Your local post office closes by evening and even earlier on Saturdays, which means you can’t always access all of their shipping options at night.
But sometimes, it seems as though you are waiting for your mail until well into the darkest hours. What gives?
So, does USPS deliver at night? Or should you just go to bed and start waiting again in the morning? Here is what I discovered!
Does USPS Deliver At Night?
The United States Postal Service does deliver at night, but it is a very rare occurrence. In these rare situations, recipients have received their USPS parcels at 6 pm, 7 pm, 8 pm, 9 pm, and in very rare cases, 10 pm. USPS night deliveries can happen during the holiday seasons or in rare weather events.
Wondering what the latest time you might receive USPS mail might be? Expecting an overnight package and hoping it arrives on time? Thinking weekend hours might be different? I have a lot more details below!
Does USPS Deliver By 7 PM?
It is not common, but occasionally your mail may arrive as late as 7 p.m. While inconvenient, it is not generally the mail carrier’s fault.
Delays can be caused by inclement weather, new (and, therefore, slower) postal carriers, or even staffing shortages.
Consider, too, if you live in an area that sees all four seasons, including and especially snowy winters, and it happens to be around the holidays.
Early nighttime, plus bad road conditions plus the enormous influx of mailpieces that occurs in December could very well cause mail carriers to be as late as 7 p.m.
Does USPS Deliver By 8 PM?
Mail can arrive as late as 8 p.m., including your First-Class (or “regular”) mail, but especially packages, if they aren’t delivered with your First-Class packages.
While the USPS defines its delivery hours as 8 a.m. until 5 p.m., it is well known that a number of causes may delay delivery until 8 p.m.
Those late deliveries are out of the norm, however, and regular 8 p.m. deliveries might merit a call to your local post office.
Does USPS Deliver By 9 PM?
9 p.m. can seem like an impossible time for the mail to come, and while it’s terribly unlikely, it has happened.
If you’re still waiting for your mail at 8:30 or 8:45 p.m. and know the mail carrier hasn’t hit your neighborhood yet, they could be on their way.
Check your local news station – has there been a major highway accident near you? Power outages?
Has a major climate event, like a tornado or hurricane, happened close enough to you that it could disrupt mail transport?
If any of these ring true, then you might be one of those rare cases where mail doesn’t arrive until as late as 9 p.m.
Does USPS Deliver By 10 PM?
The United States Postal Service and its experienced carriers may run into delays that cause mail not to be delivered until 10 p.m.
A scenario where mail is not delivered until 10 p.m. is an extremely rare occurrence, but it is possible.
Significant events like major weather disasters, highway accidents, power outages, or even upcoming holidays like Christmas can cause mail delays.
This means that mail delivery as late as 10 p.m. will not become your new normal; rather, mail delivery should revert back to its normal time once the crisis has been dealt with.
What Time Of Day Does USPS Stop Delivering?
The United States Postal Service states on its website that “All deliveries should be made by 5 p.m. local time Monday through Saturday.”
However, we know this is not always the case, as unusual circumstances may delay deliveries.
It is not unusual to receive your regular mail as late as 6 or 7 p.m.
In truly rare circumstances, you may receive mail as late as 8, 9, or even 10 p.m.
These instances should be limited in scope or related to some catastrophic event.
Your mail should recover its regular delivery time; remember, the postal carriers want to be delivering mail that late, about as much as you want to receive it then.
If you are experiencing service disruptions, you can search the USPS Service Alerts page to see if your issue is listed.
How Does USPS Handle Shipping Overnight?
If someone shipped something to you overnight, and you were hoping it might get to you early, that is not very likely.
Even if it was shipped to you at 11 a.m., you should not expect the item later that same day.
If you were hoping it might reach you by 9 or 10 p.m., you might want to recalibrate your expectations.
However, if the item was shipped the next day, and it’s now 8 or 9, or 10 p.m. the next day, you haven’t received it. USPS missed their guaranteed window.
That means that whoever sent it to you is guaranteed a full refund.
Does USPS Deliver At Night On Weekends?
USPS may deliver at night on the weekends, but that would be for the same reason they deliver at night on a weekday, not because it’s a Saturday.
It might seem like the weekend is a natural time for mail delivery to arrive later – everyone stays up later on weekends, right?
That is not the case, though. While Saturday is a normal business day for the USPS, their 5 p.m. delivery cut-off still applies.
If your mail arrives later, in the 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. range, the delay probably has a significant cause behind it. It is not your new “weekend delivery” time.
If you want to know more about USPS delivery services, you might also be interested in reading up on whether or not USPS delivers on Saturdays, if USPS delivers on Sundays, and if USPS delivers to door.
Conclusion
The USPS makes strenuous efforts to get everyone’s mail delivered by 5 p.m., their stated cut-off time.
We know this is not always what happens, though, and delays are just part of life.
However, the USPS will always have a good reason for nighttime delivery and strives to minimize occurrences.