Royal Mail Weekday and Weekend Delivery Times
Waiting for a delivery? Whether it’s a birthday card, a business letter or a special online order, knowing when your post will arrive helps you plan your day.
Here’s everything you need to know about Royal Mail’s delivery times – including weekends and late deliveries.
What time do Royal Mail deliver every day?
Royal Mail usually delivers to UK addresses on Monday to Saturday between 7am and 4.30pm for letters and small parcels.
In busy areas or during peak times, some deliveries may take place a little later.
Do Royal Mail deliver on a Saturday?
Yes, we deliver on Saturdays. You can expect to receive letters, parcels and tracked items as normal on a Saturday, although delivery times may vary slightly from weekday schedules.
Do Royal Mail deliver on a Sunday?
Sunday deliveries are not currently part of Royal Mail’s standard service. However, certain services such as Royal Mail Tracked 24® may include Sunday delivery in some areas, particularly for parcels.
How late does Royal Mail deliver parcels and packages?
While most deliveries are made by mid-afternoon, parcel deliveries can take place as late as 6pm, especially during busy periods like Christmas or during severe weather disruptions.
You can find out if adverse weather is affecting deliveries on our Royal Mail Service Update page.
How long does Royal Mail take to deliver post?
Delivery times depend on the service you choose. Our First Class service aims to deliver the next working day, including Saturdays. Our Second Class service usually takes 2–3 working days.
Tracked and Special Delivery options offer more specific delivery windows.
Do Royal Mail deliver more than once a day?
In most cases, we only deliver once a day to each address. However, you may occasionally receive a second delivery if there’s an item requiring a signature or if multiple delivery rounds are taking place due to high volumes.
Are First Class and Second Class mail delivered separately?
No, First and Second Class mail are currently not delivered at separate times.
Royal Mail delivers all classes of mail together in a single daily delivery round. That means your First and Second Class letters, parcels, and cards will usually arrive at the same time, depending on when they enter the network and your local delivery schedule.
The main difference between First and Second Class is speed of delivery, not time of day:
- First Class aims to arrive the next working day
- Second Class usually takes 2–3 working days
But once they’re out for delivery, they’re delivered together.
Will Second Class mail always be delivered six days a week?
Under our current Universal Service Obligation, Second Class mail is delivered six days a week – Monday to Saturday. However, there have been ongoing discussions about whether this requirement should change in the future.
We’re updating how we deliver letters in response to declining mail volumes and changing customer needs.
While First Class letters will continue to be delivered six days a week with a next-day aim, Second Class and bulk letters will move to an alternate weekday delivery schedule (e.g. Mon/Wed/Fri one week, Tues/Thurs the next).
This change won’t affect delivery targets – Second Class items will still aim to arrive within three working days.
Parcel deliveries remain unchanged, continuing seven days a week.
These reforms, supported by Ofcom, are being rolled out gradually and aim to maintain service reliability while keeping costs under control. Uniform pricing and delivery access across the UK will also stay the same.
Does mail to rural or hard-to-reach addresses get delivered every day?
Yes - we deliver to rural addresses every day, Monday to Saturday, just like in towns and cities. Our Universal Service Obligation means we aim to deliver to every UK address, six days a week.
However, there are a few things to bear in mind:
- Delivery times in rural areas may be later in the day than in urban areas, depending on the length and complexity of the postal route.
- Very remote or hard-to-reach locations might see slightly longer delivery times, especially during bad weather.
- Sunday deliveries remain limited, even in rural areas – typically, Sunday deliveries are only available for Tracked 24 parcels in select locations.
Does Royal Mail deliver on Bank Holidays?
No - we don’t deliver or collect mail on UK bank holidays, across all services and regions. This applies in England, Wales, Northern Ireland, and Scotland.
So, if a bank holiday falls on a Monday (for example, the Spring or Summer Bank Holiday), expect no delivery or collection that day. Normal service will resume on the next working day.