More than 7.6 billion pieces of mail and packages have been handled by the U.S. Postal Service so far this holiday season, according to the agency.
That number only stands to grow as the clock ticks to get gifts delivered in time for Christmas. So when is the best time to ship?
The last day to mail domestic packages and letters is Saturday, Dec. 16, the Postal Service said. The agency released its shipping and mailing deadlines in October, months ahead of what’s been called the “busiest week” of the year for post offices across the country.
Here’s the complete list of shipping and mailing deadlines for 2023:
- Priority Mail Express Military Service — Dec. 15
- USPS Ground Advantage — Dec. 16
- First-Class Mail (includes greeting cards) — Dec. 16
- Priority Mail — Dec. 18
- Priority Mail Express — Dec. 20
Air/Army Post Office (APO), Fleet Post Office (FPO) and Diplomatic Post Office (DPO) are excluded from Priority Mail Express Military Service, the agency said. Mailings from ZIP code 093 are also excluded.
Residents in Alaska and Hawaii have until Dec. 16 to ship via USPS Ground and First-Class mail if they want their gifts to arrive by Christmas, according to the Postal Service’s website.
For Priority Mail, the deadline is Dec. 18 for Alaska and Dec. 16 for Hawaii, USPS said. Parcels sent via Priority Mail Express should be mailed by Dec. 20 for both states.
Shipping deadlines are slightly different for carriers UPS and FedEx:
- UPS Ground — shipping and delivery times vary
- UPS 3 Day Select — Dec. 19
- UPS 2nd Day Air — Dec. 20
- UPS Next-day Air — Dec. 21
- FedEx Ground — Dec. 15 to Dec. 21
- FedEx Home Delivery — Dec. 15 to Dec. 22
In any case, a general rule of thumb is to ship early if you can.
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