There’s nothing as peaceful as getting your mails delivered on time. Most online shopping companies like Amazon have trained us to accept our mails two to three days before the expected delivery date. For this, once your mails got delayed more than usual, we started getting anxious and confused. That’s when questions, like why hasn’t my mail or package been delivered till now, start popping in.
However, with the advent of technology, we’ve been afforded the peace of mind to track our mail and packages to see when they’ll be delivered.
The USPS tracking system provides us with end-to-end tracking of our mails and packages, and it’s available for most domestic mail products that are big enough and are addressed to domestic locations. All you’ve to do is enter the tracking number associated with your mail piece, and you’ll see the current status of your item together with other tracking information.
Table of Contents
What Time Does Mail Get Delivered By USPS
You might have asked yourself, “what time does USPS deliver?” Unfortunately, the right answer to this is there’s no exact time to know when your mail will be delivered.
USPS usually delivers mail between 9:00 am – 5:00 pm, irrespective of the delivery service you use. However during peak seasons when there are a lot of mails to be delivered as late as 6.30 pm. However, USPS maintained, “We cannot find when a carrier or delivery person is guaranteed. All deliveries should be made by 5:00 pm local time Monday through Saturday.”
For the most efficient mail delivery, you can consider using an informed delivery service or postal route designed by a computer.
that will arrive at a specific location. The volume of mail fluctuates daily therefore, delivery times are not static they change based on the availability of mail.
So, in general, if you’ve been wondering what time USPS comes with the mail, you should know that postal delivery to specific locations occurs at roughly the same time every day.
What are the Factors Affecting Mail and Package
There are so many factors that affect the delivery of mail and packages by USPS. These factors are divided into factors outside and within the USPS office. Let’s look at them each.
Factors Outside the Post Office affects mail delivery:
The Weather
Severe weather conditions are one of the factors that affect the delivery of mail and packages by USPS. When there’s nasty snow or ice, major wind storms, or heavy downpours, the mail carriers will find it hard to deliver mail effectively to different locations.
However, the USPS postal carriers make as much effort as possible to deliver packages in the rain and place them in a dry location.
Power Outages
Another reason that might affect mail delivery by USPS is power outages. If power is lost around the location of your post office, the affected areas will not be able to accept debit or credit card payments for retail postal services until their power supply is back. However, USPS will ensure normal mail delivery operations are restored once the power outage is lifted.
Pandemic Illness
If there’s a wide spread of a certain illness in a certain town or region, USPS might stop their mail carriers from delivering to those locations to ensure their safety. For example, during the COVID-19 pandemic, there was a significant slowdown in mail delivery locations severely affected by the disease.
Delayed Airplanes
When there are climate issues like heavy rain, lightning, or heavy winds that stop an airplane from flying or lack maintenance, USPS will not be able to receive your packages and deliver them to you.
Long Distance Between Sender and Receiver
If a mail piece has to travel long distances before it is delivered to a receiver, it’s likely going to take more time than a mail that is to be delivered within a short distance.
Factors Inside the Post Office that Affects Mail Delivery
Apart from the outside factors that cause late mail delivery, there are inside factors that affect mail delivery due to mismanagement by the post office.
Sometimes, the post office makes the mistake of missorting mails, meaning they include your mail in a box to be delivered to another location; this can cause late deliveries.
When Can I Consider My USPS Mails and Packages Late?
When your mail has not been delivered 7 days after the expected delivery date, you can consider the mail missing and go to Missing Mail for additional information.
However, within this time frame, you can use the traditional USPS tracking system to know the location of your mail.
Another way to keep track of your emails is using the USPS informed delivery service.
Informed delivery is a USPS system that lets you digitally preview your mails and manage your USPS packages before they’re delivered. This service allows you to preview the exterior of your letter, thereby seeing the sender’s address and tracking packages in a convenient location.
