USPS releases mailing deadlines for holiday shoppers

Estimated read time: Less than a minute

SALT LAKE CITY — If you plan to ship packages for the holidays, there are some deadlines you need to know.

The U.S. Postal Service has announced its recommended mailing dates for anyone who wants their cards and gifts to arrive before Dec. 25. For those mailing packages within the lower 48 states, the earliest deadline is Dec. 17. To get packages to Alaska, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, and U.S. territories, the deadline is Dec. 16.

And anyone who uses Priority Mail or Priority Mail Express will have a few extra days to get packages where they need to be before the holiday.

—Travis Richards

USPS releases mailing deadlines for holiday shoppers

Posted - Sept. 24, 2026 at 12:50 p.m.

U.S. Postal Service trucks in Glendale, Calif., on Aug. 23, 2024. The postal service announced its holiday deadlines.(Mario Tama, Getty Images via CNN)

Related stories

Most recent U.S. stories

Related topics

More stories you may be interested in

FDA nominee Overton says all vaccines safe as senators press on shots, abortion, vaping

Powerful Hurricane Polo drenches Mexico's coast from offshore as Nolo nears Hawaii

Heads of artificial intelligence firms tell UN Security Council that it could be a risk to all humanity

KSL Weather Forecast