PS Form 1750, the Employee Evaluation and Probationary Report, is the standard document USPS supervisors use to set performance expectations, record scheduled check-ins with a new employee, and issue a final recommendation to either retain or separate that employee. For career hires it serves as the probationary report. For noncareer hires — City Carrier Assistants, Postal Support Employees, and other temporary workers — it functions as an evaluation report that feeds rehire decisions and coaching.1United States Postal Service. Handbook EL-312 – Employment and Placement – 584 Employee Evaluation
Who the Form Covers
Every new USPS hire is documented on Form 1750, but the purpose depends on the appointment. Career employees are on probation, and the form records whether they can handle the job before full career protections take effect. Noncareer employees do not technically serve a probationary period, but USPS still requires periodic reviews and a 90-day evaluation report. The information captured on their Form 1750 shapes whether they get rehired for future appointments and flags anyone who needs additional coaching.1United States Postal Service. Handbook EL-312 – Employment and Placement – 584 Employee Evaluation
How Long the Probationary Period Runs
The clock starts on the first day of employment. Its length depends on the position:
- Career bargaining employees: 90 calendar days. This applies to the first career appointment and to any subsequent career appointment, reinstatement, or transfer from another agency, even if the employee already completed a probationary period elsewhere.
- Career nonbargaining employees: one year of continuous service in the Postal Service, or one year of combined federal and postal service without a break of a workday in the same line of work.
- Postal Inspectors: two years, reduced to one year for a Postal Inspector with veterans’ preference.
- Management Foundations Program: 12 months of continuous service.
The check-in dates on Form 1750 are anchored to the 90-day bargaining timeline, which leaves little margin for late paperwork.1United States Postal Service. Handbook EL-312 – Employment and Placement – 584 Employee Evaluation
The Check-In Schedule
First Week: Setting Expectations
During the employee’s first week at the work site, the immediate manager holds an initial discussion that lays out performance expectations for the full evaluation period. That conversation walks through each factor on the form with concrete examples of what satisfactory performance looks like, and it is documented on Form 1750. Both people should leave the meeting knowing how “good enough” will be measured.1United States Postal Service. Handbook EL-312 – Employment and Placement – 584 Employee Evaluation
Ongoing Informal Evaluation
Between formal checkpoints, the supervisor is expected to observe and analyze the new employee’s work continuously. When deficiencies appear, the supervisor’s job is to provide guidance, counseling, and training so the employee can correct them, rather than banking problems for a formal review. Most performance issues get fixed during this stretch or become clear enough to put in writing.1United States Postal Service. Handbook EL-312 – Employment and Placement – 584 Employee Evaluation
30-Day and 60-Day Discussions
Formal performance discussions are required at the end of 30 days and again at the end of 60 days. At each meeting, both supervisor and employee initial the form to confirm the conversation happened. These are structured chances to address performance gaps while there is still time to close them. An employee who is struggling on a particular factor should walk away from each discussion knowing exactly what to improve.2United States Postal Service. Handbook EL-312 – Employment and Placement – 584 Employee Evaluation>
80-Day Final Evaluation
The final evaluation for bargaining employees happens at the end of 80 days, and it carries the decision. The manager must recommend either retention or separation. Unlike the earlier check-ins, this one requires full signatures rather than initials from both supervisor and employee. If the employee refuses to sign, the manager notes on the form that the opportunity was offered and declined.1United States Postal Service. Handbook EL-312 – Employment and Placement – 584 Employee Evaluation
Extra Evaluations When Coaching Doesn’t Work
The 30/60/80-day rhythm is not always enough. When informal coaching fails to correct a deficiency, the manager may document an additional formal evaluation on Form 1750 at any point during the probationary period. Two conditions apply. The additional evaluation should follow unsuccessful informal efforts, and the employee must clearly understand the deficiency and have had a reasonable chance to fix it before the write-up. A surprise formal evaluation with no prior warning weakens the record if the separation is later challenged.1United States Postal Service. Handbook EL-312 – Employment and Placement – 584 Employee Evaluation
Separating a Noncareer Employee
Because noncareer employees do not serve a formal probationary period, their timeline is simpler. A 90-day evaluation report is required, but the Postal Service can separate an unsatisfactory noncareer employee at any point once it is clear they cannot meet the position’s requirements. There is no obligation to wait for the 90-day mark. The Form 1750 evaluation report also records whether the person should be considered for rehire in future appointments, which matters when seasonal or temporary positions reopen.1United States Postal Service. Handbook EL-312 – Employment and Placement – 584 Employee Evaluation
The Rural Carrier Variant: PS Form 1750-R
Noncareer rural carriers use a separate version of the form. Effective March 20, 2025, the Postal Service revised PS Form 1750-R, Noncareer Rural Carrier Employee Evaluation or Probationary Report. The revised form specifies when to evaluate a noncareer rural carrier during the probationary period, includes built-in instructions for completing it, and adds a Privacy Statement for Privacy Act compliance.3United States Postal Service. PS Form 1750-R – Noncareer Rural Carrier Employee Evaluation or Probationary Report
Appeal Rights After a Probationary Separation
Probationary employees have very limited appeal rights, and this catches many new hires off guard. Under most union contracts covering USPS bargaining employees, probationary employees cannot use the grievance procedure to challenge their separation. The employer keeps the right to separate any probationary employee at any time during the probationary period without going through the progressive discipline process that applies to career employees.
Appeal options through the Merit Systems Protection Board are also narrow. A probationary employee can appeal a termination to the MSPB only in specific circumstances, such as a separation based on political affiliation or marital status, or one involving conditions that arose before employment where the termination was not carried out in accordance with applicable regulations. Preference-eligible Postal Service employees who have completed one year of continuous service have broader appeal rights for adverse actions, but most probationary employees have not reached that threshold.4U.S. Merit Systems Protection Board. Jurisdiction
For a new USPS employee, the 30-day and 60-day discussions are the clearest signal of where you stand, and the written record built on Form 1750 is what will support the retention or separation decision at day 80.