Does USPS Deliver on Saturday?

Do you want to know if USPS delivers on Saturdays? Maybe you need information about the Saturday delivery times, whether deliveries cost extra, or how to schedule a Saturday delivery.

If so, this blog post is for you! You’ll also find answers to common questions like “What if my mail I’m expecting doesn’t arrive?” and “Can I ship overnight on a Saturday?” Stay tuned until the end of this article for complete answers to all these questions.

Does USPS Deliver on Saturday?

Yes, USPS does regular Saturday deliveries and this applies to all mail classes, be it the most common First Class Mail or the most premium Priority Mail Express.

Perhaps what makes people ask whether USPS does Saturday and Sunday deliveries is because most post offices operate for a limited number of hours on Saturday, usually 9 AM to 12 PM.

As for Sundays, the post offices are not open to the public at all. But Priority Mail and Priority Express are still eligible for Sunday delivery.

However, some post offices, usually in case of excessive mail, may hold back other mail classes and only deliver Priority Mail and Priority Mail Express items. That’s because those mail classes cost higher than the regular mail service and USPS has to prioritize them due to the guarantees associated with these.

USPS first started delivering mail on Saturday in 1863 as a way to make sure that people who could not get off work had access to their postal service without needing to wait until Monday morning when the post office opened.

These deliveries were called “Saturday Rural Free Deliveries.” It wasn’t until 1912 that these rural free deliveries became available nationwide and they became known just as regular Saturday delivery services (RFS).

So yes, normally USPS delivers all mail classes on Saturday. The only time USPS will fail to do weekend delivery is if it’s a Federal holiday. Even if it’s a premium mail class.

Nonetheless, in those cases, USPS will do its best to either make those deliveries right before the holiday, or immediately after it.

What are USPS Saturday delivery hours?

The reason people ask about USPS Saturday delivery hours could be tied to the fact mentioned above, i.e. the post office operating for a limited number of hours on Saturday.

If makes people wonder whether that applies to the USPS delivery hours on Saturday as well.

Well the answer is No.

United States Postal Service will deliver on Saturday during the same hours just as any other weekday. That means even on a Saturday, you can sometimes expect your mail to arrive as late as 10 PM.

The only difference about mail delivery on Saturday is that it’s most likely not going to come from your regular letter carrier.

The U.S Postal Service has its mail carriers work on a 5/1 rotating basis. That means for 5 weekdays, it’s going to be your regular mail carrier but on Saturday and Sunday, you’ll have your mail delivered by a different mail carrier.

Now this “rotating” mailman might not be as familiar with your route as your regular mail guy so delivery time may differ. Nonetheless, for a majority of post office locations across the country, you will receive your USPS weekend delivery, even if it’s late.

Do I have to Pay Additional Charges for USPS Saturday delivery?

That depends on the type of mail service in question.

For regular postal services like the First Class Mail, Media Mail, and USPS Retail Ground; there are no extra charges for these to be delivered on a Saturday.

While it’s a good thing that there are no additional charges for these mail types; unfortunately, that also means that there is no guarantee for a delivery in time.

For example, the standard delivery time for First Class Mail is 1-3 business days, and USPS will indeed do its best to deliver it in the said time. Nonetheless, the 1-3 business days window is just an estimate and not a guarantee.

Media Mail has a standard delivery window of 2-8 business days. It could reach its destination on a Saturday and won’t cost you any additional charges but again, the delivery timing is not guaranteed.

The same hold true for USPS Retail Ground. This USPS service could deliver on Saturday, but with no guarantees.

Now let’s talk about the mail services where USPS does make guarantees.

The Priority Mail Service comes with a standard delivery time of 1-3 days and USPS will make sure that Priority Mail packages make it to their destination within time whether it’s Saturday or any other weekday. However, keep in mind that Priority Mail does not guarantee Sunday deliveries.

This leaves us with Priority Mail Express, the most premium of USPS mail services. It costs significantly higher than First Class Mail and even Priority Mail; but guarantees 1-2 days deliveries. This one of the of the very few mail classes that qualifies for USPS Sunday delivery and comes with a money back guarantee (subject to conditions).

Having covered all of the main USPS services, it should now be clear when, and if, you’ll have to pay extra to ensure Saturday and Sunday deliveries.

What time does USPS stop Saturday deliveries?

Generally, the letter carriers work their route until all the deliveries are made, regardless of the day. That holds true for Saturday and Sunday deliveries as well.

