order defect rate (ODR) below 1%, a late shipment rate below 4%, a pre-fulfillment cancel rate below 2.5% and a valid tracking rate above 95%. Policy compliance is scored separately through the Account Health Rating, from 0 to 1,000.
All figures below come from Amazon's own seller pages and staff posts, as of October 2026. Amazon can change targets and measurement windows, so always check the Account Health dashboard in Seller Central for the version that applies to your account.
What "account health" means on Amazon
Account health is Amazon's way of asking two questions about every seller:
- Are customers getting a good experience? That is measured by customer service and shipping metrics such as ODR, late shipments, cancellations and tracking.
- Is the seller following the rules? That is measured by policy compliance and summarised in the Account Health Rating.
Both show up on the Account Health dashboard in Seller Central. Amazon's FBM program page notes that sellers can track order defects, late shipments, pre-fulfillment cancellations and valid tracking there. If you fulfil orders yourself (FBM), most of these numbers depend directly on your own warehouse and team, which is why this guide focuses on seller-fulfilled operations.
The core metrics at a glance
| Metric | What it measures | Amazon's published target | Applies to |
|---|---|---|---|
| Order defect rate (ODR) | Orders with negative feedback, a non-denied A-to-z Guarantee claim or a service chargeback | Under 1% of orders in a 60-day period | All orders, with FBM orders driving most of what you control |
| Late shipment rate | Orders confirmed as shipped after the expected ship date | Below 4% | Seller-fulfilled orders |
| Pre-fulfillment cancel rate | Orders the seller cancels before shipping | Below 2.5% | Seller-fulfilled orders |
| Valid tracking rate (VTR) | Seller-fulfilled packages with a valid tracking number | Above 95%, per product category, over 30 days | Seller-fulfilled orders |
| On-time delivery rate | Packages delivered by the promised date | Amazon lists it as a metric to monitor; check your dashboard for any target that applies | Seller-fulfilled orders |
| Account Health Rating (AHR) | Compliance with Amazon policies | 200 to 1,000 is "Healthy" | The whole account |
The sections below explain each one and the operational cause behind it.
Order defect rate (ODR)
On its seller blog, Amazon describes ODR as "the percentage of orders with one or more indicators of poor customer service" during a given 60-day period. An order counts as defective if it results in:
- negative customer feedback (ratings below three stars);
- an A-to-z Guarantee claim that isn't denied; or
- a chargeback claim.
Amazon advises keeping ODR under 1% to avoid restrictions on selling privileges. Its own example: with 300 orders in 60 days, you should aim for fewer than three defective orders. Amazon also notes that fraud-related chargebacks are treated differently from service-related ones.
What usually drives ODR up: items that arrive late or not at all, items that do not match the listing, slow replies to buyer messages and refunds handled only after the buyer escalates. Most ODR problems start in fulfilment or listings, not in the feedback itself.
Late shipment rate
The late shipment rate counts seller-fulfilled orders confirmed as shipped after the expected ship date. Amazon's selling policies article tells FBM sellers to keep it below 4% to avoid deactivation of seller-fulfilled offers.
The key detail is that the clock is tied to ship confirmation, not to when the box physically left. An order that leaves on time but is confirmed late still counts as late. Common causes include:
- stock that turns out to be missing when the picker goes to the shelf;
- purchase orders placed too late to arrive within handling time;
- label batches that run after the carrier cut-off;
- handling times set shorter than the warehouse can actually manage.
If you want a structured view of where these delays come from, our Amazon FBM fulfillment workflow walks through each stage from order import to shipment.
Pre-fulfillment cancel rate
This metric counts orders the seller cancels before shipping. Amazon advises keeping it below 2.5% and notes that "cancellations often occur due to stock-outs, so it's vital to manage your inventory effectively."
For FBM sellers, the cancel rate is mostly an inventory accuracy problem. If your listing says you have stock but your shelf does not, you either ship late (late shipment rate) or cancel (cancel rate). Either way, a metric moves. Seeing the shortfall between open orders and real stock early is the single most useful control. That is the problem HutsyBoard, our Amazon FBM warehouse software, is built around: orders and shortfall, purchasing with supplier proof, QR receiving and owned or shared inventory in one place.
Valid tracking rate (VTR)
An Amazon moderator post on the Seller Forums defines VTR as "the percentage of seller-fulfilled orders that have a valid tracking number, calculated over a 30-day period," and says sellers should keep it above 95%. The requirement applies at the product category level, so a weak category can be restricted even if your overall number looks fine.
In January 2025, Amazon announced that VTR would be measured on orders shipped through all shipping providers, not only carriers integrated with Amazon. In practice that means every seller-fulfilled package should carry a real, scannable tracking number from the carrier that actually moves it, entered with the correct carrier name and service.
Practical controls:
- Confirm shipment only after the label is created and the tracking ID is known.
- Make sure carrier name, service and tracking ID all refer to the same shipment.
- Check tracking uploads daily, and correct mistakes quickly.
Tracking must always belong to the real package. For how we handle tracking data in our own operations, see our tracking extractor case study.
