Not long ago, the post office was completely closed on Sundays. Now, that isn’t the case. Thanks to a deal with Amazon, many United States Postal Service (USPS) locations deliver Amazon packages on Sundays. For many, this leads to a degree of confusion. If USPS is hitting the road on Sundays for deliveries, does that mean the post office is open on Easter? What about on other Sundays? If you aren’t sure whether USPS is operating on Easter, here’s what you need to know.
Is the Post Office Open on Easter?
No, the post office isn’t open on Easter. In fact, USPS locations usually aren’t open to customers on any Sunday, even if they support Sunday deliveries. While you can get to unlocked, self-service areas within a post office building, you can’t get help from an employee on Sundays.
But, since self-service options may be available, you can still get some mail moving on Easter Sunday. You might be able to get postage from machines, for example. Then, you can place outgoing items in the appropriate drop boxes. While they won’t get sorted until Monday, it still lets you complete an important step.
If you need assistance from an employee, you’ll need to head to the post office on another day. Here’s a look at how the post office operates near the Easter holiday:
- Good Friday, April 10 – Post offices follow regular business hours
- Easter Saturday, April 11 – Post offices with Saturday hours will follow their usual schedule
- Easter Monday, April 13 – Post offices follow regular business hours
Will There Be Easter Sunday Deliveries?
For regular mail, don’t expect to see any delivered on Easter. Even in areas with Sunday delivery, that only applies to specific packages and not regular mail.
If you’re wondering whether you might see a USPS package delivery on Easter Sunday, the answer is a resounding maybe. Easter isn’t technically a federal holiday. Since most government agencies shut down on holidays, making Easter an official holiday wouldn’t usually be necessary. Most people would have the day off anyway.
However, since USPS offers Sunday deliveries, it’s possible you could get a package on Easter. This is, albeit, a bit rare. Usually, you have to be in an area with a lot of parcel traffic for this to possibly occur. Many people aren’t in a zone where that would be the case. While it can happen, it’s best not to count on it. If you need something by Easter, order with enough time for it to arrive before Sunday.
Are FedEx or UPS Open on Easter?
By and large, no, neither FedEx nor UPS are open on Easter. UPS usually doesn’t operate on Sundays, aside from specialty services like UPS Express Critical (which is available on Easter).
As for FedEx, the company did start offering residential delivery every day of the week, beginning in January 2020, including no additional costs for Sunday deliveries. However, the company does recognize the Easter holiday, and only offers FedEx Custom Critical deliveries and FedEx Trade Networks services on Easter, as a result.
Post Office Holidays 2020
The USPS holiday schedule is based on the one set by the government. Here is a list of the 2020 official federal holidays:
- New Year’s Day – Wednesday, January 1
- Martin Luther King, Jr. Day – Monday, January 20
- President’s Day (Washington’s Birthday) – Monday, February 17
- Memorial Day – Monday, May 25
- Independence Day (Observed) – Friday, July 3
- Labor Day – Monday, September 7
- Columbus Day – Monday, October 12
- Veterans Day – Wednesday, November 11
- Thanksgiving Day – Thursday, November 26
- Christmas Day – Friday, December 25
Are Post Office Locations Open on Sundays?
Even if your region gets Sunday deliveries, post office employees don’t assist customers on that day. Operations are limited to specific kinds of package deliveries, so you cannot get assistance from the customer service counter.
Post Office Hours of Operation
Most post office locations follow similar hours of operation. Typically, Monday through Friday, they open at 8:00 am or 8:30 am and close at 5:00 pm or 6:00 pm. There are some locations that have longer hours, but they are fairly rare.
Saturday hours are a bit hit and miss. Not every location opens on Saturdays, so you’ll want to check at your post office in advance if you might need assistance from an employee. You can get details about each post office’s hours of operation on the USPS website.
Do you wish the post office was open on Easter? How about open on Sundays in general? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
Read More:
- Here’s the Cost of Easter Spending and How You Can Save
- 2020 Federal Holiday Schedule
- 10 Ways to Save Money on Easter
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Tamila McDonald is a U.S. Army veteran with 20 years of service, including five years as a military financial advisor. After retiring from the Army, she spent eight years as an AFCPE-certified personal financial advisor for wounded warriors and their families. Now she writes about personal finance and benefits programs for numerous financial websites.
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