What is FedEx Priority Overnight?
FedEx Priority Overnight is FedEx's mid-morning next-business-day service. FedEx commits to delivery by 10:30 a.m. to most businesses in the contiguous U.S. and by noon to most residences. In some ZIP codes the commitment is 11 a.m. for businesses or 1:30 p.m. for residences. The service runs Monday through Friday. Saturday delivery is available in certain areas for an additional charge, and no FedEx overnight service delivers on Sunday.
Priority Overnight delivery times by address type
The commitment depends on whether the address is a business or a residence, and on the destination ZIP code. FedEx's overnight shipping page states 10:30 a.m. to most businesses and noon to most residences. The 2026 rate card lists the same service as next day by 10:30 a.m. or 11 a.m., with a footnote of 12 p.m. or 1:30 p.m. to residences. Taken together, 10:30 a.m. or noon is the common case, and 11 a.m. or 1:30 p.m. applies in some ZIP codes.
Deliveries to and from select ZIP codes in Alaska and Hawaii may differ from contiguous-U.S. times. To see the exact commitment for one lane, enter the origin and destination ZIP codes in FedEx's rate and transit-time tool before you buy the label. The quote shows the commitment time for that specific route.
First Overnight vs. Priority Overnight vs. Standard Overnight
Service | Weekday delivery to businesses | Weekday delivery to residences | Saturday delivery (additional charge) |
|---|---|---|---|
FedEx First Overnight | Next business day by 8, 8:30, 9, or 9:30 a.m. to most areas; extended delivery locations up to 2 p.m. | Same time as businesses | By 9:30, 10, or 10:30 a.m. to most areas in the contiguous U.S. |
FedEx Priority Overnight | Next business day by 10:30 a.m. (11 a.m. in some areas) | By noon (1:30 p.m. in some areas) | By 12 p.m. or 1:30 p.m. to most areas in the contiguous U.S.; by 5 p.m. to some rural areas |
FedEx Standard Overnight | Next business day by 5 p.m. | By 8 p.m. | By 5 p.m. to most areas in the contiguous U.S. |
All three tiers deliver Monday through Friday, accept packages up to 150 lbs., 119 inches in length, and 165 inches in length plus girth, and include free FedEx packaging. Packages over 150 lbs. move as FedEx First Overnight Freight. The tiers differ in commitment time and price. FedEx prices the earlier commitment higher, so Standard Overnight costs less than Priority Overnight, and Priority Overnight costs less than First Overnight.
Choose Priority Overnight when the package has to arrive before midday, or when a residential address needs a noon commitment instead of Standard Overnight's 8 p.m. If arrival any time the next business day is acceptable, Standard Overnight is the cheaper choice. We cover that tier in What is FedEx Standard Overnight?. If next-business-day is more speed than the order needs, see FedEx Ground Economy for the slow end of the FedEx lineup, or USPS Priority Mail vs. Priority Mail Express for the Postal Service's expedited options.
Does Priority Overnight deliver on Saturday or Sunday?
Saturday: yes, in certain areas and for an additional charge. Saturday Priority Overnight delivers by 12 p.m. or 1:30 p.m. to most areas in the contiguous U.S. and by 5 p.m. to some rural areas, per FedEx's weekend delivery page. Saturday hold at a FedEx location is available at no additional charge, and there is no extra charge for dropping a package off at a FedEx retail location on Saturday.
Sunday: no. FedEx's weekend delivery table lists First Overnight, Priority Overnight, and Standard Overnight as Saturday-only services. FedEx does deliver on Sundays, but only through FedEx Home Delivery, its residential ground service that typically delivers by 8 p.m. on weekends, and FedEx SameDay. A Priority Overnight package shipped on Friday arrives Saturday only if Saturday delivery was selected and is available at the destination. Otherwise it delivers on Monday, the next business day.
Priority Overnight cutoff times
There is no single national cutoff. FedEx states that the latest drop-off time for overnight shipping varies by location and tells shippers to call the store to confirm. Saturday drop-off availability also varies by location. Whatever the local cutoff is, the package must be in FedEx's hands, dropped off or picked up, before that time to earn the next-business-day commitment.
If you ship from a warehouse with a scheduled FedEx pickup, the pickup time is your effective cutoff. For late-evening local orders, FedEx Extra Hours allows drop-off at qualified locations after the normal cutoff for next-day local delivery. It is arranged through a FedEx account representative, so ask whether it is available at your locations.
