2021 Holiday Shipping Deadlines For The Major Carriers

The holiday shipping rush is on! 2021 is proving to be a year where it is extremely important to be aware of shipping deadlines and protocols for the major shipping companies.

Also this year marks the first year that the U.S. Postal Service revised how it handles and ships mail, so if you want your packages to arrive by Christmas, pay close attention to these dates. Keep in mind these dates are for domestic shipping. International deadlines vary by country and shipping carrier. You can access this information by going directly to the carriers website for the most up to date information.

For the U.S. Postal Service:

USPS indicates that this years deadline for 1st Class Mail is December 17th.

For Priority Mail, the deadline is December 18th.

For USPS Ground Service, the last day for shipping packages is December 15th.

If you are shipping to someone in the military. APO/FPO/DPO addresses will need to be shipped by December 9th for 1st class mail and if you use Priority Mail Express Military Service, you have until December 16th to get that package out.

For UPS:

They have created an interactive search on their website as the deadline will vary based on address to address location. CLICK HERE to search.

If you are willing to pay extra for faster service, this will buy you extra time to get those packages out to be delivered by Christmas.

The deadline for shipping using UPS 3 Day Select is December 21st.

The deadline for using UPS Next Day Air is December 23rd.

For FedEx:

They have a variety of options with deadline dates varying according to service.

The shipping deadline for FedEx Ground Economy is December 9th.

The shipping deadline for FedEx Ground, including the contiguous U.S. and Alaska & Hawaii is December 15th

The shipping deadline for FedEx Express Saver is December 21st.

The shipping deadline for FedEx Express 2 day is December 22nd.
Amazon Shipping:

For those of us who are still shopping or may want to have something shipped directly from Amazon. It's important to note that most of the dates listed on their site are "aggressive" estimates. To be on the safe side plan on an extra 2 days to the shipping date they have listed when you order.

Happy Shipping & Happy Holidays!