Postal Service Clerks
In short: today's best AI models could do about 19% of this job's working time (projected from METR's April 2026 measurement and Epoch's November 2026 index) if the work were set up for them, and about the same by the end of 2028 if progress keeps its long-run pace. The conversations, in-person and hands-on work, about 81% of the time, stays with people.
Perform any combination of tasks in a United States Postal Service (USPS) post office, such as receive letters and parcels; sell postage and revenue stamps, postal cards, and stamped envelopes; fill out and sell money orders; place mail in pigeon holes of mail rack or in bags; and examine mail for correct postage. Includes postal service clerks employed by USPS contractors.
73,720 people do this job in the US. $62,130 a year.
Reviewed on October 1, 2026: what each task is made of, and what handing it over would ask.
A typical 40-hour week
- AI could take on1 h
- A person checks AI's work7 h
- Desk work AI can't do yet0 h
- Stays with people32 h
Postal Service Clerks, now: of a 40-hour week, AI could take on 1 hours, 7 hours become checking its work, 0 hours are desk work it can't do yet, and 32 hours stay with people.
The largest pieces: Balance the money drawer (about 2 h, a person checks); Complete postal service forms (about 2 h, a person checks); Handle mail complaints (under an hour, a person checks).
Estimates for a typical week of this job, if progress keeps its long-run pace, counting work the best models finish four times in five. Every task is below.
of the working time. Now is projected from METR's April 2026 measurement and Epoch's November 2026 index.
- 0%
- 19%
- 0%
- 23%
- 58%
of the work: Anthropic's measure of what people already bring to Claude at work (2025). It counts help with part of a task, so it can be higher than the share within reach.
On the chosen pace and reliability. Estimate.
Share of the working time within reach, now to 2030
Change assumptionsHide assumptionsLong-run pace, four in five
What each choice means: , , , , . Every pace starts from .
At this date and pace, models finish tasks up to 2.4 work days long four times in five.
What handing it over would take, now
The 19% within reach splits by what a model would need. The dates, pace and reliability follow the controls above. Estimates.
of the working time. The material can be handed to a model and the result handed back.
of the working time. The model has to be connected to the system the work lives in.
is conversation short enough by length. This site leaves conversation with people, so it is not in the total.
How far this has come
With GPT-4, measured in March 2023, 0% of this job's working time was within reach at . With Claude 3.7 Sonnet, measured in February 2025, 3%. With Claude Mythos Preview (early), measured in April 2026, 19%. Today's estimate: 19%.
A backcast: today's task data with the best model METR had measured by each date. It shows how fast the models have moved, not what anyone forecast at the time.
Measured use over time
Of the Claude.ai conversations Anthropic sampled and tied to a work task, no reportable share went to this job's tasks in May 2026; 0 of its 19 tasks showed up. Within each of Anthropic's methods, never across a change: 0.0033% to 0.0021% (released February and March 2025); 0.0018% to 0.0036% (August 2025 to February 2026).
Each release
| Conversations | Share | Rank | Tasks seen |
|---|---|---|---|
| Released February 2025 | 0.0033% | 648 of 708 | 1 of 19 |
| Released March 2025 | 0.0021% | 663 of 703 | 1 of 19 |
| The week of Aug 4, 2025 (released September 2025) | 0.0018% | 642 of 655 | 1 of 19 |
| The week of Nov 13, 2025 (released January 2026) | 0.0023% | 635 of 672 | 1 of 19 |
| The week of Feb 5, 2026 (released March 2026) | 0.0036% | 600 of 677 | 1 of 19 |
| April 2026 (released June 2026) | none | n/a | 0 of 19 |
| May 2026 (released June 2026) | none | n/a | 0 of 19 |
Measured, not estimated: Anthropic's samples of Claude.ai conversations, each tied by a model to an O*NET task, from the Anthropic Economic Index. It says where Claude's use goes, not how much of this job's working time it covers, so it is not on the same scale as the reach above. The releases differ in their sample, their classifier and the smallest share they report (the June 2026 file rounds each task to a hundredth of a percent, so a smaller task reads as none), which is why a change of method starts a new line. At least 96% of each older release's task-tied use matched this site's tasks, and all of the newest. Claude.ai only, so use through other tools and other companies' models is not in it. Every job ranked.
Robots and the physical work
Anthropic rates 81% of this job's working time as physical work. For 81% of the working time, a robot has been shown doing most of the task somewhere: 53% in a purpose-built cell, 27% in a structured facility. 1.08 of 3, the 84th highest of the 923 jobs.
- Not physical 19%
- In a purpose-built cell 53%
- In a structured facility 27%
Anthropic's rating, not this site's estimate: Claude Opus 5, searching the web, rated each physical O*NET task by the kind of setting in which a robot it could cite (deployed, sold or demonstrated) does most of the task, weighted by its own estimate of each task's share of the time (What work can robots do?, September 30, 2026, data CC BY 4.0; every job ranked). A robot shown somewhere is not a robot in your building: cost, setup and safety decide that. The share within reach on this page still counts no body work. The robot behind each rated task is under the task below.
