USPS rolled out phase one of Service Standard changes on April 1st, and it rolled out phase two on July 1st. Service standards indicate the expected number of days for delivery after a mailpiece is accepted by USPS.
In April, the Postal Service added one day to Service Standard for Ground Advantage and Single Piece First-Class, among other changes. An excerpt of Tuesday’s USPS press release explained what changed in phase two:
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.
What does “increase the reach” of service standards mean? Presumably that’s a good thing for mail that is within a certain geographic area. According to an April 25th Service Standard Changes Fact Sheet: “The new Service Standards allow us to dispatch earlier from Origin postal facilities, reach further, and enhance customer service for mail and shipping products. This will improve service reliability and enable critical revenue growth.”
In March, we reported on the Service Standard changes, including the Postal Regulatory Commission (PRC)’s concern that excluding Sundays and holidays as transit days for volume entered into the network on Saturdays or the day before a holiday would in reality extend delivery to up to 6 or more days, characterizing the change as a “degradation in service.”
According to the USPS Changes in Service Standards FAQs (updated May 9, 2025), the Postal Service explained how the change would affect the general public – for example, a person sending a birthday card or a letter to a friend. The impact would depend on the location of the sender and the recipient. “Customers who tender mail to USPS on Saturday or the day before a holiday should account for the day(s) now excluded from service measurement while estimating the expected delivery date for the tendered mail,” it said.
Just a few years ago, you could put a first-class stamp on a birthday card and expect it to arrive in 1-3 days, no matter how far away the recipient lived. Now it could take 6 days – and it costs you more.