Does USPS Deliver on Sunday? (2026 Schedule)

Yes — USPS delivers on Sunday, but only for two things: Priority Mail Express packages and Amazon parcels. Regular mail, Ground Advantage, and standard Priority Mail do not move on Sundays. So if you're tracking a package and wondering whether it'll show up this weekend, the answer comes down to which service was used to ship it.

📦 Quick Answer

• Priority Mail Express: delivers Sunday in most areas, no surcharge
• Amazon packages: USPS delivers 7 days a week in covered ZIP codes
• Ground Advantage & Priority Mail: Monday–Saturday only
• First-Class & regular mail: no Sunday delivery
• Post office windows: closed Sunday (some self-service lobbies open)

Does USPS Deliver on Sunday?

USPS's standard delivery week runs Monday through Saturday. Sunday is not a normal delivery day for the post office, which is why your everyday letters, bills, Ground Advantage boxes, and standard Priority Mail packages sit untouched until Monday.

The two exceptions exist because of revenue, not goodwill. Around 2013 USPS began Sunday delivery specifically to handle Amazon volume, and it later extended Sunday service to its premium overnight tier, Priority Mail Express. Both run on a separate Sunday operation — a skeleton crew that handles only those two package types, not the general mail stream.

So “does USPS deliver on Sunday?” is really “was my package shipped Priority Mail Express, or is it an Amazon order?” If yes to either, Sunday delivery is on the table in most of the country. If no, expect it Monday.

What USPS Delivers on Sunday (Priority Mail Express & Amazon)

Here's exactly what moves on a USPS Sunday and what doesn't:

Priority Mail Express— USPS's guaranteed overnight service delivers 365 days a year, including Sundays and most federal holidays, in covered areas. There is no Sunday surcharge for Priority Mail Express the way UPS and FedEx charge for weekend service. The express label itself buys you the Sunday delivery.
Amazon packages — If Amazon hands a parcel to USPS for last-mile delivery, it can arrive any day of the week, Sunday included, in ZIP codes where USPS runs its Sunday operation. This covers a large share of the U.S. population but not every rural route.
Some prepaid / partner volume— A handful of high-volume shippers have Sunday arrangements that piggyback on the Amazon network, but for an individual shipper this isn't something you can opt into directly.
Everything else waits. Ground Advantage, standard Priority Mail, First-Class Mail, Media Mail, marketing mail, and your normal letters all resume Monday. A Priority Mail box that would have landed Sunday is simply delivered the next business day.

One nuance worth knowing: Priority Mail Express has a money-back guarantee on its delivery commitment. If you paid for a Sunday or holiday delivery window and USPS misses it, you can request a refund of the postage — something neither standard Priority Mail nor Ground Advantage offers.

Saturday vs Sunday vs Holiday Delivery

Weekend and holiday rules trip a lot of people up, so here's the full picture in one place:

Service	Saturday	Sunday	Federal Holidays
Priority Mail Express	Yes	Yes (most areas)	Yes (most areas)
Priority Mail	Yes	No	No
Ground Advantage	Yes	No	No
First-Class Mail	Yes	No	No
Amazon (USPS last mile)	Yes	Yes (covered ZIPs)	Varies
Media Mail	Yes	No	No

Saturday is a full delivery day at USPS — every package and mail class moves, at no extra charge. This is a genuine USPS advantage: UPS and FedEx both charge surcharges for Saturday service on many tiers.

Federal holidays(New Year's Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and the rest) shut down all USPS delivery and post office windows. The lone exception is, again, Priority Mail Express, which is designed to deliver 365 days a year in covered areas. If you absolutely need something delivered on a holiday, Express is the only USPS service that will do it.

USPS Sunday Hours: When Does It Arrive?

USPS doesn't publish a fixed clock time for Sunday delivery, and Sunday routes don't follow the same timing as a weekday carrier route. In practice:

Sunday deliveries usually land between late morning and late afternoon — often later in the day than your normal weekday mail, because Sunday is handled by a separate, smaller crew.
Priority Mail Express carries a delivery commitment time (frequently by 6:00 PM, and by noon or 3:00 PM on some routes). The exact guaranteed time is printed on the label and shown at checkout when you buy the service.
Post office retail windows are closed on Sunday.You can't buy postage at the counter or pick up at the window, though many locations have self-service kiosks and 24-hour PO Box lobbies that stay accessible.

