Every carrier and service has its own cutoffs, and the dates shift depending on where the package is going. Here are the official holiday shipping deadlines for 2026, covering domestic, international, and other shipments. Plan around these to ensure every package reaches its destination in time for the holidays. 

Updated October 23, 2026. Use these dates to plan shipments, allow extra time where possible, and check each carrier’s delivery estimates for the specific origin, destination, and service.

Australia Post holiday shipping deadlines

Domestic

Service Last day to ship
Parcel Post Monday, 21 December
Express Post Wednesday, 23 December
StarTrack Express Monday, 21 December
StarTrack Premium Wednesday, 23 December

Important information to note for Australia Post

  • Customers will need to allow additional time for items being sent outside a metro area.
  • These dates apply to all items collected by an Australia Post truck or van and taken directly to the processing facility.
  • For over the counter Parcel Post and Express Post items, please encourage customers to lodge by 2.30PM.
  • Parcel Post and StarTrack Express items sent to and from Western Australia, Tasmania and Northern Territory need to be lodged by Monday 14 December.
  • Express Post items sent to and from Northern Territory and Western Australia need to be lodged by Tuesday 22 December.

International

Overseas deliveries may be affected by external factors such as customs delays and overseas postal disruptions, so please recommend to customers to send as early as possible, to avoid parcels being delayed.

More details on Australia Post deadlines

Couriers Please holiday shipping deadlines

Domestic

2026 Origin
Destination Sydney Melbourne Brisbane Adelaide Perth
Sydney Dec. 18 Dec. 18 Dec. 18 Dec. 17 Dec. 11
Melbourne Dec. 18 Dec. 18 Dec. 17 Dec. 18 Dec. 11
Brisbane Dec. 18 Dec. 17 Dec. 18 Dec. 16 Dec. 11
Adelaide Dec. 17 Dec. 18 Dec. 16 Dec. 18 Dec. 11
Perth Dec. 11 Dec. 11 Dec. 11 Dec. 11 Dec. 18
Tasmania Dec. 11 Dec. 14 Dec. 11 Dec. 11 Dec. 7
Darwin Dec. 7 Dec. 7 Dec. 7 Dec. 7 Dec. 4
NSW Country Dec. 14 Dec. 11 Dec. 11 Dec. 9 Dec. 7
VIC Country Dec. 14 Dec. 14 Dec. 10 Dec. 14 Dec. 7
QLD Country Dec. 14 Dec. 11 Dec. 14 Dec. 10 Dec. 7
SA Country Dec. 11 Dec. 11 Dec. 10 Dec. 14 Dec. 7
WA Country Dec. 4 Dec. 4 Dec. 3 Dec. 4 Dec. 7
NT Country Dec. 4 Dec. 4 Dec. 3 Dec. 4 Dec. 4
Newcastle Dec. 17 Dec. 16 Dec. 16 Dec. 15 Dec. 8
Gosford Dec. 17 Dec. 16 Dec. 16 Dec. 15 Dec. 8
Wollongong Dec. 17 Dec. 16 Dec. 16 Dec. 15 Dec. 8
Coffs Harbour Dec. 14 Dec. 11 Dec. 10 Dec. 9 Dec. 8
Canberra Dec. 18 Dec. 17 Dec. 17 Dec. 16 Dec. 8
Lismore Dec. 17 Dec. 16 Dec. 17 Dec. 15 Dec. 8
Gold Coast Dec. 18 Dec. 17 Dec. 18 Dec. 15 Dec. 11
Sunshine Coast Dec. 18 Dec. 17 Dec. 18 Dec. 15 Dec. 11
Toowoomba Dec. 18 Dec. 17 Dec. 18 Dec. 15 Dec. 11
Townsville Dec. 14 Dec. 11 Dec. 14 Dec. 10 Dec. 7
Bendigo Dec. 18 Dec. 18 Dec. 16 Dec. 17 Dec. 11
Ballarat Dec. 18 Dec. 18 Dec. 16 Dec. 17 Dec. 11

Important to note:

  • Deliveries booked after these dates may still arrive in time, however, Couriers Please cannot give any assurances, given the anticipated volume of freight within the network.
  • The above information is a guideline only and is subject to change as a result of unforeseen incidents and circumstances that are beyond the control of Couriers Please.
  • As this is an extremely busy time of year, CouriersPlease recommends that you ship your pre-Christmas parcels as early as possible.

Aramex holiday shipping deadlines

Aramex are expecting a high volume of parcels to be sent through their network this festive season. To give your deliveries the best chance of arriving before Christmas, please ensure your parcels are sent before the cut-off dates.

Cut-off dated vary for domestic parcels across both metro and regional. Please refer to the attached guide for all cut-off dates. If you do not see your area listed, please contact the Aramex team direct.

The key to a successful holiday shipping season

Planning early is critical to peak season success. Once you know your carrier’s cutoffs, the real work is building a buffer around them.

Fortunately, you don’t have to track all of this by hand. ShipStation helps you automate shipping rules, compare carrier rates and delivery times, and send tracking updates, so you can ship with confidence and before it’s too late.

Start a free trial of ShipStation and make this your smoothest holiday shipping season yet.

Jess Hamilton
Jess Hamilton
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