What changes for the people in this job
From the task-by-task review, by the end of 2028 on the long-run pace at four in five. It says which parts of the work stay with people and which change, not whether anyone keeps a job: that depends on decisions no data set can see.
What stays with people
81% of the working time: the conversation, in-person and hands-on parts of the tasks.
- Sort mail, the hands-on work, 23%
- Receive mail and bag it, the hands-on work, 9%
- Help the public with postal rules, the in-person work, 6%
- Balance the money drawer, the hands-on work, 6%
- Sell stamps and money orders, the hands-on work, 6%
- Handle mail complaints, the in-person work, 3%
What becomes checking the machine
16% of the working time: desk work a model could do by then, in tasks where a mistake costs something or a licensed person signs. A person checks it. Another 3% is desk work that is small if wrong, which can be handed over with lighter checks.
- Balance the money drawer, costly if wrong, 6%
- Complete postal service forms, costly if wrong, 4%
- Handle mail complaints, costly if wrong, 2%
- Register and insure mail, costly if wrong, 2%
- Rent post office boxes, costly if wrong, 1%
- Help customers file mail claims, costly if wrong, 0.7%
What to learn
- The hands-on craft. About 58% of the time is hands-on work, which no model here does; robots are rated separately on this page.
- Dealing with people outside the organization. Customers, patients, suppliers or the public: trust with them is built by a person.
- The conversations. About 23% of the time is conversation and in-person work, which this site leaves with people: listening, explaining, persuading, calming.
- Reviewing work you did not do yourself. The tasks under What becomes checking the machine, where a mistake costs something, stay a person's to check: spotting what a draft gets wrong is a skill of its own.
- Running AI inside the business systems. About 19% of the time is work inside business systems, which a model can do only once it is connected: knowing the systems well enough to set that up and watch it.
Your own version of this job: read it against your job description. The headline is free; the full personal report, every task with its timeline and what to learn, is $19 (a sample).
The tasks
Sorted by . 19 tasks from .
| Task | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sort incoming and outgoing mail, according to type and destination, by hand or by operating electronic mail-sorting and scanning devices.Sorting by hand or feeding the sorting machines.Done hourly or more by most who do it. Robots: in a purpose-built cell, Delivery Bar Code Sorter (DBCS) (U.S. Postal Service / ElectroCom-Siemens) (deployed). Anthropic's rating. | 23% | 38 min13 min to 1.7 h | Hands-on 100% | Stays with people |
| Keep money drawers in order, and record and balance daily transactions.Counting the drawer and balancing it against the day's transactions.Done daily by most who do it.Robots: in a structured facility, Glory GLR Series Teller Cash Recyclers (TCR) (sold). Anthropic's rating. | 12% | 25 min13 min to 50 min | Systems 50%, hands-on 50% | 50%Desk part half by now |
| Receive letters and parcels, and place mail into bags.Taking items over the counter and bagging them.Done hourly or more by most who do it.Robots: in a purpose-built cell, Cleveron 402 robotic parcel locker (sold). Anthropic's rating. | 9% | 13 min4 min to 25 min | Hands-on 80%, in person 20% | Stays with people |
| Complete forms regarding changes of address, or theft or loss of mail, or for special services such as registered or priority mail.Forms filled in with the customer at the counter.Done hourly or more by most who do it. | 6% | 13 min4 min to 33 min | Systems 70%, in person 30% | 70%Desk part half by now |
| Provide assistance to the public in complying with federal regulations of Postal Service and other federal agencies.Explaining the rules to customers at the counter.Done daily by most who do it. | 6% | 13 min4 min to 25 min | In person 100% | Stays with people |
| Respond to complaints regarding mail theft, delivery problems, and lost or damaged mail, filling out forms and making appropriate referrals for investigation.Hearing the complaint at the counter, filling the form and referring it on.Done daily by most who do it. | 6% | 29 min13 min to 58 min | In person 60%, systems 40% | 40%Desk part half by now |
| Sell and collect payment for products such as stamps, prepaid mail envelopes, and money orders.A counter sale: handling the items and the payment.Done hourly or more by most who do it.Robots: in a structured facility, USPS Self-Service Kiosk / Automated Postal Center (APC) (deployed). Anthropic's rating. | 6% | 7 min3 min to 13 min | Hands-on 70%, in person 30% | Stays with people |
| Register, certify, and insure letters and parcels.Taking the item at the counter and entering the registration or insurance.Done hourly or more by most who do it.Robots: in a purpose-built cell, SendPro MailCenter (Weigh-on-the-Way) (Pitney Bowes) (sold). Anthropic's rating. | 5% | 8 min4 min to 17 min | Systems 40%, hands-on 40%, in person 20% | 40%Desk part half by now |
