New USPS Mailing Delays

A recent prediction model has estimated that only 13% of the country will see a one day increase [to USPS First Class mail] and less than 1% will see a two day increase.

If your phone is an extension of your hand like mine, then it's very likely you've seen this headline pop up somewhere this week. Postmaster General Louis DeJoy released a 10-year plan back in March to revitalize our postal service, stating, “The need for the U.S. Postal Service to transform to meet the needs of our customers is long overdue.” (Partenheimer) And statistically speaking, he's not wrong.

Each year, the Postal Service sets annual performance targets based on a variety of factors such as customer expectations, current production levels, cost expectations, and the list goes on (Targets). After one fiscal year, they figure out how close to the target they were – but, they aren't meeting those targets. Over the past 4 years, the unpredictability in mail delivery has increased (Postal Regulatory Commission), especially with air mail.

DeJoy has proposed to halve air mail transportation in half in pursuit of eliminating costs on an unreliable service. The latter will have an affect on the delivery time for First Class mail to some parts of the United States. Prior to 10/01/2021, the standard delivery timeframe for USPS First Class mail was 1 - 3 days. A recent prediction model (Schaul) has estimated that only 13% of the country will see a one day increase to this standard and less than 1% will see a two day increase.

To my fellow Checkeepers, fear not. We promise to always keep you posted on any updates that may impact the delivery of your checks. As of right now, regional single-piece First Class mail is still being promised it's 1-2 day timeframe.

Please note: our check fulfillment center is located in South Carolina. If you plan to send a check via USPS First Class to California or surrounding states, it may take up to 5 days. We suggest you plan accordingly for longer distanced mail, but we also understand that last minute transactions occur. We also offer UPS Next Day shipping for a more expedited process. If you are not using our check mailing services, click here and you'll see what you have been missing out on!

If you don't have a Checkeeper account, create a free trial - we promise we don't bite. If you need or just want to speak with us directly, you can do so by emailing us at support@checkeeper.com. We are available Monday through Friday, 9am - 5pm EST.

last updated: 10/06/2021

Citations

“Analysis of the Postal Service's FY 2020 Annual Performance Report and FY 2021 Performance Plan.” Reports | Postal Regulatory Commission, June 2, 2021. https://www.prc.gov/reports.

Partenheimer, David. “United States Postal Service Unveils 10-Year Plan to Achieve Financial Sustainability and Service Excellence.” USPS. Accessed October 6, 2021. https://about.usps.com/newsroom/national-releases/2021/0323-usps-unveils-10-year-plan-to-achieve-financial-sustainability-and-service-excellence.htm.

Schaul, Kevin, and Jacob Bogage. “DeJoy's USPS Slowdown Plan Will Delay the Mail. What's It Mean for Your Zip Code?” The Washington Post. WP Company, September 30, 2021. https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/interactive/2021/dejoy-usps-delays-by-zip-code-map/.

“Targets for Market Dominant Products.” PostalPro. Accessed October 6, 2021. https://postalpro.usps.com/MarketDominantProducts.

United States Postal Service. “USPS Delivering for America,” March 23, 2021. https://about.usps.com/what/strategic-plans/delivering-for-america/assets/USPS_Delivering-For-America.pdf.