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RURAL CARRIER NEWS

2025 Rural Carrier Year in Review

A look back at the rural carrier universe in 2025

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Use an FSA debit card? Keep all your documents

Postal Service employees with flexible spending account debit cards might be asked to provide documentation after using the card for out-of-pocket expenses. Inspira Financial, the Postal Service’s flexible spending account administrator, must ensure that such purchases are eligible under Internal Revenue Service rules. If a request from Inspira is not...

You can set aside more money in 2026

Postal Service employees can set aside more money for flexible spending accounts, health savings accounts and commuter benefits in 2026. Flexible spending accounts, or FSAs, allow employees to set aside money on a pretax basis to pay for health care and dependent care expenses. The 2026 maximum for a health...

Postal workers waiting on heat protection more than two years after Dallas carrier’s death

WASHINGTON — More than two years after a Dallas postal worker died from heat exposure on the job, letter carriers say the United States Postal Service has yet to take steps required to fully protect them when the temperature and humidity soar. The 2023 death of Eugene Gates Jr. prompted a...

Employees helped USPS deliver in the holiday home stretch

Postal Service employees were front and center as the holiday shipping and mailing season wound down last week. In Holly, MI, the organization marked its 6 billionth holiday delivery when Allen Kenner, a letter carrier, brought packages to a senior living center. “We are all young at heart this time of year,”...

Link’s annual calendar shows this year’s payroll schedule

Postal Service employees will have 27 paydays in 2026. The calendar that accompanies this article shows the paycheck dates. Every month will have two paydays, except for January, July and December, which will have three each. All paydays will occur on Friday, except for the year’s 13th payday, which will fall...

Happy New Year

“Here's to a bright New Year and a fond farewell to the old; here's to the things that are yet to come, and to the memories that we hold.” Happy New Year from Ruralinfo.net

A new year is almost here

New Year’s Day, a time of reflection and renewal for people around the world, is Thursday, Jan. 1. The celebration of a new year is a custom that can be traced to ancient civilizations, although the date often varied. The Julian calendar established Jan. 1 as the start of the...

Rural families struggle with slower postal deliveries

Reliable mail service is not a luxury in rural America. It is a necessity for receiving checks, handling daily business, and getting critical medicine and supplies that many families cannot easily pick up in town. But delays are becoming more common, and the frustration is spreading well beyond Iowa....

2026 Printable Rural Carrier Calendars

Photo by Towfiqu barbhuiya on Unsplash Just uploaded our new printable 2026 Rural Carrier Calendars.  Just download one of them and print to keep by your case to keep up with all the important dates for rural carriers.  We have both PDF versions and PNG versions.. (If you find errors,...

Postal employees to get letter with overtime tax deduction information

The Postal Service will send a letter in mid-January with information about a new temporary federal tax deduction for certain portions of federal overtime payments made to eligible employees. The letter will include the employee’s qualified overtime amount for 2025. Employees are encouraged to ensure their mailing address is up to...

Amazon explores cutting ties with USPS, building its own delivery network

Amazon has long been the Postal Service’s top customer, providing more than $6 billion in annual revenue to the agency in 2025. Amazon is preparing to expand its nationwide delivery network and give up its long-standing partnership with the U.S. Postal Service, according to three people with knowledge of the...

Tentative Scheduled Dates for Salary Adjustments Agreed to in the 2024-2027 National Agreement

The Postal Service has affirmed the tentative scheduled dates provided to the NRLCA for salary adjustments agreed to in the 2024-2027 National Agreement. All dates listed below are according to Postal Service programming projections. Salary Increases The stop gap or general wage increases of 1.3% for regular carriers and 2.3% for leave...

You can set aside more money in 2026

Postal Service employees can set aside more money for flexible spending accounts, health savings accounts and commuter benefits in 2026. Flexible spending accounts, or FSAs, allow employees to set aside money on a pretax basis to pay for health care and dependent care expenses. The 2026 maximum for a health...

Federal retirement inventory reaches another new high

The federal retirement inventory has reached yet another new high. The Office of Personnel Management now has over 50,000 applications still awaiting a finalized annuity. The increase comes after more than 13,000 retirement applications entered OPM’s systems in December. It’s taking OPM about 67 days to process a...

There’s a new Thrift Savings Plan benefit

The Thrift Savings Plan will allow participants to convert traditional funds to Roth funds within their TSP account beginning Wednesday, Jan. 28. This is known as a Roth in-plan conversion. Traditional retirement contributions are those that are taken from employee paychecks on a pretax basis, which can lower your taxable income...

Happy New Year

“Here's to a bright New Year and a fond farewell to the old; here's to the things that are yet to come, and to the memories that we hold.” Happy New Year from Ruralinfo.net

USPS OIG Wants your Thoughts on How the Postal Service Screens Potential Employees

Postal Service’s Employee Vetting Process Project start date Wednesday, September 10, 2025 Estimated release April 2026 The Postal Service must thoroughly screen and evaluate prospective employees to ensure suitability and maintain the integrity of the organization. The level of clearance required is based on the type of position; however, most positions are considered low...
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2024-2027 National Contract
Handbook PO-603
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