How much FedEx Priority Overnight costs
FedEx prices overnight shipments on three inputs: the delivery commitment (earlier costs more), the distance measured in zones (Zone 1 is 1 to 150 miles from the origin, Zone 2 is 150 to 300 miles, and each additional zone adds cost), and the package's billable weight. Billable weight is the greater of actual weight and dimensional weight, except that dimensional weight is not used for FedEx envelopes, paks, or small, medium, and large FedEx boxes. FedEx boxes carry a minimum billable weight of 2 lbs. and FedEx tubes 9 lbs.
For scale, these are published list rates for a Zone 2 shipment (150 to 300 miles) from the FedEx Standard List Rates effective January 5, 2026, updated June 1, 2026:
Service (Zone 2, 2026 list rate) | FedEx Envelope, up to 8 oz. | 1 lb. package in your own packaging |
|---|---|---|
FedEx First Overnight | $68.27 | $76.22 |
FedEx Priority Overnight | $37.27 | $45.22 |
FedEx Standard Overnight | $35.26 | $40.82 |
These are list rates for the base shipment. FedEx adds a fuel surcharge on top, calculated as a percentage that FedEx adjusts weekly, and a shipper with a FedEx account and negotiated rates pays less than list. A farther zone or a heavier package costs more. Run the origin and destination ZIP codes through FedEx's rate tool for a quote on a specific shipment. Free FedEx packaging applies to overnight services, so a FedEx Envelope for a document or a FedEx Pak for a small item adds nothing to the charge.
Is FedEx Priority Overnight guaranteed?
Yes, as of September 2026, after a suspension over the 2025 holiday season. The FedEx Money-Back Guarantee covers U.S. domestic First Overnight, Priority Overnight, and Standard Overnight for U.S. payors. FedEx suspended the guarantee for those services for packages shipped on or after December 1, 2025, then reinstated it for packages shipped on or after January 13, 2026. If a shipment misses its commitment time, you can request a refund or credit under the FedEx Service Guide terms. Delays caused by regulatory changes are excluded, and FedEx occasionally publishes temporary commitment-time extensions around holidays. Check the guarantee page before promising a customer a refund on a missed delivery.
P1, letters, and Express vs. Ground
"P1" is shorthand you may see in shipping software, on a carrier invoice, or on a warehouse pick list. It usually refers to FedEx Priority Overnight. FedEx's published service name is FedEx Priority Overnight, and its service pages and rate card use the full name rather than a code, so confirm the commitment time on the rate quote rather than relying on the abbreviation.
You can overnight a letter with Priority Overnight using a free FedEx Envelope or your own envelope. FedEx Envelopes are rated at the up-to-8-oz. envelope price shown in the table above. Priority Overnight is a FedEx Express service, not a FedEx Ground service, which is why it carries a commitment time rather than a transit-day estimate.
Shipping Priority Overnight through a 3PL
If a fulfillment warehouse ships your orders, two cutoffs stack: the warehouse's same-day cutoff and the FedEx pickup or drop-off time at that warehouse. An order that misses the first cannot make the second. Simpl ships via UPS, USPS, and FedEx from Austin, Texas, and orders received before 12pm CT ship the same day. If you need an express tier such as Priority Overnight on specific orders, raise it when you request pricing so the shipping rules are configured up front.
FedEx Priority Overnight FAQ
What time does FedEx Priority Overnight deliver?
By 10:30 a.m. the next business day to most businesses in the contiguous U.S. and by noon to most residences. Some ZIP codes carry an 11 a.m. or 1:30 p.m. commitment instead.
Does FedEx Priority Overnight deliver on Sunday?
No. Priority Overnight delivers Monday through Friday, plus Saturday in certain areas for an additional charge. FedEx's Sunday delivery is limited to FedEx Home Delivery and FedEx SameDay.
What is the difference between Standard Overnight and Priority Overnight?
The commitment time. Priority Overnight is due by 10:30 a.m. to most businesses and noon to most residences. Standard Overnight is due by 5 p.m. to businesses and 8 p.m. to residences. Priority Overnight costs more for the earlier window.
What is the cutoff time for FedEx Priority Overnight?
It varies by location. Call the FedEx location or check its page online to confirm the latest drop-off time for overnight service, and confirm Saturday drop-off separately.
Is FedEx Priority Overnight guaranteed?
Yes, for packages shipped on or after January 13, 2026, under the FedEx Money-Back Guarantee for U.S. payors. The guarantee had been suspended for packages shipped on or after December 1, 2025.
How much does FedEx Priority Overnight cost?
On the FedEx Standard List Rates effective January 5, 2026 (updated June 1, 2026), a FedEx Envelope up to 8 oz. shipped Priority Overnight to Zone 2 is $37.27 and a 1 lb. package is $45.22, before the fuel surcharge. Farther zones and heavier packages cost more; negotiated account rates cost less.