| Put undelivered parcels away, retrieve them when customers come to claim them, and complete any related documentation.Shelving parcels and fetching them for customers, with the slip completed.Done daily by most who do it.Robots: in a purpose-built cell, Cleveron 402 robotic parcel locker (sold). Anthropic's rating. | 4% | 10 min4 min to 21 min | Hands-on 80%, systems 20% | 20%Desk part half by now |
| Order retail items and other supplies for office use.Checking the shelves and placing the order in the system.Done more than weekly by most who do it. | 3% | 38 min13 min to 1.3 h | Systems 70%, hands-on 30% | 70%Desk part half by now |
| Answer questions regarding mail regulations and procedures, postage rates, and post office boxes.Answering customers at the counter.Done hourly or more by most who do it. | 3% | 4 min2 min to 8 min | In person 100% | Stays with people |
| Transport mail from one work station to another.Carrying or wheeling mail across the floor.Done daily by most who do it. Robots: in a structured facility, USPS Automated Guided Vehicles (AGVs) (U.S. Postal Service) (deployed). Anthropic's rating. | 3% | 8 min3 min to 17 min | Hands-on 100% | Stays with people |
Within reach, per task: the share of the task's time whose instances are short enough for a model to finish at the chosen date, pace and reliability. Half by: the date half of that time comes within reach. Made of: how the task's time splits among five kinds of doing. Only the documents and systems parts can count as within reach, so a task that is 30% documents can be at most 30% within reach.
Jobs that share skills with this one
From O*NET's related occupations. Within reach now and by the end of 2028, long-run pace, four in five.
- Postal Service Mail Carriers4% now, 4% by 2028
- Mail Clerks and Mail Machine Operators, Except Postal Service13% now, 13% by 2028
- Shipping, Receiving, and Inventory Clerks53% now, 53% by 2028
- Postal Service Mail Sorters, Processors, and Processing Machine Operators1% now, 1% by 2028
- Postmasters and Mail Superintendents23% now, 23% by 2028
- Couriers and Messengers7% now, 7% by 2028
Where this job works
The industry groups that employ the most of it (BLS, May 2025).
Where the most of these jobs are
The metro areas with the most people in it (BLS, May 2025).
Questions about this job
- How much of the work of Postal Service Clerks is within reach of AI now?
- An estimated 19% of the working time is within reach of AI models now and 19% by the end of 2028, on METR's long-run pace at four in five. Within reach means a model could finish work that long at that reliability. It is not a forecast of jobs lost or of savings.
- Which tasks of Postal Service Clerks come within reach first?
- Weighted by the time each takes, the tasks with the most within reach now (projected from METR's April 2026 measurement and Epoch's November 2026 index) are: Balance the money drawer (50% of the task's time now); Complete postal service forms (70% of the task's time now); and Handle mail complaints (40% of the task's time now).
- Which tasks of Postal Service Clerks stay with people?
- Tasks that are people work or body work are not counted as within reach at any date. The largest: Sort mail; Receive mail and bag it; and Help the public with postal rules. Together such tasks are about 60% of the working time, and the people and body parts of the other tasks stay with people too.
- What should Postal Service Clerks learn as AI takes on more of the work?
- By the job's own task-by-task review, the first things to learn are the hands-on craft; dealing with people outside the organization; and the conversations. By the end of 2028 on the long-run pace at four in five, about 81% of the working time stays with people, 16% becomes checking a model's work and 3% could be handed over with lighter checks. It says which parts of the work change, never whether anyone keeps a job.
- Do people already use AI for the work of Postal Service Clerks?
- In the Claude.ai conversations Anthropic sampled for May 2026, no reportable share went to this job's tasks. Anthropic's labor market measure puts the share of the job's tasks seen in real Claude use at work at 0%. These are measures of use, not of how much of the work AI could finish, and they cover Claude only.
- Can robots do the physical work of Postal Service Clerks?
- Anthropic's robot exposure rating (September 2026) finds 81% of the working time is physical work, and that a robot has been shown doing most of the task, somewhere, for 81% of the working time, 27% in a structured facility. Its index is 1.08 of 3. One example: Glory GLR Series Teller Cash Recyclers (TCR) for "balance the money drawer". A robot shown somewhere is not one in every workplace; this site's own estimates still count no physical work as within reach.
- How is this estimated?
- From the 19 tasks O*NET lists for the occupation, each with an estimated length checked against GDPval and a share of the working time, reviewed one task at a time on October 1, 2026 for what each is made of (documents, business systems, conversation, in person, hands-on), and METR's measurements of how long a task the best AI models can finish, carried forward to the date from the latest, Claude Mythos Preview (early) in April 2026. Data checked November 10, 2026.
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