For those who use the United States Postal Service (USPS) on a regular basis, and especially those who have small businesses which rely on the postal service to get their products delivered, the post office holiday schedule can be vital. It’s important to know when the post office is open and when the post office is closed. The USPS is part of the U.S. government and, therefore, follows the federal holiday schedule. On the following federal holidays, the USPS will be closed, including post office branches, and there won’t be any standard mail delivery.
2023 Post Office Holidays
The post office closes on all of the major federal holidays throughout the year. Here are the holidays honored by the post office in 2019:
- January 1 (New Year’s Day) The post office is closed New Year’s Day 2023
- January 16 (Monday) The post office is closed Martin Luther King, Jr. Day
- February 20 (Monday) The post office is closed Presidents’ Day
- April 15 (Saturday) Some post offices are open extended hours on Tax Day
- May 29 (Monday) The post office is closed Memorial Day
- July 4 (Tuesday) The post office is closed on Independence Day
- September 4 (Monday) The post office is closed Labor Day
- October 9 (Monday) The post office is closed Columbus Day
- November 11 (Saturday) The post office is closed the day after Veteran’s Day in observance of the holiday
- November 23 (Thursday) The post office is closed Thanksgiving Day
- December 17 (Sunday) Some post offices are open the Sunday before Christmas
- December 24 (Sunday) The post office is closed Christmas Eve 2023 because it lands on a Sunday
- December 25 (Monday) The post office is closed Christmas Day
- December 31 (Sunday) The post office is closed New Year’s Eve because it falls on a Sunday in 2023
Postal Holidays to Remember
Most of the postal holidays above are ones you’d expect the post office to be closed. While tax day isn’t a holiday, many larger post offices will be open extended hours on or around April 15, to accommodate all the people trying to get their tax return letters in under the deadline. By extending the hours, it will ensure people get the needed April 15 postmark on their taxes up until midnight, when the post office usually closes much earlier. You will need to call your local post office to see if they will be open extended hours for tax day, and if so, until what time they will accept letters for postmarking.
The USPS is usually closed on Sundays, but there are exceptions. At the end of the year when people are mailing holiday gifts, some larger post offices remain open the a few Sundays before Christmas to help deal with the added demand of sending packages. Since this doesn’t apply to all post offices, you need to call your local post office to see if any in your area will be open on these days.