How Long Does Shipping Take? Business Days by Service

Transit estimates by service and destination zone, which of them carry a guarantee, and what a business day does and does not include.

A USPS Priority Mail parcel scanned on a Thursday has a 2–3 business day window: Saturday or Monday. Saturday is a delivery day and counts; Sunday is not a Priority Mail delivery day, so the window steps over it.
Transit estimates are counted in business days from the day the carrier accepts the parcel, not the day the label is printed. USPS counts Saturday, and leaves a Sunday or federal holiday out of the count only when the parcel goes out on the Saturday or the day before the holiday. UPS® Ground and FedEx Ground count Monday through Friday, holidays excepted. FedEx Home Delivery, which shares the FedEx Ground row, is the exception: its business days run Monday through Sunday, holidays excepted, where it delivers on weekends. Zone matters as much as service: the same service is faster to a neighbouring state than across the country. These 8 guides give the range by service and say whether it is a guarantee or an estimate.

I'd Ship That prints discounted USPS and UPS labels at the same delivery speeds the carriers publish. Services from carriers we do not sell appear here as reference only.

If a parcel is already moving and you want to know whether a scan is stalled, the tracking-status guides answer that question instead.

Fastest to slowest

8 services on one shared count of days

  • Day 0 is the acceptance scan, where every count starts.
  • An open end is an estimate: the parcel can arrive later.
  • A hard stop is a guaranteed date, backed by a money-back guarantee.
  1. USPS Priority Mail Express 1–3 delivery days USPS Priority Mail Express delivers in 1 to 3 days by 6 PM and is the only USPS service with a money-back guarantee. Guaranteed with a money-back guarantee
  2. USPS Priority Mail 2–3 business days USPS Priority Mail has a 2 to 3 day service objective, and you can look up the expected date for your own ZIP. Not guaranteed
  3. USPS Flat Rate 2–3 business days USPS Priority Mail Flat Rate ships at Priority Mail speed, typically 2-3 business days, and is not guaranteed. Not guaranteed
  4. UPS® Ground 1–5 business days UPS® Ground typically delivers in 1-5 business days across the contiguous US, day-definite by ZIP pair. Not guaranteed
  5. FedEx Ground Reference only 1–5 business days FedEx Ground and FedEx Home Delivery typically deliver in 1-5 business days by distance, with no money-back guarantee. Not guaranteed
  6. USPS Ground Advantage 2–5 business days USPS Ground Advantage typically delivers in 2-5 business days, often 2-3 on nearby lanes and 4-5 coast to coast. Not guaranteed
  7. USPS First-Class Package 2–5 business days USPS First-Class Package became Ground Advantage in 2023; sub-1-lb parcels still ship in 2-5 business days. Not guaranteed
  8. USPS Media Mail 2–8 business days USPS Media Mail typically takes 2-8 business days, is not guaranteed, and is restricted to eligible media only. Not guaranteed

Each span is the window published in that service's guide. USPS Priority Mail Express counts delivery days, every day of the year to most addresses; a Sunday or holiday counts only where that delivery is offered and its premium is paid, otherwise the guaranteed date moves to the next delivery day. USPS Priority Mail, USPS Flat Rate, USPS Ground Advantage, USPS First-Class Package and USPS Media Mail count Saturday as a business day and leave a Sunday or federal holiday out of the count only when the parcel goes out on the Saturday or the day before the holiday. Every other service here counts business days, which exclude weekends and holidays. FedEx Home Delivery, which shares the FedEx Ground row, is the exception: its business days run Monday through Sunday, holidays excepted, where it delivers on weekends.

Shipping for Christmas? USPS's 2026 holiday send-by datesLower 48: USPS Ground Advantage by Dec 17, First-Class Mail (cards and letters) by Dec 17, Priority Mail by Dec 18, Priority Mail Express by Dec 19.

Where to Go Next#

Cheapest way to ship an item
Packing and service picks, item by item.
Rates by service
Zone and weight breaks for each USPS and UPS service.
Carrier comparisons
Where the cheaper carrier flips between two options.
Cost by package weight
What a package costs at each weight tier.
Guides by selling platform
Which service each marketplace expects.

Same Speed, Lower Price#

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