On-time delivery rate
Amazon's selling policies article lists on-time delivery rate as a metric seller-fulfilled sellers should monitor. It measures whether packages arrive by the delivery date promised to the customer. Even where it is not a hard deactivation threshold, late deliveries feed straight into ODR through negative feedback and A-to-z claims. Realistic transit settings and reliable carriers protect both numbers.
Policy compliance and the Account Health Rating
Amazon describes the Account Health Rating (AHR) as "a snapshot of your account's risk of deactivation based on compliance with Amazon policies," shown as a colour-coded score from 0 to 1,000. In an Amazon staff guide on the Seller Forums, the bands are:
| AHR band | Score | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Healthy | 200–1,000 | Account in good standing |
| At risk | 100–199 | Needs attention; unresolved violations risk suspension |
| Unhealthy | Below 100 | Account eligible for deactivation; act immediately |
Policy violations lower the score. The same staff guide recommends checking the dashboard weekly, dealing with violations immediately (starting with those that affect your AHR most), contacting Account Health Support when you need help and appealing where appropriate.
For dropshipping sellers, one of the biggest compliance areas is Amazon's drop shipping policy: being the seller of record and never letting another retailer's name appear on packing slips. Our guide to Amazon's dropshipping policy rules covers that in detail.
A weekly account health routine
Metrics fail slowly and then all at once. A short, fixed routine catches most problems early:
| When | Check | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Daily | Orders due today vs stock on hand | Prevents late shipments and cancellations |
| Daily | Tracking uploaded and matching the carrier | Protects VTR |
| Daily | Buyer messages answered | Prevents negative feedback and A-to-z claims |
| Weekly | Account Health dashboard: every metric and the AHR | Spots trends before they cross a target |
| Weekly | New policy notifications | Lets you act on violations quickly |
| Monthly | Handling times and carrier performance | Keeps promises realistic |
Write down who owns each line. When a metric moves, you should know which person and which process to look at.
How an operator team protects account health
Account health is an operations problem more than a reporting problem. Since 2016, ECOMHUTSY has run e-commerce operations for sellers, with 100+ e-commerce professionals across offices in Multan, Dubai and Westland, MI, and more than $150M in e-commerce sales processed.
On managed accounts, our operator-led Amazon dropshipping automation work includes supplier vetting, order routing, tracking checks and day-to-day account health monitoring. The account holder stays responsible for the account and its compliance; an operator team supports that responsibility rather than replacing it. No team can promise a particular metric or outcome, because Amazon decides how accounts are assessed.
If you run FBM yourself, the same discipline applies: one source of truth for orders and stock, purchasing based on real shortfall and ship confirmation tied to real tracking. Our post on running Amazon FBM operations without spreadsheets shows what that looks like day to day.
Frequently asked questions
What are Amazon's main account health metrics?
Order defect rate, late shipment rate, pre-fulfillment cancel rate and valid tracking rate for performance, plus the Account Health Rating for policy compliance. Amazon also lists on-time delivery rate as a metric to monitor.
What is a good order defect rate on Amazon?
Amazon advises keeping ODR under 1% of orders in a 60-day period. A defect is negative feedback, a non-denied A-to-z Guarantee claim or a chargeback.
Does the valid tracking rate apply to FBA orders?
No. VTR measures seller-fulfilled orders. Amazon handles tracking for orders it fulfils.
What Account Health Rating is considered healthy?
According to an Amazon staff guide, 200 to 1,000 is healthy, 100 to 199 is at risk and below 100 means the account is eligible for deactivation.
How often should I check my account health?
At least weekly, as Amazon's own staff guide suggests, with daily checks on the operational causes: open orders, stock, tracking uploads and buyer messages.
Get a second pair of eyes on your account
Worried about a metric that keeps creeping up, or planning to scale seller-fulfilled orders? Tell us how your account runs today, and an ECOMHUTSY operator will walk through your workflow and confirm scope and pricing for support.
Information reflects Amazon seller pages and Amazon staff forum guidance as of October 2026. Targets and measurement windows may change; your Account Health dashboard is the final reference.
Sources
- Sell on Amazon, Amazon seller policies to know (account health rating, ODR, late shipment rate, cancellation rate, VTR, on-time delivery): https://sell.amazon.com/blog/selling-policies
- Sell on Amazon, What is a chargeback on Amazon? (ODR definition and 60-day period): https://sell.amazon.com/blog/chargebacks
- Sell on Amazon, Amazon FBM (Account Health dashboard metrics): https://sell.amazon.com/programs/fulfilled-by-merchant
- Amazon Seller Forums, "Stay in Control: A Seller's Guide to Account Health" (Amazon staff post; AHR bands and targets): https://sellercentral.amazon.com/seller-forums/discussions/t/f360047c-af63-4910-a37a-e26df9b14b45
- Amazon Seller Forums, "How to maintain a healthy Valid Tracking Rate" (Amazon moderator post): https://sellercentral.amazon.com/seller-forums/discussions/t/9e4156a7-13c2-47f3-9179-54c38ebe8093
- Amazon Seller Forums, "Valid Tracking Rate policy update for seller-fulfilled orders" (News_Amazon, effective January 15, 2025): https://sellercentral.amazon.com/seller-forums/discussions/t/c8a5460e-2125-4efa-a76c-9982e400ff91
