USPS Holiday Shipping Deadlines 2026: Dec. 17 for Ground Advantage, Dec. 18 for Priority, Dec. 19 for Express

To get a package delivered by Christmas in the lower 48 states, the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) recommends mailing it by Thursday, Dec. 17, 2026 for USPS Ground Advantage and First-Class Mail, by Friday, Dec. 18 for Priority Mail, and by Saturday, Dec. 19 for Priority Mail Express. The agency announced the dates on Sept. 22. They are recommendations for expected delivery by Dec. 25, not guarantees.

Last checked against the USPS holiday shipping page on Thursday, Oct. 22, 2026.

USPS holiday shipping deadlines 2026

Send-by date	Day	USPS service (lower 48 states)	Days from today
Dec. 17	Thursday	Ground Advantage and First-Class Mail (cards, letters)	-
Dec. 18	Friday	Priority Mail	-
Dec. 19	Saturday	Priority Mail Express	-

For Alaska, Hawaii, Puerto Rico and the territories, First-Class Mail, Priority Mail and Priority Mail Express follow the same send-by dates above; only Ground Advantage differs, with a service expectation of 10 days or more.

USPS says Ground Advantage packages between the lower 48 and Alaska, Hawaii, American Samoa, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands and the Freely Associated States have a service expectation of 10 days or more. Use the USPS Service Commitments tool for your origin and destination ZIP Codes instead of the lower-48 date.

If you use Ground Advantage or First-Class Mail, aim to mail before Dec. 17 rather than on it. A few days of cushion helps with weather and heavy volume, the two most common reasons holiday mail runs late.

International mail: Dec. 9 and Dec. 16

USPS lists the same dates for every region it names: Africa, Asia and the Pacific Rim, Australia and New Zealand, Canada, the Caribbean, Central and South America, Europe, Mexico and the Middle East.

Service	Recommended send-by date
First-Class Package International	Wednesday, Dec. 9
Priority Mail International	Wednesday, Dec. 9
Priority Mail Express International	Wednesday, Dec. 16

Customs checks and destination rules can slow international parcels, so treat these as the latest dates, not the target.

Military and diplomatic addresses

Mail to an Army Post Office (APO), Fleet Post Office (FPO) or Diplomatic Post Office (DPO) address has its own dates, and they are earlier. USPS lists them by ZIP Code group. For the AE groups it shows (090 to 099, 340 and 962 to 966):

Service	Recommended send-by date
USPS Ground Advantage	Wednesday, Nov. 4
First-Class Mail	Wednesday, Dec. 9
Priority Mail	Wednesday, Dec. 9
Priority Mail Express Military Service	Wednesday, Dec. 16

Priority Mail Express Military Service is not offered for ZIP Codes 093 and is available only at selected military and diplomatic Post Offices, so confirm with your local Post Office. The full table, including other ZIP groups, is on the USPS holiday page.

Post office closures

Post offices close on federal holidays. The ones that matter for holiday shipping:

Date	Day	Holiday
Nov. 11	Wednesday	Veterans Day
Nov. 26	Thursday	Thanksgiving Day
Dec. 25	Friday	Christmas Day
Jan. 1, 2027	Friday	New Year’s Day

Christmas Eve, Thursday, Dec. 24, is not a federal holiday, but retail hours vary by branch. Our Veterans Day story lists what else is closed on Nov. 11.

Free printable send-by sheet

Print the one-page sheet of these dates and pin it where the wrapping happens. It is labeled “Recommended send-by dates” and says delivery dates are not guaranteed. An ink-saver version is included.

Plan backward from the holiday

If you are sending	Aim to ship by
Gifts to a military address by Ground Advantage	Nov. 4
Hanukkah gifts (first night Dec. 4)	Late November
Advent calendars for Dec. 1	The week before Thanksgiving
Christmas gifts by Ground Advantage	Dec. 14-17
Last-minute gifts	Dec. 19 by Priority Mail Express

Advent calendars are a common early send because the first door opens on Tuesday, Dec. 1; our advent calendar 2026 guide has the dates and free printables. Black Friday is Nov. 27 and Cyber Monday Nov. 30, so online orders placed then usually have time to arrive (see when Black Friday falls and Black Friday 2026 store hours).

Shopping in person instead? Our list of Costco’s 2026 holiday closures shows the days its warehouses are shut. To keep track of every deadline, print a December 2026 calendar or a weekly calendar; Christmas Day falls on a Friday this year, and our Christmas Eve and Christmas Day store hours show what closes early.