Yes, post offices are open on New Year’s Eve. December 31 is not a federal holiday, so is USPS open on New Year’s Eve is a plain yes for 2026. December 31, 2026 falls on a Thursday, so expect a normal business day, with hours that can differ from one office to the next.
The closure that matters comes a day later. New Year’s Day is a federal holiday, and USPS closes its post offices for it. The real planning question is what you can still finish on the 31st, because the next day is a hard stop.
Is USPS closed on New Year’s Eve? What the calendar says
The federal holiday list from the Office of Personnel Management does not include December 31. That is why USPS treats it as an ordinary day. In 2026 it is a Thursday, and in 2027 it is a Friday.
USPS publishes its holiday notices locally, not as one national notice for this date. The most recent official example is the Long Island release for 2025. It said post offices there would run regular business hours on Wednesday, December 31, and would close on January 1, 2026.
USPS has not yet published a national statement for December 31, 2026. The 2025 pattern is the best guide, and your own office’s posted hours are the final word.
What is open and closed on December 31
| Service | New Year’s Eve (Dec 31) | New Year’s Day (Jan 1) |
|---|---|---|
| Post office counters | Open; regular hours in some districts, noon close in others | Closed |
| Regular mail delivery | Normal weekday schedule | No regular delivery |
| Blue collection boxes | Normal schedule | No regular pickup |
| USPS.com store and label printing | Available | Available |
| 800-STAMP-24 line | Available | Available |
The Thursday and Friday entries follow the standard weekday pattern, not a published December 31 notice. USPS has not issued one for 2026. The January 1 column follows the holiday pattern USPS used for 2026, when all offices closed.
Is USPS open on New Year’s Eve at every location?
Almost always, but the hours are local. A large main office and a small rural branch rarely keep the same schedule on any weekday. The same is true on December 31.
Some offices close early. For December 31, 2025, USPS announced that all post offices in its Los Angeles area would close at noon on New Year’s Eve, and a 2024 release listed California offices closing at 12 noon on both December 24 and December 31. Long Island offices, by contrast, kept regular hours on December 31, 2025.
USPS does not publish one national closing time, so the pattern ranges from a noon close to a full day depending on the district. If you plan to mail something that day, go in the morning. An early close at your office will not catch you out that way.
The USPS Post Office locator lists the hours for each office. Check it on December 30, because hours are local and can change for the holiday week.
Shipping a package on New Year’s Eve
A package mailed on December 31 is accepted at the counter like any other weekday. The difference is the day after. Since no regular delivery runs on January 1, the clock on your delivery estimate effectively skips that date.
Online label printing is the biggest time saver. USPS lets you print shipping labels and schedule a free pickup from your door, which also works on holidays for ordering and printing. A pickup request does not guarantee a carrier visit on a closed day, so confirm the date it shows you.
If your package has a hard deadline, such as a gift or a document due in early January, mail it by the morning of the 31st at the latest. Sending it earlier in the week is safer, because you then avoid the holiday backlog that builds around the end of the year.
What to do if you need to mail something on December 31
Treat the 31st as your last counter day before the holiday. Anything that needs a postmark, a signature or a Retail Counter service should go that day. The following steps keep the trip short.
- Print your label at home on USPS.com before you leave, so the counter only has to scan the package.
- Buy stamps and shipping boxes online, because the USPS store runs round the clock.
- Go early in the day and confirm your office’s closing time first.
- If the package is time sensitive, ask the clerk about the actual delivery date, because January 1 will not count as a mail day.
The Postal Holiday Checker shows closure dates in one place.
The Delivery Time Estimator helps you see when a package mailed on the 31st may land.
What still works when post offices are closed
USPS says that when offices are closed, customers can order Priority Mail Flat Rate boxes, stamps and shipping supplies at store.usps.com. That covers January 1 as well. You can also use the Postal Locator to find a facility, or call 800-ASK-USPS for location information.
For round the clock help, USPS lists 800-STAMP-24. The release does not say which services that line covers, so do not count on it for a complaint or a claim.
Common mistakes when asking if USPS is open on New Year’s Eve
- Assuming the post office is closed because it is a holiday eve. It is not, and the counters serve customers as usual.
- Waiting until the last hour of the day. Closing times differ by office, and some offices may close early.
- Planning a January 1 errand. Counters are closed, and regular delivery and collection stop with them.
So, is USPS open on New Year’s Eve in practice? Yes, with local hours. The honest summary is that December 31 is easy, and January 1 is the day to plan around.
Mail delivery on New Year’s Eve
Because December 31 is a normal day, regular carriers follow the usual weekday schedule. Delivery is a separate question from store hours, and a carrier running a route does not mean your local counter is open late. For the usual weekly pattern, see whether USPS delivers on weekends.
Expect no regular delivery on January 1. USPS said in its Los Angeles release that normal delivery and collection schedules resumed on Friday, January 2, 2026, so mail that would have arrived on the holiday moves to the next delivery day.
How the days around December 31 compare
The week before follows a different pattern. The Christmas Day closure is covered in the Christmas Eve hours guide, which also explains the early close that day. After December 25, USPS returns to normal service, and December 26 was a normal service day in 2025.
The 2027 pattern repeats. New Year’s Day 2027 falls on Friday, January 1, with no shift to another day.
If you need a quick check on any date, the USPS open today page keeps the current holiday schedule.
Weekend counters follow a separate set of rules, laid out in the weekend hours guide.
Bottom line on New Year’s Eve
Is USPS open on New Year’s Eve? Yes. Offices stay open on December 31 and mail runs on its normal weekday schedule, and the closure waits until January 1.
Check your own office’s hours, mail early in the day, and handle labels and supplies online.
