What Time Do the USPS and U.S. UPS Deliver?

What Time Do the USPS and U.S. UPS Deliver Sometimes when you’re waiting for a package to arrive, knowing the expected delivery date is not enough; you also want to know the expected delivery time if your shipment is time-sensitive or if you need to be there to sign for it. What time do the United States Postal Service (USPS) and U.S. UPS deliver packages?

What Time Does the USPS Deliver?

The USPS normally delivers mail and packages Monday through Saturday between 7 AM to 5, 6 or even 8 PM local time. However, there is no way to tell when exactly your package is going to arrive because there is no set delivery schedule, and the exact time the letter carrier arrives at your house depends on many factors such as:

The volume of mail that needs to be delivered on any given day.
The number of Signature Required, Collect on Delivery, and other shipments that take more time to deliver than regular mail because they require the letter carrier to interact with customers.
The number of stops on the carrier’s route.
The weather (cold weather, slippery roads, heavy rain or snow, etc. will most definitely slow your carrier down).
Traffic, roadwork, road accidents.
Staff availability.
Power outages and other unforeseen circumstances.

On most days, your mail should arrive roughly at the same time, give or take an hour, so you can try to get an idea of when the letter carrier will deliver to your address by observing them for a few weeks (in person or using your security camera) or contacting your local post office. However, they still won’t give you the exact time because each day is different, and delays might happen due to the reasons we’ve listed above.

Note that most post offices handle mail delivery on a 5+1 schedule, which means that your route is handled by your “regular” carrier 5 days a week and by a “floater” on the sixth day so that your regular carrier can have two days off during the week. On the days when your mail is delivered by a non-regular carrier, it might arrive earlier or later than usual. In addition, when your letter carrier is sick or on vacation, their route may be split between other letter carriers, so your mail may arrive at any point throughout the day.

You should also keep in mind that some types of mail (Priority Mail and Priority Mail Express) are more likely to be delivered on a Saturday than First-Class Mail, which may be delayed until the next Monday. Priority Mail Express is also the only USPS mail service with guaranteed delivery by 6 PM.

The USPS normally does not deliver on Sundays (except for Amazon packages because Amazon has a Sunday delivery deal with the USPS) and federal holidays, but USPS Priority Mail Express may be available for Sunday or holiday delivery for an additional fee. FedEx Ground Economy (formerly called FedEx SmartPost), which utilizes the USPS for the final leg of delivery, may be delivered on a Sunday.

What Time Does U.S. UPS Deliver?

Just like the USPS, UPS does not have a fixed delivery schedule. Other than time-critical shipments delivered by UPS Air services with guaranteed delivery times (UPS Next Day Air Early, UPS Next Day Air, UPS Next Day Air Saver, UPS 2nd Day Air AM), your shipment can get delivered anytime between 9 AM and 7 PM There is no way to schedule a specific delivery time.

If your shipment does not require a signature or payment upon delivery, your USPS letter carrier or UPS driver will leave it in your mail receptacle or in a safe space (the front or back porch, side door, garage area, etc.). In case of a failed delivery attempt (for example, your mailbox is full, or your weren’t home to sign for the package), the carrier will leave a notice (PS Form 3849 for the USPS or UPS Delivery Notice for UPS) to inform you about the failed delivery and let you know what your options are for receiving your package.