Many people are using the United States Postal Service (USPS) more than usual around the holidays. People have to get their packages out on time, and there are small businesses which rely on the postal service to get their products delivered. For these people, knowing 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 United States 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.

Post Office Holidays

January 1 (Thursday) The post office is closed New Year’s Day.

January 19 (Monday) The post office is closed Martin Luther King, Jr. Day..

February 16 (Monday) The post office is closed Presidents’ Day (officially known as Washington’s birthday)..

May 25 (Monday) The post office is closed Memorial Day..

April 15 (Wednesday) Some post offices are open extended hours on Tax Day..

July 3 (Friday) The post office is open on July 3 when federal government will observe Independence Day..

July 4 (Saturday) The post office is closed on Independence Day..

September 7 (Monday) The post office is closed Labor Day..

October 12 (Monday) The post office is closed Columbus Day..

November 11 (Wednesday) The post office is closed Veteran’s Day..

November 26 (Thursday) The post office is closed Thanksgiving Day..

December 13 (Sunday) Some post offices are open the second Sunday before Christmas..

December 20 (Sunday) Some post offices are open the Sunday before Christmas..

December 24 (Thursday) The post office is open Christmas Eve, but closes early..

December 25 (Friday) The post office is closed Christmas Day..

December 31 (Friday) The post office is open New Year’s Eve, but closes early..

January 1 (Friday) The post office is closed New Year’s Day 2016..

However, you may have noticed that the holiday schedule does not outline any extended hours or extra days for USPS. Around the holidays, larger post office sometimes extended their hours, and some of them open days they normally wouldn’t be to provide extra time for people trying to get packages and cards delivered on time.

Extended days are only a few days out of the year where postal traffic is higher than usual. One of those days is tax day, April 15. The post office also offers altered hours around Christmastime when many people are sending cards and gifts.

The USPS is usually closed on Sundays, but there are exceptions. Many people use USPS at the end of the year when people are mailing holiday gifts. Some of the larger post offices will remain open the two Sundays before Christmas. This is to help deal with the added demand of sending packages around the holidays. 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.