What 2023 Holidays Will Affect USPS Mailing Services?
Don’t let the 2023 mail service holiday schedule take you by surprise!
Have you ever ordered a package and sat eagerly waiting by the door only to remember it’s a holiday weekend? That gut-sinking feeling only gets worse when you’re trying to order gifts by a certain date and holiday mail service gets in the way.
Unfortunately, we can’t force the USPS to deliver on federal holidays. But we can help you be prepared and order strategically to avoid disappointing shipping delays.
Read on for a breakdown of the 2023 holidays and how they’ll affect USPS, UPS, and FedEx deliveries.
2023 Postal Service Holidays
In 2023, USPS mailing services won’t be available on the following dates:
DATE | DAY OF THE WEEK | HOLIDAY |
January 2nd* | Monday | New Year’s Day |
January 16th | Monday | Martin Luther King Jr. Day |
February 20th | Monday | President’s Day |
April 9th | Sunday | Easter |
May 29th | Monday | Memorial Day |
June 19th | Monday | Juneteenth National Independence Day |
July 4th | Tuesday | Independence Day |
September 4th | Monday | Labor Day |
October 9th | Monday | Columbus Day |
November 11th* | Saturday | Veterans Day |
November 23rd | Thursday | Thanksgiving Day |
December 25th | Monday | Christmas Day |
*Per the USPS: “If a holiday falls on a Sunday, for most USPS employees, the following Monday will be treated as a holiday for pay and leave purposes. If a holiday falls on a Saturday, for most USPS employees, the preceding Friday will be treated as a holiday for pay and leave purposes.”
It’s worth noting that these holidays are usually the same every year, it’s just the specific dates that change. However, sometimes there are new additions! For instance, Juneteenth only became a federal holiday in 2021, so it’s only been on the USPS holiday roster for two years. New holidays aren’t a frequent event, but they do happen! Because of that, it’s always best to check the USPS website each year for updates.
Does the USPS deliver on normal Sundays?
Technically, USPS does deliver on non-holiday Sundays, they just don’t deliver regular mail. There are a number of reasons for this that go all the way back into the 1800s, but we won’t dive into a full history lesson.
What’s important is that there are certain types of mail you can receive on Sundays! As of 2021, Priority Mail Express packages and Amazon packages can be delivered on Sundays. Unfortunately, these new deliveries require Sunday workers and as a result, you probably won’t reap the benefits unless you live in a major city like Los Angeles, Chicago, or New York.
There are some cases where you can pay extra for a Sunday delivery, but again, that’s a service reserved for non-holidays. If it’s a holiday Sunday, stop worrying about the mail and cozy up with your loved ones—your package can wait 24 more hours!
Do holidays affect non-USPS mail?
Yes! Even though other mail services like UPS and FedEx aren’t federal institutions, they still alter their schedules based on holidays—just like the majority of businesses across the country. That said, they have a bit more flexibility than the USPS as independent retailers.
You can find a detailed breakdown of UPS and FedEx holiday dates on their respective websites, but here’s a basic comparison on the major holidays in 2023. Keep in mind that USPS remains closed on all of these holidays.
DATE | DAY OF THE WEEK | HOLIDAY | UPS | FEDEX |
January 2nd* | Monday | New Year’s Day | CLOSED | OPEN |
January 16th | Monday | Martin Luther King Jr. Day | OPEN | OPEN |
February 20th | Monday | President’s Day | OPEN | OPEN |
April 9th | Sunday | Easter | CLOSED | CLOSED |
May 29th | Monday | Memorial Day | CLOSED | CLOSED |
June 19th | Monday | Juneteenth National Independence Day | OPEN | OPEN |
July 4th | Tuesday | Independence Day | CLOSED | CLOSED |
September 4th | Monday | Labor Day | CLOSED | CLOSED |
October 9th | Monday | Columbus Day | OPEN | OPEN |
November 11th* | Saturday | Veterans Day | OPEN | OPEN |
November 23rd | Thursday | Thanksgiving Day | CLOSED | CLOSED |
December 25th | Monday | Christmas Day | CLOSED | CLOSED |
IMPORTANT NOTE: Unlike the USPS, UPS and FedEx aren’t always completely open or closed. Because they offer many different services, they frequently offer “modified” service on holidays that might only apply to one or a few of their services.
For instance, on Veterans Day (November 11th), FedEx’s detailed service lists:
- FedEx Express: OPEN
- FedEx Ground: CLOSED
- FedEx Home Delivery: OPEN
- FedEx Ground Economy: CLOSED
- FedEx Freight: CLOSED
- FedEx Office: OPEN
- FedEx Custom Critical: OPEN
- FedEx Trade Networks: OPEN
That’s a lot of services with different statuses to keep track of! When in doubt, it’s always best to check your specific service and make sure they actually deliver when you need them to.
Is the post office open on holidays?
Sometimes! The post office remains open on most federal holidays, though mail isn’t being delivered. Even if mail delivery is suspended, an open post office still means you can check your PO box, buy stamps, and mail out packages (even if they won’t get moving until the next day). However, there are four holidays every year when all post offices close:
- New Years Day, January 1st
- Independence Day, July 4th
- Thanksgiving Day, flexible
- Christmas Day, December 25th AND 26th
On these four days, mail stress won’t get you anywhere. Just sit back, relax, and enjoy time with your loved ones!
Not every post office keeps the same schedule, so to check the hours and availability of your particular location, use the USPS PO Locator tool.
Can I get holiday mail if I'm traveling?
While mailing services around the US will always be limited on certain holidays, that doesn’t mean the holiday season should stress you out!
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