You may be staring at (or chowing down on) a pile of Halloween candy, but soon, Mariah Carey’s All I Want for Christmas Is You will be playing nonstop on every radio station and at every grocery store. As you plan your holiday sales, be sure to consider the 2025 holiday shipping calendar. Today, we’re sharing the deadlines USPS, UPS, and FedEx have set for delivery by December 24.

USPS 2025 Holiday Shipping Deadlines

The following deadlines apply to domestic mail sent with USPS:

●       December 16 - USPS Ground Advantage for Alaska, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, and US Territories
●       December 17 - USPS Ground Advantage for the Contiguous US + First-Class Mail
●       December 18 - Priority Mail
●       December 20 - Priority Mail Express

UPS 2025 Holiday Shipping Deadlines

The following deadlines apply to US Domestic parcels shipped with UPS:

●       December 19 - UPS 3 Day Select®
●       December 22 - UPS 2nd Day Air®
●       December 23 - UPS Next Day Air®

For UPS Ground deadlines, use the UPS tool for calculating time and cost. For example, the deadline for a parcel shipped from Dallas, TX, to a residential address in  Los Angeles, CA, is December 19. A parcel shipped from New York City to Los Angeles should be shipped by December 18 to arrive by EOD on December 24.

However, the UPS holiday guide notes, “From Nov. 17, 2025 – Jan. 9, 2026, a limited number of UPS® Ground and UPS® Standard packages will require additional time in transit.” The above examples are correct as of today, but may require additional transit days as we near December 24. Check the UPS calculator and ship as early as possible to avoid delays and disappointment.

FedEx 2025 Holiday Shipping Deadlines

The following deadlines apply to US domestic package services with FedEx:

●       December 15 - FedEx Ground® Economy
●       December 20 - FedEx Express Saver®
●       December 22 - FedEx 2Day® & FedEx 2Day® AM
●       December 23 - FedEx First Overnight®, FedEx Priority Overnight®, FedEx Standard Overnight®, Extra Hours
●       December 24 - FedEx SameDay®

Timelines for parcels shipped through FedEx Ground® and FedEx Home Delivery® depend on transit time. Parcels with a 5-day transit time should be shipped by December 17, while parcels with a 1-day transit time can be shipped by December 23. This FedEx transit time calculator can help you determine the timing of your shipments.

What to Do When a Parcel Misses the Sleigh (and It’s the Carriers’ Fault)

This year, UPS will maintain its Service Guarantee for select Air and International shipments. FedEx has not explicitly stated whether it will honor its money-back guarantee or, like in previous years, suspend it for the holiday demand season.

The best way to avoid disappointment this holiday season is to encourage customers to shop early so you can ship as early as possible. When a parcel doesn’t land in Santa’s sleigh due to carrier errors, ShipRx parcel audits can help you recoup funds.

Automatic parcel audits with ShipRx can’t guarantee a delay-free holiday season, but they do promise maximum refunds if the carriers don’t fulfill their guarantees. Sign up for a free Savings Analysis and start saving before Santa’s sleigh takes flight!