2026 USPS Holiday Shipping Deadlines: Last Days to Ship for Christmas

USPS has published its 2026 holiday shipping dates. To arrive before Christmas (Friday, December 25) anywhere in the lower 48 states, ship Ground Advantage by Thursday, December 17, Priority Mail by Friday, December 18, and Priority Mail Express by Saturday, December 19.

Two dates land much earlier, so put them on the calendar now: Ground Advantage to APO/FPO/DPO military addresses closes Wednesday, November 4, and First-Class Package International and Priority Mail International close Wednesday, December 9. Hanukkah also comes early this year, December 4 to 12.

The full tables for Alaska, Hawaii, Puerto Rico and US territories, all nine international regions and every military ZIP Code range are on our 2026 USPS Holiday Shipping Deadlines page , along with what to do as each date passes.

Two things that trip sellers up

The date counts from the acceptance scan, not the label. A label printed on December 17 for a package USPS first scans on December 18 has missed the Ground Advantage date. Drop off before the last collection time, or schedule a free USPS Carrier Pickup the day before.

These are recommendations, not guarantees. USPS says actual delivery depends on origin, destination and acceptance time. Priority Mail Express is the only USPS domestic service with a money-back delivery guarantee, and it shows the guaranteed date when you buy the label.

Set your own cutoff now

Take the USPS date for the service you actually use, subtract your handling time, and post the result as your last order date for Christmas delivery. Change marketplace handling-time settings before volume peaks, not during it.

I’d Ship That prints discounted USPS and UPS labels below commercial rates, from your phone or the web, and lets you compare Ground Advantage against Priority Mail on the same order before you buy. Dates are from USPS’s holiday shipping page .