Big United States Postal Service Changes Confirmed to Begin in Idaho on April 1

For some Idahoans, using the United States Postal Service to send mail is something you only do a few times a year. You send birthday and Christmas cards like clock work, but other than that you tend to rely on the internet for other important tasks like paying bills. 

On the flipside, you can’t avoid USPS on the receiving end. Unlike other carriers like FedEx and UPS, the postal service is the only service in the country that reaches every single address. That’s why so many government agencies, banks, insurance companies and local businesses still use direct mail as their preferred method of contacting customers. 

READ MORE: Do NOT Send Checks in the Mail Anymore in Idaho

Even Amazon sometimes passes delivery onto USPS. We recently experienced that when three of the four items we ordered were delivered directly by Amazon, but the fourth item was delivered by a traditional mail carrier and left in our mailbox rather than the doorstep. 

That’s why it's important for Idahoans to know about important changes the USPS is making starting April 1. 

USPS Confirms Mailing Service Changes Beginning April 1 in Idaho

Over the last year or so, you’ve seen the words “Delivering for America” thrown around any time the agency makes a change to stamp prices or rate hikes. It’s a plan they started working on to make the postal service more financially stable, improve service and modernize the network.

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The latest addition  to that plan was something they called “Refined Service Standards and Cost Reductions.” On February 26, a release from USPS claimed the changes they’re making will save $36 billion over the next 10 years. 

What does that mean for you and your fellow Idahoans? Newsweek simplified the release and revealed: 

• 75% of First-Class Mail will retain its current service standards
• 14% of First-Class Mail will see an improvement in delivery times
• 11% of First-Class Mail will experience slightly longer delivery times

They’re also making some tweaks to the zip code model and operation path of mail into three legs. The first phase of changes will kick in on April 1, with the second phase scheduled for July 1. 

It seems like the changes could be good for some Idahoans as USPS expects the changes to improve service in rural areas, ensuring better delivery of important mail like checks and medications. 

Layoffs Could Be Coming to the United States Postal Service

Things aren't exactly rosy at USPS. They lost $9.5 billion in Fiscal Year 2024. Now they're letting Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency or DOGE take a look at their operations.

According to Newsweek, the outgoing Postmaster, Louis DeJoy, wants DOGE to look at some of the things they have to do because Congress makes them. That includes everything from making deliveries six days a week to providing free PO boxes to those who don't have direct mail carrier service.

It's possible that the USPS will cut 10,000 jobs from their workforce in April. Those cuts are being labeled a "voluntary early retirement program."