With the holiday season in full swing, the U.S. Postal Service, UPS, and FedEx have announced their shipping deadlines to ensure packages arrive before Christmas.
The U.S. Postal Service has set December 18 as the last mailing date for first-class mail and their Ground Advantage service to ensure delivery before Christmas. This deadline applies to addresses in the lower 48 states, according to the USPS official website.
UPS has set a slightly later deadline. Packages will need to be with them by December 19 for their Three Day Select Service to guarantee arrival by December 24.
Friday, Dec. 20 Normal pickup and delivery service. This is the last day to ship UPS 2nd Day Air® packages for delivery on Tuesday, Dec. 24. UPS 3 Day Select® packages picked up Dec. 20 will be scheduled for delivery on Friday, Dec. 27.
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Monday, Dec. 23 Normal pickup and delivery service. This is the last day to ship UPS Next Day Air® packages for delivery on Tuesday, Dec. 24 with a UPS On-Call Pickup® service, a UPS Smart Pickup® service, or other prearranged, scheduled pickup, or by tendering a shipment at a The UPS Store® location or a UPS Authorized Service Location.
Tuesday, Dec. 24, Christmas Eve Normal delivery service. Pickup service available only for Air and International Air* packages if prearranged by Thursday, Dec. 19. UPS On-Call Pickup® service is available for Air and international Air* packages. UPS Next Day Air® packages picked up today will be scheduled for delivery on Thursday, Dec. 26.
FedEx, on the other hand, recommends getting boxes shipped by December 17 for their Ground and Home Delivery options to ensure they arrive in time for Christmas.
While these are the standard deadlines, each carrier does offer faster services for last-minute shipments, though these options will be more costly. As the holiday season is the busiest time of the year for these carriers, especially the two weeks leading up to Christmas, it is recommended to send packages as early as possible.