The United States Postal Service (USPS) will observe a complete nationwide shutdown on Thursday, 1 January 2026, to mark the New Year's Day federal holiday. All post office locations and regular mail services will pause for a full 24 hours, resuming normal operations on Friday, 2 January.
USPS Operations on New Year's Eve and Day
While the major closure is set for New Year's Day, services will continue on the preceding day, 31 December. Local post offices will remain open, and mail will be collected from the iconic Blue Collection boxes. The USPS has advised customers that if the regular collection time passes, they should locate a post office that may have extended hours.
On New Year's Eve, both regular mail and Priority Mail Express will be delivered as usual. This provides a final window for shoppers rushing to return gifts or complete last-minute postal tasks before the holiday deadline.
What to Expect on January 1, 2026
Come New Year's Day, the situation changes completely. All local post offices will be closed. There will be no pickup from Blue Collection Boxes, and regular mail delivery will not occur. The sole exception to the delivery halt is the Priority Mail Express service, which will continue to operate even on the holiday.
The postal service recommends that customers contact their local post offices directly to confirm specific operating hours for New Year's Eve, as times may vary.
Complete USPS Holiday Calendar for 2026
The New Year's Day closure is just the first in a series of scheduled holidays for the USPS in 2026. Following the January 1 shutdown, the next closure will be for Martin Luther King, Jr. Day on 19 January.
Here is the full list of USPS holidays for the year:
- 19 January: Martin Luther King, Jr. Day
- 16 February: Presidents' Day
- 25 May: Memorial Day
- 19 June: Juneteenth
- 4 July: Independence Day
- 7 September: Labor Day
- 12 October: Columbus Day
- 11 November: Veterans Day
- 26 November: Thanksgiving Day
- 25 December: Christmas Day
Notably, August is the only month in 2026 without a scheduled USPS holiday.
FedEx Services on New Year's Day
Similar to USPS, major logistics competitor FedEx will also largely suspend operations on New Year's Day. FedEx, FedEx Freight, FedEx Office, and FedEx Logistics will all remain closed on 1 January 2026. The only service that will continue is the FedEx Custom Critical service, which handles time-sensitive, special-handling shipments.
This coordinated holiday pause across major delivery services underscores the significance of the New Year's Day federal holiday in the United States, affecting millions of senders and recipients. Planning ahead is essential for those with time-sensitive mailing needs around the year-end period.
