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 21, 2026

UPS holiday shipping deadlines

Domestic

UPS service Last day to ship
UPS® Ground Check ups.com/ctc for details
UPS 3 Day Select® Dec. 21
UPS 2nd Day Air® Dec. 22
UPS Next Day Air® Dec. 23

International

UPS service U.S. to Canada U.S. to Mexico
UPS® Standard (from the 48 contiguous states only) Check ups.com/ctc for details Check ups.com/ctc for details
UPS Worldwide Expedited® Dec. 22 Dec. 21
UPS Worldwide Express® Dec. 23 Dec. 22

Holiday pickup and delivery

Date Pickup Delivery
Nov. 26 (Thanksgiving) None None
Dec. 24 No Ground pickup. Air and international Air only, if prearranged by Dec. 18 All services
Dec. 25 None None
Dec. 31 Air and international Air only, if prearranged by Dec. 28 Air and international Air only

More details on UPS deadlines

USPS holiday shipping deadlines

Domestic

USPS service Lower 48 states Alaska, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, and U.S. territories
USPS Ground Advantage® Dec. 17 Check estimated delivery date (10+ day service expectation)
First-Class Mail® Dec. 17 Dec. 17
Priority Mail® Dec. 18 Dec. 18
Priority Mail Express® Dec. 19 Dec. 19

International and Military

USPS service Last day to ship
First-Class Package International Service® Dec. 9
Priority Mail International® Dec. 9
Priority Mail Express International® Dec. 16
USPS Ground Advantage to military addresses (APO/FPO/DPO) Nov. 4
First-Class Mail to military addresses (APO/FPO/DPO) Dec. 9
Priority Mail to military addresses (APO/FPO/DPO) Dec. 9
Priority Mail Express Military® to military addresses (APO/FPO/DPO) Dec. 16

More details on USPS deadlines

FedEx holiday shipping deadlines

Domestic

FedEx service Last day to ship
FedEx Ground® Economy Dec. 15
FedEx Ground® and FedEx Home Delivery®, 5-day transit Dec. 17
FedEx Ground and FedEx Home Delivery, 4-day transit Dec. 18
FedEx Ground and FedEx Home Delivery, 3-day transit Dec. 21
FedEx Ground and FedEx Home Delivery, 2-day transit Dec. 22
FedEx Ground and FedEx Home Delivery, 1-day transit Dec. 23
FedEx Express Saver® Dec. 21
FedEx 2Day® and FedEx 2Day® AM Dec. 22
FedEx First Overnight®, FedEx Priority Overnight®, FedEx Standard Overnight®, and Extra Hours Dec. 23
FedEx SameDay® Dec. 24
FedEx 3Day® Freight Dec. 21
FedEx 2Day® Freight Dec. 22
FedEx 1Day® Freight Dec. 23

International

FedEx service U.S. to Canada U.S. to Mexico U.S. to Puerto Rico
FedEx® International Next Flight Dec. 23 Dec. 22 Dec. 23
FedEx International First® Dec. 23 Dec. 22 Dec. 23
FedEx International Priority® Dec. 23 Dec. 22 Dec. 23
FedEx International Priority Distribution® Dec. 22 N/A N/A
FedEx International Economy® Dec. 21 Dec. 21 Dec. 22
FedEx® International Connect Plus Dec. 21 Dec. 21 N/A
FedEx Ground® U.S. to Canada, 7-day transit Dec. 15 N/A N/A
FedEx Ground U.S. to Canada, 6-day transit Dec. 16 N/A N/A
FedEx Ground U.S. to Canada, 5-day transit Dec. 17 N/A N/A
FedEx Ground U.S. to Canada, 4-day transit Dec. 18 N/A N/A
FedEx Ground U.S. to Canada, 3-day transit Dec. 19 N/A N/A
FedEx Ground U.S. to Canada, 2-day transit Dec. 22 N/A N/A
FedEx Ground U.S. to Canada, 1-day transit Dec. 23 N/A N/A

More details on FedEx deadlines

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.

Todd Greenbaum
Todd Greenbaum
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