What Does “Package Received After FedEx Cutoff” Mean?

You’re expecting a delivery and the tracking states “Package Received After FedEx Cutoff”.

What does this mean exactly? Will your package now arrive late and is there anything you need to do?

Let’s take a look…

Package Received After FedEx Cutoff – Guide

FedEx Cut-off times do vary by location and the circumstances of the sender.

For example, your distance from a FedEx Center, how close the pickup point (if used) is to a facility, and whether the driver has time to reach a sorting facility will all determine whether your package can be shipped that business day within the cut-off time.

However, if a shipment is received by FedEx after 8 PM, in most cases this would be considered past the cut-off point.

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What to do After Receiving the “Package Received After FedEx Cutoff” Alert?

Both the recipient and the sender can do very little about a package that has been received past the cut-off point. 

Essentially, the mail item will begin its journey proper at the start of the next business day. For expedited time-sensitive deliveries, this can be an issue.

However, depending on the distances involved, it is quite possible that the item will be delivered within that day, (on an overnight service speed) rather than taking a full 24-hour period to reach the destination.

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For standard FedEx deliveries, the fact that the package shipment begins on the next business day after the cut-off time means the item arrives one day later than it would have if the shipment was received before the cut-off.

As a sender (especially in an eCommerce context) it is a good idea to notify the buyer of the date that the item was actually shipped by FedEx, (now the day after it left the seller’s warehouse).

This helps to manage exceptions on the possible delivery date. The tracking page will also provide this information.

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What Happens After the “Package Received After FedEx Cutoff” Alert?

For a short period of time, after you receive this alert, the package will be stuck inside the local origin FedEx facility, waiting to begin its shipment journey.

In that time it may well be sorted and even loaded onto the mode of transport that will take it to the next link on the delivery chain.

Essentially, the package will not begin moving toward its destination until the start of the next business day. It will remain inside the facility or inside a stationary truck until that point.

Tracking updates you can expect after the “Package Received After FedEx Cutoff” alert that will signify that the package is moving again, include: “Departed FedEx Location” and “In Transit”.

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The Next Day is a Weekend, Will My Shipment be Stuck Until Monday?

If you receive the “Package Received After FedEx Cutoff” update on a Friday evening, will your package be stuck in the facility until Monday morning?

The answer is no, FedEx facilities work as normal on Saturdays with drivers, deliveries, and transit journeys all taking place throughout the day. (See Does FedEx Deliver on Saturdays).

The same applies on Sunday. A FedEx shipment will begin on Sunday if received on Saturday past the cutoff time.

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Final Words

Overall, the “Package Received After FedEx Cutoff” is a standard alert that means FedEx received the item too late to begin shipping that day.

The fact you have to wait until the next business day for the shipment to begin will not hold up delivery by any large margin, (it is only a handful of hours), and in most cases, FedEx will be able to get the item to its destination within the allocated schedule.

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