Holiday shipping deadlines 2026: last days to ship for Christmas
Updated October 19, 2026. Every date below comes from the carrier's own website or PDF, read on Oct 19, 2026, 22:08–22:10 UTC.
Christmas is Friday, Dec 25. Lower-48 USPS recommends Ground Advantage and First-Class Mail by Dec 17, Priority Mail by Dec 18 and Priority Mail Express by Dec 19. FedEx overnight: Dec 23 for Dec 24 delivery. Military Ground Advantage: Nov 4.
These are carriers' recommended dates, not guarantees. Actual delivery depends on origin, destination and drop-off time.
Holiday shipping deadlines 2026 at a glance
| Carrier | Service | Ship by | Carrier's delivery target | Status | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| USPS | Military (APO/FPO/DPO): Ground Advantage | Wed, Nov 4 | Before Dec 25 | Official | usps.com |
| USPS | International: First-Class Package International and Priority Mail International | Wed, Dec 9 | Before Dec 25 | Official | usps.com |
| USPS | Military: First-Class Mail and Priority Mail | Wed, Dec 9 | Before Dec 25 | Official | usps.com |
| FedEx | Ground Economy | Tue, Dec 15 | Dec 24 | Official | FedEx 2026 PDF |
| USPS | International: Priority Mail Express International | Wed, Dec 16 | Before Dec 25 | Official | usps.com |
| USPS | Military: Priority Mail Express Military (most APO/FPO/DPO ZIPs; not AE 093) | Wed, Dec 16 | Before Dec 25 | Official | usps.com |
| USPS | Ground Advantage and First-Class Mail (lower 48) | Thu, Dec 17 | Before Dec 25 | Official | usps.com |
| FedEx | Ground and Home Delivery (5-day transit) | Thu, Dec 17 | Dec 24 | Official | FedEx 2026 PDF |
| USPS | Priority Mail (lower 48) | Fri, Dec 18 | Before Dec 25 | Official | usps.com |
| USPS | Priority Mail Express (lower 48) | Sat, Dec 19 | Before Dec 25 | Official | usps.com |
| FedEx | Express Saver | Mon, Dec 21 | Dec 24 | Official | FedEx 2026 PDF |
| UPS | 3 Day Select | Mon, Dec 21 | Dec 24 | UPS PDF marked "UPDATE PENDING"; dates may change | UPS 2026 PDF |
| FedEx | 2Day and 2Day AM | Tue, Dec 22 | Dec 24 | Official | FedEx 2026 PDF |
| UPS | 2nd Day Air | Tue, Dec 22 | Dec 24 | UPS PDF marked "UPDATE PENDING"; dates may change | UPS 2026 PDF |
| FedEx | First, Priority and Standard Overnight | Wed, Dec 23 | Dec 24 | Official | FedEx 2026 PDF |
| UPS | Next Day Air | Wed, Dec 23 | Dec 24 | UPS PDF marked "UPDATE PENDING"; dates may change | UPS 2026 PDF |
| FedEx | SameDay | Thu, Dec 24 | Dec 24 | Official | FedEx 2026 PDF |
Carrier links are plain links. USPS dates are for "expected delivery before December 25"; FedEx and UPS dates are to arrive by December 24.
USPS holiday shipping deadlines 2026
Lower 48 states
USPS's recommended send-by dates for expected delivery before December 25: USPS Ground Advantage and First-Class Mail Thursday, Dec 17; Priority Mail Friday, Dec 18; Priority Mail Express Saturday, Dec 19. USPS's own footnote says actual delivery may vary based on origin, destination, Post Office acceptance time and other conditions (usps.com).
Alaska, Hawaii, Puerto Rico and U.S. territories
First-Class Mail Dec 17, Priority Mail Dec 18 and Priority Mail Express Dec 19. USPS gives no single Ground Advantage date: it says Ground Advantage packages between the lower 48 and these places have "a 10-day or more service expectation."
International
For every region USPS lists (Africa, Asia/Pacific Rim, Australia/New Zealand, Canada, Caribbean, Central & South America, Europe, Mexico, Middle East): First-Class Package International Service and Priority Mail International Wednesday, Dec 9; Priority Mail Express International Wednesday, Dec 16.
Military (APO/FPO/DPO)
USPS Ground Advantage Wednesday, Nov 4; First-Class Mail and Priority Mail Wednesday, Dec 9; Priority Mail Express Military Service Wednesday, Dec 16 (not available to AE ZIP 093, and only at selected military Post Offices).
