USPS to implement second phase of service standard refinements

July 1, 2025

By Transport Intelligence

The U.S. Postal Service (USPS) will implement the next phase in its service standard refinements on July 1, part of the organization’s ongoing efforts to better serve customers nationwide.

Service standards indicate the expected number of days for delivery after a mail piece is accepted by USPS. In March, USPS announced service standard refinements to be implemented in two phases: April 1 and July 1. The changes will support the organization’s operational improvements and are estimated to save the Postal Service at least $36 billion during the next decade through reductions in transportation, mail and package processing, and real estate costs.

On July 1, USPS will expand:

• The applicability of its service standard bands because of earlier surface transportation dispatch times from regional processing and distribution centers. This will increase the reach of two-, three- and four-day service standards for First-Class Mail and USPS Ground Advantage.

• The geographic scope of “turnaround” volume, which refers to mail and package volume originating and destinating within a processing facility’s service area. Turnaround volume of single-piece First-Class Mail and USPS Ground Advantage will receive a two- or three-day service standard.

The added geographic coverage area and expansion of bands will add value for our customers.

Service standard refinements previously announced on April 1 included:

• Adding one day to the service standard for USPS Ground Advantage, single-piece First-Class Mail and Periodicals originating in a 5-digit ZIP Code that is more than 50 miles from the nearest regional processing and distribution center.

• New critical entry times for commercial mail acceptance, with no change to the service standard for presort First-Class Mail.

• Arrival time by 8 p.m. at regional processing and distribution centers for collection mail and packages originating in offices within 50 miles.

• Sundays and holidays no longer counted in service performance measurement when accepted on the day prior to Sunday or a holiday.

A fact sheet and an FAQ document providing more information on the service standard changes are available on the Delivering for America page on usps.com. Customers can also review the Service Commitments page to find the expected delivery day for postal products depending on the sender and recipient’s ZIP Codes.

Additionally, a new interactive map for customers is available at https://www.usps.com/service-standards/. This tool allows users to check service standards and expected delivery times by entering the mail class and the sender and recipient’s ZIP Codes.

Detailed file specifications for downloadable files with the new standards can be accessed on PostalPro (Service Standards | PostalPro). API specs are available now on the USPS Developer Portal (https://developers.usps.com/).

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Source: USPS