Holiday Shipping Deadlines Calculator
USPS and FedEx's own 2026 Christmas ship-by dates, plus a calculator to work out a ship-by date for any deadline and carrier.
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Last day to ship: USPS Priority Mail
Fri, Dec 18, 2026
USPS's and FedEx's own recommended dates for delivery by Wed, Dec 25, 2026, to the contiguous US.
UPS had not published its 2026 holiday shipping deadlines as of Sep 30, 2026. Check ups.com closer to the season, or use the custom deadline calculator above with UPS's published transit time for your service.
Breakdown
- USPS Ground Advantage
- Thu, Dec 17, 2026
- USPS First-Class Mail
- Thu, Dec 17, 2026
- USPS Priority Mail
- Fri, Dec 18, 2026
- USPS Priority Mail Express
- Sat, Dec 19, 2026
- FedEx Ground Economy
- Tue, Dec 15, 2026
- FedEx Home Delivery (3-day)
- Mon, Dec 21, 2026
- FedEx Express Saver
- Mon, Dec 21, 2026
- FedEx Overnight
- Wed, Dec 23, 2026
- FedEx SameDay
- Thu, Dec 24, 2026
2026 Christmas shipping deadlines
These are USPS's and FedEx's own recommended ship-by dates for delivery by Wednesday, December 25, 2026, to the contiguous US, published as of September 2026. As of this same date, UPS had not yet published its 2026 holiday deadlines: check ups.com closer to the season.
| Service | Ship by |
|---|---|
| USPS Ground Advantage / First-Class Mail | Dec 17, 2026 |
| USPS Priority Mail | Dec 18, 2026 |
| USPS Priority Mail Express | Dec 19, 2026 |
| FedEx Ground / Home Delivery (3-day) | Dec 21, 2026 |
| FedEx Express Saver | Dec 21, 2026 |
| FedEx 2Day / 2Day AM | Dec 22, 2026 |
| FedEx Overnight | Dec 23, 2026 |
| FedEx SameDay | Dec 24, 2026 |
Alaska, Hawaii, Puerto Rico and US territories move USPS Ground Advantage's deadline a day earlier, to December 16. The full tool has every USPS and FedEx service, plus a custom calculator for any other deadline, transit time and carrier.
Working backward from any deadline
Not shipping for Christmas, or want to double-check UPS or a different deadline? Switch on Use my own delivery deadline and enter the date, your carrier's published transit time for that service, and whether it skips weekends. The calculator subtracts the transit time in business days to give you the last safe ship date.
- Add a day of buffer if you don't ship the same day an order comes in, or your pickup only happens a few times a week.
- Build the deadline into your storefront early: a banner or checkout message a week or two out converts better than one added the day the cutoff hits.
- Pair this with the delivery date calculator for a general, non-holiday "arrives by" estimate on every order.
Questions people ask
What is the last day to ship for Christmas with USPS in 2026?
Ground Advantage and First-Class Mail: December 17. Priority Mail: December 18. Priority Mail Express: December 19, all for delivery by December 25 in the contiguous US.
Has UPS published its 2026 holiday shipping deadlines?
Not as of September 30, 2026. Check ups.com for its published dates closer to the holiday season, or use this tool's custom calculator with UPS's transit time for your service.
Are these dates different for Alaska, Hawaii or Puerto Rico?
Yes, USPS Ground Advantage moves a day earlier (December 16) for those destinations. First-Class Mail, Priority Mail and Priority Mail Express keep the same dates.
What about international shipping deadlines?
USPS publishes international cutoffs separately, and they're much earlier than domestic ones. Check USPS's holiday shipping page directly for the country you're shipping to.
Related tools
Want this builtinto your store?
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Emmanuel Asika
Shopify & WooCommerce developer, Dublin
I build and fix online stores: new builds, migrations, speed, SEO and the custom bits apps can't do.
Last reviewed 30 September 2026.
Sources: USPS: 2026 Holiday Shipping Deadlines · Value Added Resource: USPS, FedEx publish 2026 holiday shipping deadlines