Holiday shipping deadlines are out, and they are earlier than many people think. The U.S. Postal Service says to mail packages by these dates for delivery before Dec. 25 in the lower 48 states:

USPS Ground Advantage and First-Class Mail: Dec. 17. Priority Mail: Dec. 18. Priority Mail Express: Dec. 19.

For Alaska, Hawaii, Puerto Rico and U.S. territories, Ground Advantage moves up to Dec. 16. The other dates stay the same. The Postal Service says dates for military and international addresses will be posted starting in mid-October.

FedEx has posted deadlines for arrival by Dec. 24, Value Added Resource reported. FedEx Ground Economy is the earliest, at Dec. 15. FedEx Ground and Home Delivery depends on transit time: Dec. 17 for a five-day trip, Dec. 18 for four days, Dec. 21 for three days, Dec. 22 for two days and Dec. 23 for one day. FedEx Express Saver is Dec. 21, and FedEx 2Day is Dec. 22. Overnight services run through Dec. 23, and FedEx SameDay through Dec. 24.

Transit times depend on the ZIP codes involved, so FedEx says to check before you ship.

UPS had not yet posted its 2026 ship-by dates, Value Added Resource said. Its holiday schedule shows deliveries for all services on Christmas Eve, but no Ground pickups that day. UPS is closed Christmas Day.

Why plan now? Shipping volume surges in December, and weather can slow things down. The Postal Service advises mailing early, and it offers free shipping supplies online.

The calendar is also tight because many people shop early. In a recent Numerator survey of Amazon's October sale, 21% of buyers said they had started holiday gift shopping.

What we know: USPS ground cutoff is Dec. 17, and FedEx's runs from Dec. 15 to Dec. 24.
What we don't: UPS's recommended last days to ship.