USPS Changes Postal Service Standards
link to page 2 
INSIGHTi
USPS Changes Postal Service Standards
October 14, 2021
Under new regulations that went into effect on October 1, 2021, the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) adjusted
its service standards on select market-dominant products, specifically First-Class Mail and Periodicals.
Service standards reflect USPS’s estimate of the amount of time it will take to deliver a piece of mail. The
new standards increase the target in-transit time for delivery by 1-2 days. While some market-dominant
mail will be unaffected, USPS expects that approximately 40% of First-Class Mail (particularly that
which travels longer distances) will be subject to an adjusted standard that is 1-2 days greater than the
previous standard. Most local First-Class Mail (i.e., mail traveling three hours or less) will keep its 2-day
standard.
USPS Service Standards
Postal service delivery standards are “the stated delivery performance goal[s] for a mail class or product.
Taking into account network logistics and feasibility, a service standard reflects the number of days after
acceptance of mail by which the sender and recipient can expect it to be delivered.” USPS also applies
business rules based on the distance a mail piece must travel.
As shown in Appendix A to Title 39, Section 121, of the Code of Federal Regulations and Table 1, the
end-to-end range for First-Class Mail within the contiguous United States through September 30, 2021,
was 1-3 days, for Periodicals it was 3-9 days, and for Marketing Mail (formerly Standard Mail) it was 3-
10 days.
Process to Change Postal Service Standards
To make changes to its service standards, USPS is required to file notice with the Postal Regulatory
Commission (PRC) seeking an advisory opinion “within a reasonable time prior to the effective date of
such proposal” (39 U.S.C. §3661). On April 21, 2021, USPS filed a request for an advisory opinion from
the PRC due to its planned changes to service standards (PRC Docket N-2021-1). On July 20, 2021, the
PRC issued its advisory opinion, which makes the following recommendations to USPS:
Communicate realistic performance targets,
Monitor implementation to balance savings and service,
Monitor implementation to drive transportation efficiency,
Gauge customer satisfaction specifically for its proposed changes,
Congressional Research Service
https://crsreports.congress.gov
IN11776
CRS INSIGHT
Prepared for Members and
Committees of Congress
link to page 2 link to page 3 Congressional Research Service
2
Allow transparency into ongoing feedback and consider changes due to that feedback,
and
Limit the use of econometric demand analyses for purposes for which it does not provide
meaningful results.
The USPS is not required to follow the PRC’s recommendations. On August 11, 2021, USPS published
its final rule, “Revised Service Standards for Market Dominant Mail Products,” in the Federal Register
with an effective date of October 1, 2021. In its final rule, USPS stated that it “does not concur with many
portions of the PRC’s advisory opinion” but that it “largely agrees with the PRC’s recommendations, and
will be following most of them as these new service standards are implemented.”
New Service Standards as of October 1, 2021
As shown in Table 1, as of October 1, 2021, the end-to-end range for First-Class Mail within the
contiguous United States is 1-5 days, while the end-to-end range for Periodicals is 3-9 days and, for
Marketing Mail, 3-10 days. Within the end-to-end ranges, USPS adjusted its distance-based business rules
for First-Class Mail and Periodicals, increasing the number of days for mail with delivery drive times
exceeding 20 hours. USPS also increased the end-to-end ranges 1-2 days for First-Class Mail and
Periodicals traveling within and to/from noncontiguous states and territories, such as Puerto Rico and
Guam. Standards for Marketing Mail and Package Services were unchanged.
Table 1. USPS Service Standards
Mail Traveling within Contiguous States and DC
End-to-End Range (days)
Mail Class
Service Standards
Revised Standards
(through September 30, 2021)
(effective October 1, 2021)
First-Class Mail
1-3
1-5
Periodicals
3-9
3-9
Marketing Mail
3-10
3-10
Package Services
2-8
2-8
Source: 39 C.F.R. §121, Appendix A; USPS, “Revised Service Standards for Market Dominant Mail Products,” 86 Federal
Register 43941.
Notes: USPS’s service standards map is available at https://postalpro.usps.com/ppro-tools/service-standards-maps.
In a news release on the proposed changes, USPS stated that the 1-2 day increases in service standards
will enable them to rely more on ground transit (as opposed to air transit) for long-distance deliveries,
which is a primary component of USPS’s Delivering for America 10-Year Plan. USPS argued that the
changes will “help the organization achieve its goal of consistently meeting 95 percent service
performance.”
USPS Service Performance
Postal service standards are not a “delivery by” guarantee. Instead, USPS sets annual percentage targets
for performance for each class of mail. USPS’s adherence to its service standards is measured against
those performance targets. USPS’s service performance for FY2020 is provided in the PRC Annual
Compliance Determination Report. The PRC also publishes service performance data in Quarterly
Service Performance Reports. Table 2 provides a summary of select USPS FY2021 third-quarter (Q3)
service performance data.
