You’re staring at an empty mailbox. Or maybe you're refreshing a tracking page that hasn't budged since 4:00 AM. It’s frustrating. We’ve all been there, wondering if that specific Amazon package or the wedding invite you're expecting is actually going to show up or if the mail truck is just skipping your block.
Honestly, the answer to does the USPS deliver today usually boils down to the calendar and the clock.
Today is Wednesday, January 14, 2026. Since it is a standard Wednesday and not a federal holiday, the short answer is yes—the United States Postal Service is out there making its rounds. But "yes" doesn't always mean your mail arrives at the time you expect.
The 2026 Holiday Wall: When the Trucks Stop
The biggest reason you wouldn’t get mail today is a federal holiday. The USPS follows a strict schedule of 11 observed holidays. On these days, regular mail stops, post offices lock their doors, and only the highest-tier priority items move.
We just got through New Year’s Day, but the next big "no-mail" day is coming up fast: Martin Luther King Jr. Day on Monday, January 19, 2026. If you are reading this on that coming Monday, your mailbox will be empty.
Here is what the rest of the 2026 "off" days look like:
- Presidents' Day: Monday, February 16
- Memorial Day: Monday, May 25
- Juneteenth: Friday, June 19
- Independence Day: Saturday, July 4
- Labor Day: Monday, September 7
- Columbus Day: Monday, October 12
- Veterans Day: Wednesday, November 11
- Thanksgiving: Thursday, November 26
- Christmas: Friday, December 25
If today isn't one of those dates, the mail should be moving. Unless, of course, it's Sunday.
The Sunday Exception (And why you might still see a truck)
Sundays used to be a total blackout for the post office. Not anymore. If you see a white LLV (that's the classic boxy mail truck) buzzing around your neighborhood on a Sunday, they aren't delivering letters or magazines.
They are delivering two specific things: Priority Mail Express and Amazon packages.
USPS has a long-standing deal with Amazon to handle "last-mile" delivery on Sundays. It keeps the system from getting overwhelmed on Mondays. So, while your electric bill won't show up on a Sunday, that new toaster you ordered Friday night very well might.
How Late Does the Mail Actually Run?
Most people assume the mail "stops" at 5:00 PM. That’s a myth.
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While 5:00 PM is the target for most carriers to be back at the station, "business hours" don't apply to the road. If a carrier has a heavy route or if someone called out sick and they’re splitting an extra route, they stay out until the job is done.
I've seen mail delivered at 8:30 PM in suburban neighborhoods during high-volume weeks. In 2025 and 2026, staffing shortages in certain regions have made these late-night drops more common. Basically, don't give up hope until the sun is long gone.
What changes the timing?
- Mail Volume: Mondays are almost always the latest delivery days because they’re processing everything from Sunday.
- Weather: Snow, heavy rain, or extreme heat slows everything down. If a carrier is safe, they're moving, but they’re moving slower.
- New Carriers: If you have a "sub" on your route, they don't know the shortcuts. They’ll be late.
- Priority Mail Express: This service is guaranteed by 10:30 AM or 6:00 PM depending on the location. These packages often get delivered by a separate driver than your regular mail person.
The Informed Delivery Trick
If you’re tired of checking the box, you’ve gotta sign up for Informed Delivery. It’s a free service from the USPS that sends you a daily email with grayscale photos of the mail that went through the sorter for your address that morning.
It isn't perfect. Sometimes a letter is scanned at the distribution center but doesn't make it onto the truck for a day or two. But it’s the best way to know if the USPS delivers today specifically for you. If you don't see an email, or your dashboard is empty, you probably aren't getting anything but junk mail or "current resident" flyers.
Why Your Tracking Might Be Lying to You
"Out for Delivery" is the most beautiful phrase in the English language until it's 7:00 PM and there's no package.
Sometimes, a package is scanned as "Out for Delivery" when it's loaded onto the truck, but the carrier simply runs out of time. They are limited by "hours of service" rules for safety. If they hit their limit, they head back. The package stays on the truck and usually arrives first thing the next morning.
Also, watch out for the "Delivered" scan that happens a few minutes before the truck actually stops. Some carriers scan the whole block’s worth of packages while they’re parked at the end of the street to save time. It’s annoying, but give it 15 or 20 minutes before you start calling the postmaster.
Specific Logistics for Businesses
If you’re running a business, "today" matters for your outgoing mail too. Most blue collection boxes have a pickup time. If you drop a letter in at 5:01 PM and the sticker says 4:00 PM, that mail isn't moving "today." It sits there until tomorrow.
Always check the pickup schedule on the box. In many cities, there is one "main" post office (usually near the airport or downtown) that has a much later pickup time, sometimes as late as 8:00 or 9:00 PM.
Final Insights for Your Mailbox
If the mail hasn't come yet and it's a normal weekday, just hang tight. The USPS is a massive machine with a lot of moving parts, and occasionally those parts get stuck in traffic.
To take control of your mail today, your best bet is to check the USPS Service Alerts page if there's a storm in your area, or log into Informed Delivery to see what’s actually in the pipeline. If your tracking says "Delivered" but the box is empty, wait until tomorrow morning—90% of the time, it’s just a premature scan or a package that was dropped at a neighbor’s house by mistake and will be corrected soon.
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For the most accurate status of a missing piece of mail, you can submit a Missing Mail Search Request on the USPS website, but you usually have to wait 7 days after the expected delivery date to do so.