Below are tables showing the USPS local and international delivery times, respectively:
| MAIL CLASS | DELIVERY STANDARD | CONTACT CUSTOMER SERVICE AFTER |
| First-Class Mail® | 1-5 business days (not guaranteed) | 5 or more days from the date of mailing |
| First-Class Package Service® | 1-5 business days (not guaranteed) | 5 or more days from the date of mailing |
| Priority Mail® | 1, 2, or 3 business days (not guaranteed) | 5 or more days from the date of mailing |
| Priority Mail Express® | 1-2 calendar days (guaranteed) | Guaranteed Delivery Date/Time Missed |
| USPS Retail Ground® | 2-8 business days* (not guaranteed) | 14 or more days from the date of mailing |
| Package Services: Media Mail® Bound Printed Matter Library Mail |
2-8 business days* (not guaranteed) | 14 or more days from the date of mailing |
| Parcel Select® & Parcel Select Lightweight® | 2-9 business days* (not guaranteed) | 14 or more days from the date of mailing |
| Periodicals | 3-9 business days* (not guaranteed) | 14 or more days from the date of mailing |
| USPS Marketing Mail® | 3-10 business days (not guaranteed) | 14 or more days from the date of mailing |
USPS International Delivery Times
| Service | Shipping Time | Pricing |
| Global Express Guaranteed® | 1–3 Business Days | $$$$ |
| Priority Mail Express International® | 3–5 Business Days | $$$ |
| Priority Mail International® | 6–10 Business Days | $$ |
| First-Class Package International Service® | Varies by Destination | $ |
What Should I Do if My Mail Exceeds the USPS delivery Time and Still has not Arrived?
There are so many reasons why your mail might have been delayed. Maybe your package is still in transit at the USPS, or the problem is from your sender. Whatever the case, here are some actions to take when your mail is late:
- Contact the Sender: Sometimes, the reason for not getting your mail delivered on time is unexpected delays and life events that stop your sender from committing to particular delivery date. If you ordered a product online and have issues with its delivery, consider contacting the sender.
At this point, it’s left to you to either reschedule a delivery expectation with your sender or request a refund. You should, however, know that most retailers aren’t flexible with refunds and therefore won’t offer full refunds. - Check the Weather: At times, weather conditions affect mail delivery and packages worldwide. For example, in the events of flooding, wind storms, and other natural disasters, it might be impossible for you to get your package on the exact delivery date. Therefore when your mails aren’t delivered on time, check the weather of your sender’s location and whether it’s the cause of the delay.
- Track your mails and packages: If you want to know the delivery estimate of your mail or package, consider using your tracking number to check. It will provide you with information on the current delivery estimate of your mails and packages with the USPS and whether they’ve attempted delivering your package before.
- Fill Out a Missing Mail Request: If your mail is late or missing for more than a week, you can file a mail missing request with USPS. First, however, you’ve to ensure you qualify for this service. After that, you can apply for this service online or by visiting your local post office.
Are There Any Days Mails Won’t Be Delivered?
Some days, mails won’t get delivered by USPS and other courier services. For example, they usually don’t deliver on national holidays and Sundays though certain mail services still run on those days.
Normally, USPS doesn’t deliver on these days:
- Every Sunday of the Year
- On the 25th of Every December (Christmas Day)
- On the Fourth Thursday of each November (Thanksgiving Day)
- 1st of Every January (New Year)
- The fourth Monday of each May (Memorial Day)
- 11th of each November (Veterans Day)
- The third Monday of each February (President’s day)
- The third Monday of each January (Martin Luther King, Jr. Day)
- The first Monday of each September (Labor day)
- 4th of every July (Independence day)
- The second Monday of each October (Columbus day)
- And other federal holiday days
Read More About U.S. Postal Service Holidays in 2022: Is the Post Office Open?
What Expected Times of The Year Can Mails and Packages Have Slower Delivery Time Than Usual
USPS usually takes more time than usual to deliver during the holiday rush days. During Christmas and new year’s holidays, there’s usually a spike in online shopping, making these days the busiest periods for USPS. Also, at that time, most people were sending gifts to their family, relatives, friends, and loved ones as such packages take longer to deliver.
A Better Alternative
To avoid missing mails and experiencing late deliveries, consider Signing Up for a PostScan Mail.
A virtual mail box allows your mail to be delivered safely and conveniently, thereby lessening the risk of mail missing and theft. In PostScan Mail, our experienced mail operators will scan the exterior of your mail or package and send it to you.
From there, you can request an opening, shredding, forwarding, or recycling of your mail. All this is to be done online via your phone from the comfort of your home.
Also, we provide you with options to choose either a Virtual Mailbox OR a Virtual PO Box with a street address. Our service also enables you to forward mails to yourself wherever you’re and no matter how many times you change your location.
You Might Also Like:
- Informed Delivery by USPS [Ultimate Guide]
- Your USPS Package Was Forwarded To A Different Address: Now What?
- How to Find USPS Lost Packages or Missing Mail
- Why Should You Use PostScan Mail Forwarding Service Instead of USPS Mail Forwarding?