Now as we mentioned before, on rare occasions, and depending on the mail class, your mail could arrive as late as 9 PM or even as late as 10 PM in rare instances.

However, that is usually not the case.

There are plenty of factors at play here though. Ranging from the mail volume and staffing problems to harsh weather conditions and other unexpected situations such as road blocks.

Again, the rule of thumb is that while your local post office may close at 5 PM, the mail carriers will be out and about on their routes until they have delivered all the mail for the day. So there is no specific closing time as such for them, and that includes both Saturday and Sunday.

Is it possible to schedule USPS delivery service for the weekend?

That entirely depends on the mail class you use, or that is used to send you USPS packages.

For example, USPS delivers Priority Mail on Saturday if it was sent out on Tuesday, or Wednesday at the latest. You can expect that package delivery on a Friday or Saturday. But if it doesn’t arrive by Saturday, then Monday it is.

For Priority Mail Express items, you will receive them regardless of what day it is. Since it is a higher priced service than other services, it guarantees USPS delivery in 2 days.

For all other USPS services such as Media Mail, USPS usually delivers packages during the weekdays. Amazon packages are the only exception here of course and those are eligible of weekend delivery.

If you ordered something from Amazon Prime on a Thursday or Friday, there are high chances you’ll receive it on the weekend.

What if my mail I expected to receive this Saturday didn’t arrive?

Under normal circumstances, USPS will deliver on Saturday but there can be a plethora of reasons if it doesn’t. These are factors that affect the delivery of a package:

-Weather conditions such as snowstorms and flooding

-Car accidents or other transportation interruptions

-Floods, storms, high winds, tornadoes or hurricanes – these could delay mail service over a wide area for days at a time

There’s also times when there is an issue with your address where it cannot be delivered (i.e., missing apartment number).

The USPS will send you confirmation if this happens so make sure to check your email inbox! If you’re still having trouble receiving your item after confirming the above mentioned details then you’ll have to reach out to USPS.

Now as for the “what if” part, if Priority Mail Express packages gets delayed than the 2 days guarantee, then you are eligible for a refund.

For other mail types though, if the you don’t receive mail that you were expecting on a Saturday, all you can do is be patient and wait for it to arrive.

Why is the mailman usually late on Saturdays?

The mailman usually arrives late on Saturdays because your regular letter carrier works 5 days a week, i.e. the normal USPS delivery days.

USPS letter carriers work on a rotating basis which means for Saturday and Sunday deliveries, you’ll either receive your package from a mailman who is working overtime or from a CCA(City Carrier Assistant).

Now unlike your regular guy, these folks are most likely not going to be as familiar with your route and hence your USPS delivery can run later than you’d expect.

There can also be numerous other reasons for delays in mail which I mentioned above.

It’s common for people to forget this and then call in a panic when they don’t receive their package after waiting all day Saturday.

It’s important that customers make sure their address isn’t missing any information before contacting customer service or visiting your local post office so as not to waste precious time with unneeded inquiries.

If you still have no luck, reach out right away! This will enable USPS to start an investigation which may result in faster resolution of the issue.

Can USPS ship overnight on a Saturday?

If by overnight shipping you mean delivery on a Sunday, the answer is Yes! However, it’s only possible with the Priority Mail Express service.

For all other postal services from USPS, overnight shipping is not an option.

Even with the Priority Mail Express, to ensure overnight shipping, you’ll have to ship it out before the cut out time.

If you drop it off at the post office before 5:30 PM, then overnight delivery is possible, but not guaranteed.

Remember, the Priority Mail Express guarantees a 2-day delivery, not an overnight delivery.

What factors determine whether USPS priority mail is delivered on Saturday?

As I mentioned before, Saturday is a normal delivery day for USPS. USPS Priority Mail service is delivered on Saturdays, but there are some factors that determine if it will.

If you’re shipping domestically in the US from a Post Office location and drop off your package before noon, then USPS priority mail will arrive Saturday morning or early afternoon at its destination.

The time it was shipped plays a major role in whether Priority Mail items will deliver on Saturday. If it was shipped after the cut off time on Thursday, it’s not likely that you’ll see it coming on Saturday.

This can also vary based on location; some post offices stop accepting packages at different times than others.

It is worth mentioning here that this can differ based on post office locations as well. Unfortunately, due to a number of reasons, not all post offices operate with an equal level of efficiency.

Nonetheless, the United States Postal Service is a committed organization that goes to great lengths to ensure that mail is delivered to its recipients on time.