USPS Announces 2026 Holiday Mailing Deadlines: December 18 for Priority Mail, December 19 for Express
The U.S. Postal Service has announced its mailing deadlines for the 2026 holiday season. For delivery by December 25 within the contiguous 48 states, the last recommended mailing dates are December 17 for Ground Advantage and First-Class Mail, December 18 for Priority Mail, and December 19 for Priority Mail Express.
For mail to Alaska, Hawaii, Puerto Rico and U.S. territories, the deadlines are December 17 for First-Class Mail, December 18 for Priority Mail and December 19 for Priority Mail Express; Ground Advantage to non-contiguous destinations has no single cutoff, and USPS notes transit times of 10 days or more since October, so earlier is safer. For international mail, the deadlines are December 9 for First-Class Package International and Priority Mail International, and December 16 for Priority Mail Express International; the Ground Advantage deadline for military APO/FPO/DPO addresses passed on November 4.
USPS also noted that Hanukkah falls on December 4-12 this year, so cards and gifts for the holiday should go out correspondingly early. The holiday season is the Postal Service's busiest period, and mail sent close to the deadlines can be affected by weather and volume; USPS advises mailing early and checking its website for the latest delivery estimates. (Source: U.S. Postal Service)
Source: U.S. Postal Service
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图片来源：美国邮政投递车（AITFFan1 摄，Wikimedia Commons，CC BY-SA 4.0） / Image: A USPS mail truck, by AITFFan1, Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)
