2026 holiday shipping deadlines: USPS send-by dates for Christmas
The cheapest way to ship a gift is to ship it early. Miss the cutoff and you end up paying for Priority Mail Express or overnight shipping just to get a box there by December 25. Here are the official 2026 dates from the U.S. Postal Service, plus a few ways to keep shipping costs down.
- Cheapest USPS option (Ground Advantage) for the lower 48: send by Thursday, Dec. 17.
- Priority Mail: Friday, Dec. 18. Priority Mail Express: Saturday, Dec. 19.
- International and most military mail need to go out by Dec. 9; military Ground Advantage by Nov. 4.
USPS send-by dates for the contiguous U.S.
The Postal Service announced these recommended dates for expected delivery before December 25 in its USPS newsroom: 2026 holiday mailing and shipping dates (Sept. 22, 2026):
| Service | Send by |
|---|---|
| USPS Ground Advantage | Thursday, Dec. 17 |
| First-Class Mail (cards and letters) | Thursday, Dec. 17 |
| Priority Mail | Friday, Dec. 18 |
| Priority Mail Express | Saturday, Dec. 19 |
For Alaska, Hawaii, Puerto Rico and U.S. territories, First-Class Mail, Priority Mail and Priority Mail Express use the same dates, but USPS says Ground Advantage packages between those places and the lower 48 have a service expectation of 10 days or more. Check your exact ZIP-to-ZIP timing with the USPS service commitments lookup tool.
International and military mail
According to the USPS: 2026 holiday shipping deadlines page, First-Class Package International and Priority Mail International should be sent by Wednesday, Dec. 9 to every region USPS lists (including Canada, Mexico, Europe and Asia/Pacific), and Priority Mail Express International by Wednesday, Dec. 16.
For APO/FPO/DPO addresses, USPS lists Wednesday, Nov. 4 for Ground Advantage, Dec. 9 for First-Class and Priority Mail, and Dec. 16 for Priority Mail Express Military Service where it is offered. That Nov. 4 date is next week, so military care packages need to be packed now.
USPS also reminds shippers that Hanukkah runs Dec. 4 to Dec. 12 this year, so plan those gifts earlier.
UPS and FedEx
Private carriers publish their own calendars. UPS posts its UPS holiday shipping schedule, which lists service days and closures. For ground services, delivery time depends on origin and destination, so check your route in the carrier's time-in-transit tool rather than relying on a single national date.
How to avoid paying for rush shipping
- Ship the far-away gifts first. Cross-country and overseas packages take the longest and cost the most to rush.
- Have online gifts shipped straight to the recipient. It often costs less than buying, then reshipping yourself.
- Use flat-rate boxes for heavy items. For dense items, Priority Mail flat-rate pricing can beat weight-based rates.
- Use store pickup for gifts you'll hand over in person.
- Track everything. If something goes wrong, see our guide to a late or missing online order, and our tips to prevent package theft.
The bottom line
Put Dec. 17 on your calendar for cheap ground shipping, Dec. 9 for anything going overseas or to most military addresses, and Nov. 4 for military Ground Advantage. USPS notes that actual delivery can vary with origin, destination and acceptance time, so earlier is always safer.
Published October 28, 2026. We do not use affiliate links on this page; see our Affiliate Disclosure.