Tracking is your best signal. If a Priority Mail Express or Amazon package shows “Out for Delivery” on a Sunday morning, it's genuinely coming that day. If it shows “In Transit” on a Sunday with no out-for-delivery scan, it's almost certainly a standard service waiting for Monday.

How to Get Sunday Delivery

If you're the one shipping and you need a guaranteed weekend arrival, the path is simple:

Ship Priority Mail Express.It's the only USPS service you can buy directly that includes Sunday and holiday delivery, with no weekend surcharge. Drop it off (or schedule a free pickup) by the cutoff on Saturday and it can be in your recipient's hands Sunday.
Confirm the destination ZIP is covered.Sunday delivery reaches most of the U.S. population, but some rural ZIP codes don't get Sunday service. USPS shows the guaranteed delivery date for the exact origin-to-destination pair when you create the label, so you'll know before you pay.
Watch the Saturday cutoff. To hit a Sunday delivery you generally need the package accepted into the network on Saturday. Miss the cutoff and the commitment shifts to Monday.
Print the label ahead of time. The fastest way to ship Express is to have a print-ready 4x6 label in hand before you reach a drop-off or pickup. You can create a USPS Priority Mail Express label free with our shipping label maker in under a minute — no account required — then schedule a free home pickup so you never have to wait in a Saturday post office line.

For non-urgent packages, there's rarely a reason to pay Express just for the weekend. A Ground Advantage or Priority Mail box shipped Friday will frequently arrive Saturday at no extra cost — and Saturday delivery is free across every USPS service.

Do UPS & FedEx Deliver on Sunday?

Yes, but the rules differ from USPS:

FedEx delivers on Sunday through FedEx Home Delivery in most metro areas, plus Sunday delivery for many e-commerce and grocery partners. FedEx has arguably the strongest residential weekend network of the three carriers.
UPS offers Sunday delivery on a limited basis — primarily through UPS Sunday Delivery and UPS-handled Amazon parcels. Most standard consumer UPS packages do not move on Sundays.
The catch: UPS and FedEx generally charge weekend surcharges where USPS does not. For a single Sunday-critical package, USPS Priority Mail Express is often the cheapest guaranteed option of the three.

If you want the full carrier-by-carrier breakdown of weekday, Saturday, and Sunday delivery — plus rates and surcharges — see our UPS vs USPS vs FedEx comparison.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does USPS deliver on weekends?

Yes. USPS delivers all mail and packages on Saturday at no extra charge. On Sunday, it delivers only Priority Mail Express packages and Amazon parcels in covered areas. So the full USPS package week is effectively Monday through Sunday for Express and Amazon, and Monday through Saturday for everything else.

Does USPS deliver Priority Mail on Sunday?

Only Priority Mail Express delivers on Sunday. Standard Priority Mail (the 1–3 day service) does not — it runs Monday through Saturday. The two are easy to confuse, but the word “Express” is what unlocks Sunday and holiday delivery.

Is there a surcharge for USPS Sunday delivery?

No. Priority Mail Express includes Sunday and holiday delivery at no additional fee — the cost is built into the Express rate. This is a meaningful advantage over UPS and FedEx, which typically add weekend surcharges.

What time does USPS deliver on Sunday?

There's no fixed time, but Sunday deliveries typically arrive between late morning and late afternoon. Priority Mail Express has a specific guaranteed commitment time (often by 6:00 PM, sometimes earlier) shown on the label and at checkout.

Are post offices open on Sunday?

Retail windows are closed on Sunday — you can't buy postage or collect packages at the counter. Many locations keep self-service kiosks and PO Box lobbies accessible, and a small number of large processing-adjacent offices have limited Sunday hours, but as a rule, plan your post office trips for Monday through Saturday.

Does USPS deliver on Sunday during the holidays?

During the December peak, USPS expands Sunday delivery well beyond Amazon and Express to clear holiday package volume in many areas. Outside that seasonal surge, Sunday delivery stays limited to Priority Mail Express and Amazon parcels.

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