In America, Sunday is the day of rest for most people. For others, it’s a day to get errands done that couldn’t be completed on any other day of the week. Regardless of your reason for being up early on Sunday morning, you may have noticed that there was no mail delivery or pickup service from USPS. Is this because they don’t deliver or pick-up mail on Sunday?
Not so much! Read more below to find out what USPS services are available and when they can be accessed in your area on a Sunday.
Does USPS deliver on Sunday?
The short answer is yes, USPS does deliver mail on Sunday. However, it only does so for Priority Mail and Priority Mail Express. For First Class Mail, there are almost zero chances of Sunday delivery.
If you’re going to expect mail or planning to send it on Sunday, Priority Mail and Priority Mail Express are your best bets. For regular, First Class Mail, you’ll have to wait until at least Monday to either send or receive it.
Why doesn’t USPS deliver regular mail on Sundays?
USPS does not deliver regular mail on Sundays because of manpower shortages. There is a limited amount of workers available to do the job on weekends, and they are often already at work with their other tasks for the week.
It is worth mentioning here that the United States Postal Service is one of the very few government organizations that do not run on the tax payers money. It is a self-sustaining body that generates revenue through sales of postage stamps and premium mail services.
A very limited number of USPS workers are available on Sunday for which the organization has to pay them extra. It is simply not cost-effective for the USPS to engage its full workforce on weekends.
When did the USPS start delivering on Sundays?
It is commonly believed that USPS started Sunday deliveries after they entered into a contract with Amazon.
However, that’s far from the truth.
The US Postal Service has been delivering on Sundays since 1912.
Prior to this, there was a rotating schedule for Sunday deliveries which depended upon the location of the office and whether it had received an average amount of mail during that week.
Since 1916, USPS has been delivering on Sundays, However, as mentioned before, these deliveries are limited to Priority Mail, Priority Mail Express, and Amazon Prime packages.
There are a few exceptions to this rule.
The USPS does deliver on Sundays in emergencies, such as natural disasters or civil unrest.
Additionally, the USPS makes deliveries of mail and packages on Sunday if they have been undeliverable for some time due to circumstances like extreme weather conditions or address changes when no one is home during regular delivery hours.
Otherwise known as “last resort” deliveries, these options typically result from situations that require immediate attention by the recipient–such as medical needs–and occur only at specific post offices around the country.
Does USPS pick up mail on Sunday?
While USPS practically operates 24/7, 365 days a year, it is very unlikely that they will pick up any mail from the mailboxes on a Sunday.
The only exception to this is a blue collection box that expressly signifies Sunday as a pick-up day. However, those are very rare. There are chances that mail will be picked up from blue collection boxes on Sunday during a holiday season but there are no guarantees here.
As for the regular collection boxes, no one is going to come and pick up the mail on Sundays.
What does the USPS do on Sundays?
Based on what I shared above, it may seem like delivering Priority Mail, Priority Mail Express, and Amazon packages is all USPS does on Sundays.
However, that’s not all!
While on Sundays, you may not see mail carriers on the streets delivering regular mail but a lot goes on in the background at the post office. Even when the postal offices are not open to the public, the clerks and supervisors are still working on their desks, sorting and processing mail.
Speaking of sorting, the USPS trucks are still out and about on Sundays, transporting mail to sorting facilities and from there, to post offices.
In summary, the USPS runs its operations 24-7-365, which includes Sundays, ALL of them!
What USPS Postal Services are available on Sundays?
Unfortunately, your postal services options are very limited with USPS on a Sunday. If you are expecting a delivery on Sunday that was sent via First Class Mail, you’re going to be utterly disappointed.
As mentioned before, the only two types of mail that will reach you even on a Sunday are the Priority Mail packages and the Priority Mail Express ones.
Similarly, if you’re sending out mail and you want it to reach the recipient before Monday morning, you have to go with one of the above two mentioned mail services.
The Priority Mail has a delivery of 1-3 days so you’ll have to send it out either on Wednesday or Thursday noon (at the latest) for it to reach its destination before Monday morning.
