Recommendations are independently chosen by editors.
The time to worry about getting your holiday gifts in the hands of your loved ones on or before Christmas is rapidly approaching. But with the help of UPS, FedEx and the U.S. Postal Service, you can still get your gifts on time with services like ground, next day or even same-day shipping. While shopping earlier is always recommended, we understand that people live busy lives — so knowing your shipping deadlines will come in handy this holiday season.
To make things easier on you, the three largest carriers — UPS, FedEx and the U.S. Postal Service — have posted their 2022 holiday shipping deadlines. They're almost identical to 2021 deadlines — the only difference is deadlines are a day earlier this year, with Christmas falling on a Sunday. You'll need to shop three days earlier than last year to meet USPS' ground shipping delivery cutoff dates.
Another thing to note is that many retailers' have their own shipping deadlines for online purchases, so you may want to be conscious of those deadlines while you shop. Some stores will have banners or countdowns for shipping on their site to help you navigate your holiday shopping. Other than that, you can always opt for curbside or in-store pickup all the way through Christmas Eve.
This year, the ground shipping deadlines vary from carrier to carrier. For FedEx, the last day for ground delivery was Wednesday, Dec. 14. For USPS, the last day for ground delivery is Saturday, Dec. 17. UPS, on the other hand, suggests getting an estimate from its website based on its operating hours, holiday schedule and operational adjustments.
The following are the shipping deadlines for UPS, FedEx and USPS.
The following dates are the recommended last days for shipping holiday gifts within the U.S. for delivery by Saturday, Dec. 24:
Note: Like last year, UPS has suspended its service guarantee on most packages and, until further notice, has made operational adjustments including extending UPS Next Day Air Delivery commitment times from 10:30 a.m. to noon.
The following dates are the recommended last days for shipping holiday gifts within the U.S. for delivery by Sunday, Dec. 25:
The following are the recommended “send-by-dates for expected delivery” before Sunday, Dec. 25 in the contiguous U.S. (lower 48 states):
The following dates are the recommended last days for shipping holiday gifts from Alaska for delivery by Sunday, Dec. 25:
The following dates are the recommended last days for shipping holiday gifts from Hawaii for delivery by Sunday, Dec. 25:
