How Late Does USPS Deliver

How late does USPS deliver? Are you planning on going out with your friends? But there’s a nagging worry that the USPS delivery guy will show up late, and you will miss the drop? Don’t worry, and get on with your day. Here’s all you need to know about the USPS delivery schedule.

The Usual Delivery Time For USPS

Come rain or snow; the USPS always delivers its mail and packages. But this is much harder to accomplish than they get credit for, especially since their delivery depends on many extraneous factors.

But in the normal course of action, they deliver before 5 PM local time every day, except on Sundays when there are no deliveries.

The only exceptions to this rule are Priority Mail Express and Amazon mail and packages. They deliver on Sundays as well. But for many reasons, deliveries often arrive well beyond this normal window.

Why Does The USPS Deliver Mail And Packages After 5 PM?

Other than the regular schedule, the USPS makes exceptions. They make deliveries long after 5 PM from Monday to Saturday. Because their delivery is often delayed for many reasons, they cannot specify an exact delivery time for every location. Delays happen because of many reasons:

• The most obvious factor is inclement weather which could range from heavy rain to snow to storms and hurricanes. Since deliveries have to continue in their midst they are often delayed as a result.
• Any natural disaster, like floods or landslides, can cause delays in deliveries over large areas.
• If, for some reason, the volume of mail increases, as it does during holiday seasons, delivery often gets delayed.
• The number of available staff also fluctuates and makes the exact time of delivery impossible to predict.
• Traffic is not a constant and predictable variable. This also causes delays.
• Finally, roads may be blocked, and delivery routes have to be altered. This also affects the delivery time.

What Is The Standard Delivery Time For USPS?

The standard delivery time is variable based on the service you have availed. Some of these are guaranteed, while some are not. Priority Mail Express is the only guaranteed delivery that arrives within 2 business days. Delivery times are not guaranteed for any other service.

Standard delivery times can range from 1 to 10 business days except in Alaska, Hawaii, and US territories. Priority Mail should arrive within three days. First Class Mail and Package Service has a standard delivery time of 1 to 5 days.

USPS Retail Ground and Parcel Select Ground arrive within 2 to 5 days. But it can extend up to 8 business days if hazardous material or live animals are being delivered.

Parcel Select Lightweight and Package services also have a standard delivery time of 2 to 8 business days. But periodicals and USPS marketing mail take longer.

Their standard delivery is between 3 and 9 or 10 business days, respectively. So even if your mail is late, it may still be on its way to you.

When Should I Consider My USPS Delivery Late?

The spend you made on the mail or package you are expecting you should determine the different lengths of time you should wait before contacting customer service in case of delays.

Because Priority Mail Express has a guaranteed delivery date, you should contact customer service immediately after 6 PM on that date. For everything else, the delivery date is not guaranteed, and you should wait a little longer before getting in touch with customer service.

For Priority, First Class, or Ground services, you should wait for five days before contacting customer service. But in case of hazardous materials or live animals being delivered, Ground service standard delivery can be delayed up to 14 days.

For all other deliveries, you should also wait for 14 days before considering them officially late.

What Do I Do If My Delivery Is Late?

If you are expecting a delivery that’s signature required, you’ll have to wait patiently at home (unfortunately).

For anything else, delivery will happen in your absence if necessary. If you want to track the shipment you can use the USPS Tracking number. If it has not been provided to you, you should contact your shipper.

My top tips on getting USPS questions answered…

Here’s the thing… Getting someone on the phone at USPS is pretty impossible. Here are a few tips that can help you to get USPS questions answered:

• Ask your mail person – They’re most likely coming to your home every day. And they’re nice! They don’t have to deal with people all day long. They know a lot about the operations of USPS and can help you! Don’t be shy, ask!
• Visit a location during down hours – Don’t go at noon or early in the morning. Instead, try around 2pm or 3pm at your local USPS. Someone there can answer your questions better than making a phone call.

Frequently Asked Questions

Still have some questions? Here are some common ones that we can help with.