The Priority Mail Express costs a bit more than the first option but guarantees a delivery of 1-2 days. So even if you send it out on Friday (not too late in the day, of course), it is almost guaranteed that your letter will reach the recipient either on Saturday or Sunday at the latest.
Also, since Amazon has a contract with USPS as I mentioned earlier, you can expect Amazon packages on a Sunday as well if you’ve placed your order with them on a Thursday or Friday.
If I want to send mail on Saturday, can it be delivered on a Sunday?
It is highly unlikely, even if the recipient lives in the same zip code or even the same town.
If you want your mail to be delivered on a Sunday, you have to ensure the following two:
- You must send it out on Friday and you have to send it out as early in the day as possible. If you arrive at the post office late in the day on a Friday, chances are very slim that you’re letter will make it to the destination on a Sunday.
- You must use the Priority Mail Express if you absolutely want it to be in the recipients hands on Sunday. A lot of the time, Priority Mail will also deliver within two days but that depends on a number of factors, primarily the proximity. Moreover, Priority Mail does not come with a 2 days delivery guarantee so the Priority Mail Express is your way to go.
Can the USPS deliver Priority and Express Mail to any location on a Sunday?
The answer is, it depends. While it’s true that USPS charges a higher fee for Priority Mail and an even higher fee for Priority Mail Express; the premium USPS services, it is important to understand that USPS still can not deliver to ALL locations in the country on a Sunday.
The Priority Mail Express does come with a 2-day delivery guarantee but it’s subject to terms and conditions. By no means does their 2 days delivery guarantee mean that this mail class will be delivered within 2 days no matter what.
The main factor here is the location of the recipient. If the recipient lives in a deep rural area and the mail is coming from far away, it fades the chances of timely delivery even if sent via Priority Mail Express.
Another factor is the volume of the mail. If the mail being delivered to a particular area (especially remote) is too small, it may get delayed
If the recipient is in a far-off, remote area and the mail or package being sent is urgent (e.g. medication or a check), the best course of action is to inquire with the USPS beforehand to ensure that the package will reach its destination on a Sunday if sent via Priority Mail Express. You can also use their Service Commitments form to confirm that yourself.
Does the USPS Deliver Parcel Select Ground on Sundays?
The USPS does not deliver Parcel Select Ground on Sundays. It is delivered Monday through Saturday, excluding holidays or other circumstances where mail service may be interrupted
If you need to have your package arrive by a certain date, Priority Mail Express can get it there for an extra fee and with guaranteed delivery. The more expensive the price of shipping, the better chance that they will do Sunday deliveries in order to keep their services competitive with private carriers like FedEx and UPS who also offer this service as part of their rates.
For example: If you are sending something worth $100+ via Priority Mail Express (or USPS Overnight), then there’s a good chance it’ll make it out on Friday night before being sent off for Sunday delivery.
Are Sunday Deliveries made around the same time as regular days?
Nope. Unlike other days of the week where you are likely to receive your mail around the same time, Sunday delivery time is quite different.
It is because, apart from Amazon deliveries, there usually aren’t too many Priority Mail or Priority Mail Express items that USPS delivers. Hence, the delivery timings on a Sunday are likely going to be different than what you’re used to.
The USPS Sunday delivery timings are so unpredictable that you could have your mail delivered to you early on in the morning, or even as late as after dinner time.
Will my regular Mail Carrier Deliver My Packages on a Sunday?
Not necessarily. It depends on the staff available at your local post office on a Sunday. Most offices have mail carriers who work five days a week and then a few carriers who work on a “rotating” basis. It’s those guys that handle Saturday and Sunday deliveries.
There are very slim chances that your regular carrier will deliver the mail on Sunday. Most likely, it’s going to be one of the carriers who handle weekend deliveries.
Can I Pick up my mail from the local post office on a Sunday?
As a general rule, post offices operate 5 days a week as per their standard operating hours. Some post offices are open on Saturdays but usually not for the entire day.
It is highly unlikely that you’ll find your local post office open on a Sunday. While the staff like clerks and supervisors may be inside sorting and processing mail, the post office itself is not open to the public on a Sunday.
