Your work. Your records.
Mail Clerk Workplace Records Guide
Mail clerks and mail-machine operators handle incoming and outgoing items through several sorting and dispatch stages. A workplace concern about a delay or misroute should identify the stage assigned to you and when custody moved to another person.
Call now(800) 800-5555Free initial case evaluation. Representation depends on work state and case eligibility. This guide explains record preparation; it does not determine whether a legal claim exists.
A record map for your role
What to organize first
Processing stage
List whether your assigned duties involved unloading, sorting, preparation or dispatch.
Interruption timing
Record when equipment stopped and what alternate work you were directed to perform.
Custody transfer
Note when prepared items left your responsibility and which role accepted them.
Start with the work you actually do
Prepare incoming and outgoing mail for distribution. Time-stamp, open, read, sort, and route incoming mail; and address, seal, stamp, fold, stuff, and affix postage to outgoing mail or packages. Duties may also include keeping necessary records and completed forms.
O*NET classifies this occupation as Mail Clerks and Mail Machine Operators, Except Postal Service (43-9051.00). Its description covers a typical occupation, not every workplace or individual job. It does not establish employee status, overtime eligibility or employer misconduct.
- Lift and unload containers of mail or parcels onto equipment for transportation to sortation stations.Source task 13267 · updated 08/2026
- Verify that items are addressed correctly, marked with the proper postage, and in suitable condition for processing.Source task 13261 · updated 08/2026
- Clear jams in sortation equipment.Source task 13263 · updated 08/2026
- Place incoming or outgoing letters or packages into sacks or bins based on destination or type, and place identifying tags on sacks or bins.Source task 13262 · updated 08/2026
A reference point for your pay records
May 2025 wage estimates by state
Compare your pay records with published BLS estimates for Mail Clerks and Mail Machine Operators, Except Postal Service (SOC 43-9051). These describe an occupation across employers. They are not a required pay rate, an overtime calculation, or evidence of discrimination or unpaid wages.
Select your work state to see its published pay range. No personal pay information is requested or sent.
The 25th and 75th percentiles mark the middle half of the estimated wage distribution; the median is its midpoint. Actual pay can differ with experience, employer, location and duties. Hourly and annual figures are shown as published, without converting one into the other.
All published state estimates for this occupation
| State | Hourly 25th | Hourly median | Hourly 75th | Annual median |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | $13.97 | $17.40 | $20.30 | $36,190 |
| Alaska | Not published | Not published | Not published | Not published |
| Arizona | $17.22 | $18.40 | $21.08 | $38,260 |
| Arkansas | $14.94 | $18.24 | $20.87 | $37,940 |
| Connecticut | $18.48 | $21.14 | $23.29 | $43,970 |
| Delaware | $16.53 | $17.52 | $18.58 | $36,450 |
| Florida | $17.16 | $18.89 | $22.27 | $39,300 |
| Georgia | $14.50 | $17.36 | $20.31 | $36,110 |
| Hawaii | $16.94 | $18.40 | $22.96 | $38,270 |
| Idaho | $15.77 | $19.18 | $21.12 | $39,890 |
| Indiana | $16.52 | $18.50 | $21.16 | $38,490 |
| Iowa | $14.75 | $17.12 | $19.24 | $35,610 |
| Kansas | $14.78 | $17.32 | $19.67 | $36,020 |
| Kentucky | $15.76 | $18.21 | $21.16 | $37,890 |
| Louisiana | $14.65 | $16.76 | $17.87 | $34,860 |
| Maine | $19.17 | $21.53 | $23.06 | $44,780 |
| Michigan | $16.58 | $17.74 | $20.10 | $36,900 |
| Minnesota | $18.41 | $21.56 | $22.81 | $44,840 |
| Mississippi | $12.32 | $16.52 | $20.86 | $34,350 |
| Missouri | $17.17 | $18.32 | $20.91 | $38,110 |
| Montana | $17.74 | $18.69 | $20.52 | $38,880 |
| Nebraska | $17.16 | $19.27 | $21.50 | $40,080 |
| New Hampshire | $17.34 | $19.74 | $22.69 | $41,060 |
| New Mexico | $16.66 | $19.27 | $21.41 | $40,080 |
| New York | $17.35 | $20.20 | $23.47 | $42,020 |
| North Carolina | $15.60 | $18.19 | $20.36 | $37,830 |
| North Dakota | $18.09 | $18.33 | $20.22 | $38,120 |
| Ohio | $17.21 | $18.50 | $21.84 | $38,470 |
| Oklahoma | $14.96 | $17.63 | $21.72 | $36,680 |
| Pennsylvania | $16.36 | $18.26 | $21.85 | $37,980 |
| Rhode Island | $18.16 | $18.43 | $21.63 | $38,330 |
| South Dakota | $16.45 | $18.07 | $19.18 | $37,580 |
| Tennessee | $14.77 | $17.12 | $18.89 | $35,610 |
| Texas | $16.07 | $18.49 | $21.57 | $38,470 |
| Utah | $18.03 | $21.71 | $23.95 | $45,150 |
| Vermont | $18.66 | $21.82 | $22.68 | $45,380 |
| Virginia | $14.42 | $17.69 | $21.12 | $36,780 |
| West Virginia | $13.14 | $16.89 | $21.39 | $35,140 |
| Wisconsin | $15.62 | $18.14 | $21.32 | $37,730 |
| Wyoming | $14.38 | $15.84 | $18.69 | $32,940 |
“Not published” preserves unavailable or suppressed source cells. “Above reporting limit” preserves a top-coded source value without inventing a number. A missing state estimate does not establish service eligibility. The data describe wage and salary employment; they do not measure self-employment income.
Source: BLS May 2025 state workbook · OEWS tables · BLS technical notes. Use your own schedule, pay statement and compensation terms to identify the question you want reviewed.
Reconstruct the processing sequence
Record the general mail category, arrival period and sorting or preparation work assigned. Note when volume or destination instructions changed. Keep the arrival time separate from the time an item became ready for your part of processing.
Describe equipment interruptions
If a machine jam or addressing problem affected output, note what you observed and when you reported it. Record who directed a restart, correction or manual workaround. Do not assume a final delivery delay occurred during your assigned stage.
Protect correspondence
Do not retain envelope images, address lists, document contents or tracking exports with personal information. Use your own schedule and permitted employment messages. Identify the relevant dispatch or equipment record and custodian rather than copying mail data.
Choose your next step
Review the workplace retaliation guide, unpaid wages guide, or discrimination guide if those concerns fit your experience. A job title alone does not establish a claim.
Call now(800) 800-5555Current service-state coverage
AK, AL, AR, AZ, CT, DE, FL, GA, HI, IA, ID, IN, KS, KY, LA, ME, MI, MN, MO, MS, MT, NC, ND, NE, NH, NM, NY, OH, OK, PA, RI, SD, TN, TX, UT, VA, VT, WI, WV, WY. Eligibility is evaluated individually; this list does not promise representation.
Explore state resources