Full-time USPS mail carriers had mean annual earnings of $56,330 in May 2023, according to the U.S. Department of Labor. Salaries ranged from less than $41,480 to more than $75,920. Rural carriers receive salaries that are based on a combination of fixed annual compensation and an evaluation of the amount of work required to service their particular routes. They also receive a maintenance allowance if they are required to use their own automobiles. Substitute rural carriers receive a base pay for the days they work and the same mileage and automobile maintenance allowance given to regular rural carriers.
Full-time city mail carriers who work overtime hours in a single day receive time-and-a-half pay. Carriers also receive time-and-a-half overtime pay if they work more than 40 hours in one week.
Fringe benefits for USPS employees usually include 13 days of annual leave per year for the first three years, increasing to 20 days per year after three years of service, and to 26 days per year after 15 years of service. Carriers earn four hours per pay period as insurance against loss of income due to illness or accident. Other benefits include retirement plans, survivorship annuities, optional participation in low-cost group life and health insurance programs, and workers' compensation for injuries received on duty.
UPS reports that "full-time delivery drivers earn an average total compensation package of $145,000 per year, which includes $0 health care premiums, up to seven weeks of paid vacation, plus an average of 18 days off for holidays, sick leave, and option days. UPS also contributes to a defined-benefit pension plan for each employee.
Some part-time employees at private delivery companies receive benefits and can participate in a tuition assistance program.