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Even though Christmas is almost a week away, there is still time to get packages shipped so they arrive in time for the holiday. However, those shipping deadlines are quickly approaching.
Every year the major parcel delivery services publish the deadlines by which a parcel or post must be sent to arrive on Christmas Eve. Deadlines vary depending on the specific shipping method.
With a flood of packages expected during the holiday season, UPS tried to encourage shoppers to shop and ship packages earlier in September.
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Meanwhile, in November, in preparation for the rush of this year’s holiday season, the US Postal Service (USPS) announced that its largest mail processing facility, located in Los Angeles, has increased its daily processing capacity from 60 million to 88 million through the deployment of more than 600 package sorters.
A United States Postal Service (USPS) employee delivers packages on Cyber Monday in New York, USA, on Monday, December 1, 2025. (Bess Adler/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
USPS said the 614 state-of-the-art package sorting machines, added over the past five years, will allow it to handle more and larger packages than the older machines and prepare it for the “expected increase in holiday package volume.”
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UPS
UPS grounding: Check the specific deadline online, as the shipping deadline varies by location.
UPS 3 days selection: The last day to ship for delivery before Christmas is December 19, 2025.
UPS 2nd day air: The last shipping day for Christmas delivery is December 22, 2025.
UPS Next Day Air: The last day to ship before Christmas is December 23, 2025.
A UPS delivery person in Manhattan, New York. (Lindsey Nicholson/UCG/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)
FedEx
FedEx SameDay: The last day to ship before Christmas is December 24 for same-day delivery options, where available.
FedEx First Overnight, FedEx Priority Overnight, FedEx Standard Overnight and Extra Hours: The last day to ship one of these overnight services is December 23rd.
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FedEx 2Day & FedEx 2Day AM: The last shipping day for FedEx 2Day services is December 22.
FedEx Express Saver: The last day for FedEx Express Saver shipping is December 19th.
FedEx trucks at a distribution center in San Diego, California. (Kevin Carter)
FedEx Ground/FedEx Home Delivery. Depending on how far your package has to travel, the last shipping day is:
- Five-day transit: The last day is December 19.
- Four-day transit: The last day is December 20.
- Three-day transit: The last day is December 21.
- Two-day transit: The last day is December 22.
- One day transit: The last day is December 23.
USPS
USPS Ground Benefit: The recommended last day of shipping for pre-Christmas delivery is December 17th.
First class mail: The recommended last day to send first class mail is December 17th.
Priority mail: The last recommended day to ship Priority Mail is December 18.
Priority mail express: The last recommended day to ship Priority Mail Express is December 20th.
USPS deadlines for Alaska, Hawaii, Puerto Rico and US territories:
USPS Ground Benefit: The recommended last day for shipping is December 16th.
First class mail: The recommended last day to send first class mail is December 17th.
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Priority mail: The last recommended day for Priority Mail shipping for expected delivery is December 18th.
Priority mail express: The last recommended day to ship Priority Mail Express is December 20th.
