Daily printout: Jan. 6

Postal Service employees can set aside more money for flexible spending accounts, health savings accounts and commuter benefits in 2026.

Flexible spending accounts, or FSAs, allow employees to set aside money on a pretax basis to pay for health care and dependent care expenses. The 2026 maximum for a health care FSA is $3,400. For a dependent care FSA, the maximum is $7,500 for single filers and those who are married and file jointly, and $3,750 for those who are married and file separately.

A health spending account, or HSA, is a savings account for employees covered by a high-deductible health plan to pay for qualified medical expenses. The maximum contribution limits for 2026 are $4,400 for self-only coverage and $8,750 for family coverage.

The transit and parking maximums will increase to $340 each for 2026. Employees can enroll in the USPS Commuter Benefits Program at any time. The cutoff for making changes or allocating funds is the 27th of the month two months before an allocation will begin. For example, Jan. 27 is the cutoff for allocating funds for the March benefit month.

The MyHR website has more information on these benefits. Employees with questions should email the USPS Benefits and Wellness team.

The Postal Service is reminding employees to avoid working on matters that would impair their ability to remain impartial due to an outside relationship.

Employees should not work on any contract or initiative if they have a “covered relationship” with the owner or a representative of a company doing business or seeking to do business with USPS.

Covered relationships that could spark a conflict of interest include:

• A person with whom the employee has or seeks a business relationship;

• A household member;

• A relative with whom the employee has a close personal relationship;

• The current or future employer of the employee’s spouse, parent or child, including adult children;

• The employee’s former private sector employer within the last year; or

• An organization other than a political party in which the employee is a participant.

Employees who have a covered relationship with the owner or representative of an entity doing business with the Postal Service or seeking to do business with the Postal Service should notify their supervisor and seek guidance and authorization from the USPS Ethics Office in advance.

The Ethics Blue page covers this topic in more detail. For more information, employees with questions can email the Postal Service’s ethics helpline or call 202-268-6346.

The Postal Service is reminding employees and contractors to guard against phishing emails to protect the organization’s network from cyberattacks.

Phishing occurs when cybercriminals send legitimate-looking emails to try to trick recipients into giving over personally identifiable information, systems credentials and other sensitive data.

Phishing scams can harm the Postal Service’s operations, finances and reputation.

Employees and contractors should follow these tips:

• Slow down and evaluate messages before acting. Be wary of urgent requests.

• If an email is from a non-USPS address — typically with “[EXTERNAL]” in the subject line — proceed with extra caution and verify the sender.

• Before clicking on a link, hover the cursor over the link to ensure its description matches its destination.  

• Look for spelling and grammar mistakes, which can indicate a phishing attempt.

• Don’t open any attachments in a suspicious email.

Employees and contractors should report suspected phishing emails by clicking on the “Report to CyberSafe” button in the Outlook toolbar. If the button is missing, it can be installed.

The CyberSafe at USPS Blue and LiteBlue pages have more information on phishing.