US Postal Service Confirms Big Changes Starting April 1st – Maine, New Hampshire & Massachusetts Take Note

Like many businesses and organizations, the way that the United States Postal Service operates is always changing.

In the 1800s, most mail was moved via horse and stagecoach.  Later, it was transported on trains.  In the 1920s, air mail allowed for letters and packages to cross the country in a matter of hours, instead of days.

These days, even though most informal correspondences are done through email or social media, and most bills are paid online, the USPS still ships millions of pieces of mail per day.

In order to remain a financially viable business, we have seen the USPS make some major changes in the last few years.  In most cases, these changes involved an increase in the rates for mailing items.

For example, on January 19th, a series of price increases went into effect

Another series of chances will go into effect on April 1st, 2025.  These changes will have to do with the amount of time it takes to deliver mail.

Big Changes Coming to the US Postal Service in April 2025

According to an article in Newsweek, as part of the 10-year 'Delivering for America' plan, the USPS will adjust how they deliver first-class mail, periodicals, marketing mail, and package services.

The delivery time for 75% of mail will not change.  About 14% of mail will be delivered in a more timely manner and about 11% will be delivered slightly slower.  However, all of the affected mail will still be delivered in the 1 to 5-day range.

Additionally, the USPS will soon start using a five-digit suffix following the five-digit zip code.  This should allow for faster, and more accurate, delivery of your mail.

If you live in an area where you haven't been receiving mail every day for the past few years, we have some good news for you. Recent changes to USPS policies will address this issue. Mail carriers will now be allowed to leave the post office earlier and travel farther than they previously could.

Why is the United States Postal Service Making These Changes?

These changes are being made in order to increase customer satisfaction.  Additionally, the changes will save the USPS billions of dollars over the next few years.

The USPS website says, in part:

As a result of these refined service standards, the Postal Service projects at least $36 billion in savings over 10 years from transportation, mail processing, and real estate cost reductions. As part of the ongoing “Delivering for America” plan, the Postal Service has to date lowered $1.8 billion in annual transportation costs by eliminating redundant networks and rationalizing the use of air and surface options, and reduced 45 million workhours, or $2.3 billion annually, by improving plant productivity, and eliminating unnecessary facilities.

You can read more about these changes on the USPS website.