Congressional Research Service
3
Table 2. Select USPS Service Performance Data
FY2021 Q3
Mail Class
FY2021 Performance
FY2021 Q3 Percent on
Target
Time (National)
Single-Piece First Class (2-day)
87.81%
90.8
Single-Piece First Class (3-5-day)
68.64%
73.8
Presort First Class (overnight)
93.99%
95.2
Presort First Class (2-day)
89.20%
92.2
Marketing Mail
86.62%
73.7
Marketing Mail Destination Entry (mailpieces entered at
86.62%
93.3
distribution center or other processing facility)
Package Services
90.00%
86.3
Periodicals
86.62%
79.0
Single-Piece First Class International (Inbound/Outbound)
82.43%
74.4
Source: PRC, FY2021 Q3 Quarterly Service Performance Reports.
Current Legislative Efforts
USPS revised its service standards for market-dominant mail products in 2012 as part of its broader
Network Rationalization initiative, and multiple bills have been introduced since instructing USPS to roll
back standards to those that were in place before the revision. For example, in the 117th Congress, H.Res.
119 expresses the sense of the House that USPS should “take all appropriate measures to restore service
standards [to those] in effect as of July 1, 2012.” Additionally, S. 1678 and H.R. 2230, the Delivering
Envelopes Judiciously On-time Year-round Act (or “DEJOY Act”) would require USPS to adopt service
standards for First-Class Mail that were in effect on January 1, 2021.
Author Information
Michelle D. Christensen
Analyst in Government Organization and Management
Disclaimer
This document was prepared by the Congressional Research Service (CRS). CRS serves as nonpartisan shared staff
to congressional committees and Members of Congress. It operates solely at the behest of and under the direction of
Congress. Information in a CRS Report should not be relied upon for purposes other than public understanding of
information that has been provided by CRS to Members of Congress in connection with CRS’s institutional role.
CRS Reports, as a work of the United States Government, are not subject to copyright protection in the United
States. Any CRS Report may be reproduced and distributed in its entirety without permission from CRS. However,
Congressional Research Service
4
as a CRS Report may include copyrighted images or material from a third party, you may need to obtain the
permission of the copyright holder if you wish to copy or otherwise use copyrighted material.
IN11776 · VERSION 1 · NEW
INSIGHTi
USPS Changes Postal Service Standards
October 14, 2021
Under new regulations that went into effect on October 1, 2021, the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) adjusted
its service standards on select market-dominant products, specifically First-Class Mail and Periodicals.
Service standards reflect USPS’s estimate of the amount of time it will take to deliver a piece of mail. The
new standards increase the target in-transit time for delivery by 1-2 days. While some market-dominant
mail will be unaffected, USPS expects that approximately 40% of First-Class Mail (particularly that
which travels longer distances) will be subject to an adjusted standard that is 1-2 days greater than the
previous standard. Most local First-Class Mail (i.e., mail traveling three hours or less) will keep its 2-day
standard.
USPS Service Standards
Postal service delivery standards are “the stated delivery performance goal[s] for a mail class or product.
Taking into account network logistics and feasibility, a service standard reflects the number of days after
acceptance of mail by which the sender and recipient can expect it to be delivered.” USPS also applies
business rules based on the distance a mail piece must travel.
As shown in Appendix A to Title 39, Section 121, of the Code of Federal Regulations and Table 1, the
end-to-end range for First-Class Mail within the contiguous United States through September 30, 2021,
was 1-3 days, for Periodicals it was 3-9 days, and for Marketing Mail (formerly Standard Mail) it was 3-
10 days.
Process to Change Postal Service Standards
To make changes to its service standards, USPS is required to file notice with the Postal Regulatory
Commission (PRC) seeking an advisory opinion “within a reasonable time prior to the effective date of
such proposal” (39 U.S.C. §3661). On April 21, 2021, USPS filed a request for an advisory opinion from
the PRC due to its planned changes to service standards (PRC Docket N-2021-1). On July 20, 2021, the
PRC issued its advisory opinion, which makes the following recommendations to USPS:
Communicate realistic performance targets,
Monitor implementation to balance savings and service,
Monitor implementation to drive transportation efficiency,
Gauge customer satisfaction specifically for its proposed changes,
Congressional Research Service
https://crsreports.congress.gov
IN11776
CRS INSIGHT
Prepared for Members and
Committees of Congress
link to page 2 link to page 3 Congressional Research Service
2
Allow transparency into ongoing feedback and consider changes due to that feedback,
and
Limit the use of econometric demand analyses for purposes for which it does not provide
meaningful results.