UPS holiday shipping schedule 2026
UPS's 2026 Year-End Holiday Schedule PDF lists, for Dec 24 delivery in the U.S.: 3 Day Select Monday, Dec 21; 2nd Day Air Tuesday, Dec 22; Next Day Air Wednesday, Dec 23. For UPS Ground it says to check ups.com/ctc. The PDF's file name still says "UPDATE PENDING" when we checked, so these dates may change (UPS 2026 PDF).
The same PDF says Thursday, Dec 24 has normal delivery service, with pickups only for Air and International Air packages prearranged by Friday, Dec 18. UPS's holiday page lists its Christmas holiday as Dec 24 & 25 and says UPS is closed on Thanksgiving and Christmas Day (ups.com).
FedEx holiday shipping schedule 2026
FedEx's 2026 PDF lists the last days to ship to arrive by December 24, 2026: Ground Economy Tuesday, Dec 15; Express Saver Monday, Dec 21; 2Day and 2Day AM Tuesday, Dec 22; First, Priority and Standard Overnight Wednesday, Dec 23; SameDay Thursday, Dec 24 (FedEx 2026 PDF).
FedEx Ground and Home Delivery depend on how many transit days your package needs: Dec 17 for 5-day transit, Dec 18 for 4-day, Dec 21 for 3-day, Dec 22 for 2-day and Dec 23 for 1-day. FedEx says delivery times vary by origin and destination.
Carrier holiday closures
- Thanksgiving, Thu Nov 26: FedEx says all locations and operations are unavailable (FedEx winter schedule PDF); UPS is closed.
- Christmas, Fri Dec 25: FedEx and UPS closed.
- New Year's Day, Fri Jan 1: FedEx and UPS closed.
Retailer order-by dates for Christmas 2026
Not announced as of Oct 19, 2026 at Walmart, Best Buy or Macy's. Walmart's and Best Buy's 2026 holiday announcements give no order-by date, and Macy's holiday shipping page still shows its 2025 dates (Standard Shipping by 12/21/25 at 5pm ET). We'll add each store when it publishes 2026 dates.
Missed the deadline?
A gift card can still go out on time; see our gift card deals, checked against face value. Buying early to beat the rush? Check the holiday return policies 2026 and price match policies first, and see when sales start on our Black Friday 2026 dates page. More gift ideas: top toys 2026, Christmas tree deals and home & kitchen deals. If an order gets cancelled, see Black Friday orders that get cancelled.
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FAQ
What is the last day to ship USPS for Christmas 2026?
For the lower 48 states, USPS recommends sending by Thursday, Dec 17 for Ground Advantage and First-Class Mail, Friday, Dec 18 for Priority Mail and Saturday, Dec 19 for Priority Mail Express, for expected delivery before December 25. These are recommended dates, not guarantees.
What are FedEx's last days to ship for Christmas 2026?
To arrive by December 24, 2026, FedEx lists Ground Economy Dec 15, Express Saver Dec 21, 2Day Dec 22, overnight services Dec 23 and SameDay Dec 24. FedEx Ground and Home Delivery depend on transit days: Dec 17 for 5-day transit through Dec 23 for 1-day transit.
What are UPS's last days to ship for Christmas 2026?
UPS's 2026 schedule PDF, whose file name still says "UPDATE PENDING", lists 3 Day Select Dec 21, 2nd Day Air Dec 22 and Next Day Air Dec 23 for Dec 24 delivery. For UPS Ground, UPS says to check ups.com/ctc. The dates may still change.
What is the military mail deadline for Christmas 2026?
USPS recommends Wednesday, Nov 4 for USPS Ground Advantage to APO/FPO/DPO addresses, Wednesday, Dec 9 for First-Class Mail and Priority Mail, and Wednesday, Dec 16 for Priority Mail Express Military Service where it is available.
What is the USPS international deadline for Christmas 2026?
USPS recommends Wednesday, Dec 9 for First-Class Package International Service and Priority Mail International, and Wednesday, Dec 16 for Priority Mail Express International, for every destination region it lists.
Are UPS and FedEx open on Thanksgiving and Christmas 2026?
No. FedEx says all locations and operations are unavailable on Thursday, Nov 26, Friday, Dec 25 and Friday, Jan 1. UPS says it is closed on Thanksgiving (Nov 26) and Christmas Day (Dec 25).
How we check these dates
We read each carrier's own page or PDF and save a copy with the UTC time. "Not announced" means the store or carrier hadn't published 2026 dates when we checked. The carrier's page always wins over ours.
— Sloane Glitchford, Price Bug Alerts