The U.S. Postal Service is advising Americans to plan ahead if they are going to send mail long distances in the near future, as certain mail delivery will be slowed down starting Friday, Oct. 1. 

What You Need To Know

  • The U.S. Postal Service will add one to two days of transit time for “certain mail that is traveling longer distances" starting Friday, Oct. 1

  • The vast majority of mail — 61% of first-class mail and 93% of periodicals — will not be impacted by the slower service

  • First-class mail deliveries are considered “local” if there is less than a 3-hour drive between the facility of origin and its destination

  • The USPS will also temporarily raise prices on certain shipments between Oct. 3 - Dec. 26 of this year to offset the high volume of holiday shipments

The vast majority of mail — 61% of first-class mail and 93% of periodicals — will not be impacted by the slower service, and the standard delivery time for single-piece, first-class mail being delivered locally will continue at two days.

First-class mail deliveries are considered “local” if there is less than a 3-hour drive between the facility of origin and its destination. 

But the USPS will add one to two days of transit time for “certain mail that is traveling longer distances,” an agency fact sheet reads in part. 

“By doing so, the Postal Service can entrust its ground network to deliver more First-Class Mail, which will lead to greater consistency, reliability, and efficiency that benefits its customers,” the USPS added.

The changes are being implemented as part of the USPS’ “Delivering for America” initiative, a ten-year effort put forward by postmaster general Louis DeJoy earlier this year to overhaul the nation’s aging mail-delivery system. The plan is meant to protect the agency from a projected $160 billion loss over the next decade. 

Another, albeit temporary, change is set to take effect between Oct. 3 - Dec. 26 in an effort to offset “heightened peak-season package and shipping demand, which typically results in extra handling costs.”

The price hikes vary based on the type, weight and distance a package must travel, with the most dramatic increase for heavy packages being sent far away.

A long-distance package sent via priority mail, priority mail express, parcel select ground or USPS retail ground and weigh between 21-70 pounds will face a $5 shipping increase, while local deliveries weighing under 10 pounds will only see an increase of 25 cents.

The USPS made a similar price hike during the 2020 holiday season, and DeJoy was blamed for a steep decline in on-time deliveries around the holiday season last year.

DeJoy, a former supply-chain CEO major donor to former President Donald Trump and Republicans, was also accused by Democrats during the 2020 presidential election of changes that resulted in delays of mail service — including delivery of mail-in ballots. DeJoy denied the allegations, telling lawmakers in August of 2020 that "I am not engaged in sabotaging the election,” adding that he planned to vote by mail.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.