The USPS is not required to follow the PRC’s recommendations. On August 11, 2021, USPS published
its final rule, “Revised Service Standards for Market Dominant Mail Products,” in the Federal Register
with an effective date of October 1, 2021. In its final rule, USPS stated that it “does not concur with many
portions of the PRC’s advisory opinion” but that it “largely agrees with the PRC’s recommendations, and
will be following most of them as these new service standards are implemented.”
New Service Standards as of October 1, 2021
As shown in Table 1, as of October 1, 2021, the end-to-end range for First-Class Mail within the
contiguous United States is 1-5 days, while the end-to-end range for Periodicals is 3-9 days and, for
Marketing Mail, 3-10 days. Within the end-to-end ranges, USPS adjusted its distance-based business rules
for First-Class Mail and Periodicals, increasing the number of days for mail with delivery drive times
exceeding 20 hours. USPS also increased the end-to-end ranges 1-2 days for First-Class Mail and
Periodicals traveling within and to/from noncontiguous states and territories, such as Puerto Rico and
Guam. Standards for Marketing Mail and Package Services were unchanged.
Table 1. USPS Service Standards
Mail Traveling within Contiguous States and DC
End-to-End Range (days)
Mail Class
Service Standards
Revised Standards
(through September 30, 2021)
(effective October 1, 2021)
First-Class Mail
1-3
1-5
Periodicals
3-9
3-9
Marketing Mail
3-10
3-10
Package Services
2-8
2-8
Source: 39 C.F.R. §121, Appendix A; USPS, “Revised Service Standards for Market Dominant Mail Products,” 86 Federal
Register 43941.
Notes: USPS’s service standards map is available at https://postalpro.usps.com/ppro-tools/service-standards-maps.
In a news release on the proposed changes, USPS stated that the 1-2 day increases in service standards
will enable them to rely more on ground transit (as opposed to air transit) for long-distance deliveries,
which is a primary component of USPS’s Delivering for America 10-Year Plan. USPS argued that the
changes will “help the organization achieve its goal of consistently meeting 95 percent service
performance.”
USPS Service Performance
Postal service standards are not a “delivery by” guarantee. Instead, USPS sets annual percentage targets
for performance for each class of mail. USPS’s adherence to its service standards is measured against
those performance targets. USPS’s service performance for FY2020 is provided in the PRC Annual
Compliance Determination Report. The PRC also publishes service performance data in Quarterly
Service Performance Reports. Table 2 provides a summary of select USPS FY2021 third-quarter (Q3)
service performance data.
Congressional Research Service
3
Table 2. Select USPS Service Performance Data
FY2021 Q3
Mail Class
FY2021 Performance
FY2021 Q3 Percent on
Target
Time (National)
Single-Piece First Class (2-day)
87.81%
90.8
Single-Piece First Class (3-5-day)
68.64%
73.8
Presort First Class (overnight)
93.99%
95.2
Presort First Class (2-day)
89.20%
92.2
Marketing Mail
86.62%
73.7
Marketing Mail Destination Entry (mailpieces entered at
86.62%
93.3
distribution center or other processing facility)
Package Services
90.00%
86.3
Periodicals
86.62%
79.0
Single-Piece First Class International (Inbound/Outbound)
82.43%
74.4
Source: PRC, FY2021 Q3 Quarterly Service Performance Reports.
Current Legislative Efforts
USPS revised its service standards for market-dominant mail products in 2012 as part of its broader
Network Rationalization initiative, and multiple bills have been introduced since instructing USPS to roll
back standards to those that were in place before the revision. For example, in the 117th Congress, H.Res.
119 expresses the sense of the House that USPS should “take all appropriate measures to restore service
standards [to those] in effect as of July 1, 2012.” Additionally, S. 1678 and H.R. 2230, the Delivering
Envelopes Judiciously On-time Year-round Act (or “DEJOY Act”) would require USPS to adopt service
standards for First-Class Mail that were in effect on January 1, 2021.
Author Information
Michelle D. Christensen
Analyst in Government Organization and Management
Disclaimer
This document was prepared by the Congressional Research Service (CRS). CRS serves as nonpartisan shared staff
to congressional committees and Members of Congress. It operates solely at the behest of and under the direction of
Congress. Information in a CRS Report should not be relied upon for purposes other than public understanding of
information that has been provided by CRS to Members of Congress in connection with CRS’s institutional role.
CRS Reports, as a work of the United States Government, are not subject to copyright protection in the United
States. Any CRS Report may be reproduced and distributed in its entirety without permission from CRS. However,
Congressional Research Service
4
as a CRS Report may include copyrighted images or material from a third party, you may need to obtain the
permission of the copyright holder if you wish to copy or otherwise use copyrighted material.
IN11776 · VERSION 1 · NEW