:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/usps-delivery-rules-2491108b7bdf4390b1ed56c43b73a516.jpg "USPS Just Changed Its Delivery Rules — Here’s How It Could Affect Your Next Package")
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You may have noticed that, lately, your online shopping packages are arriving a little earlier—or later—than expected. Why? As of April 1, 2025, the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) is rolling out sweeping changes to its delivery standards, part of a 10-year overhaul known as Delivering for America.
While some customers may see faster mail service, others—especially in rural areas—may experience slower delivery. The bottom line? USPS wants to cut costs and stabilize operations, but that could mean trade-offs for everyday consumers.
Key Takeaways
- USPS is updating delivery timelines for several mail types, aiming to save $36 billion over 10 years.
- About 11% of first-class mail will be delivered more slowly, while 14% will arrive faster.
- Changes could hit rural customers hardest and make package tracking more ZIP-specific.
What’s Changing With USPS Delivery?
The new standards affect many services, including First-Class Mail, Marketing Mail, periodicals, USPS Ground Advantage, and even Priority Mail. According to the Postal Service, 75% of First-Class Mail won’t see any change, but 14% will arrive faster and 11% will be slower, though still within a five-day window.
To help consumers better anticipate arrival times, USPS is also shifting from using three-digit ZIP code regions to five-digit ZIP code pairs when estimating delivery times.
Why USPS Is Making These Moves
The Postal Service lost $9.5 billion last year and is trying to save $36 billion over the next decade. It’s doing this partly by “refining” service standards and cutting jobs—about 10,000 through a voluntary early retirement program.
These moves follow a broader strategy outlined in its Delivering for America plan, including buying electric trucks, modernizing equipment, and transitioning mail transport from air to surface routes for better reliability and lower cost.
Will My Packages Be Delayed?
That depends on where you live and what you’re mailing or receiving. Some changes under the Delivering for America plan may be more disruptive than helpful, especially for people in rural areas. While urban and suburban customers might sometimes see faster delivery, rural communities could face longer wait times.
According to the Postal Regulatory Commission, nearly half of ZIP code pairs sending Single-Piece First-Class Mail (think: your birthday cards and utility bills) will face slower service. Package deliveries and periodicals are also expected to take longer in many regions.
That’s because the Postal Service is consolidating operations and shifting to a hub-and-spoke model, which could mean mail travels farther before getting sorted for final delivery. While this could improve efficiency in theory, the Commission says the USPS is “irreversibly changing its network” without solid evidence that the outcome will be better, and with disproportionate service downgrades hitting rural communities hardest. USPS, however, says it does not anticipate the impact will be “significant” for individual rural customers.
The upshot: Delivery speed may vary more across ZIP codes, especially if you’re mailing to long distances or hard-to-reach places.
Tip
To keep up with delivery changes, use USPS’s online tools, which now offer more precise tracking based on 5-digit ZIP code pairs. This can give you a better sense of when to expect important mail or packages under the new standards.
The Bottom Line
USPS is shifting how—and how quickly—it delivers packages as part of a massive cost-cutting plan. While most mail won’t be affected, those in rural areas or sending across the country may want to build in some extra buffer time. For online shoppers, that might mean hitting “order” a day or two earlier.
