2026 USPS Holiday Mailing Deadlines: When to Send Your Mail

The holiday season moves quickly, and so do mailing deadlines. Whether you're sending customer appreciation cards, year-end communications, promotional mail or packages, knowing when to mail can help your materials arrive when they matter most.

For mail and packages being sent within the contiguous United States (lower 48 states), the USPS recommends the following send-by dates for expected delivery before December 25.

These are recommended mailing dates, not guaranteed delivery deadlines. Actual delivery depends on the origin, destination, acceptance time and other conditions.

The USPS recommends the same December 17–19 dates for First-Class Mail, Priority Mail and Priority Mail Express.

For USPS Ground Advantage, plan for additional transit time. The USPS notes that packages traveling between the contiguous United States and offshore destinations may have service expectations of 10 days or more. Check the estimated delivery time for your specific ZIP codes before mailing.

If you're planning holiday promotions, fundraising appeals, customer communications or other bulk mailings, it's important to plan ahead.

Unlike First-Class Mail, USPS Marketing Mail does not have an official holiday send-by date. Delivery typically takes 3–10 business days and is not guaranteed.

For Marketing Mail intended to arrive by December 24, December 14 can serve as a planning target, but earlier is better. Mailing timelines should account for production, destination and expected USPS processing times.

A little planning now can help you avoid last-minute challenges. Finalize your mailing lists, confirm your quantities and coordinate production schedules before the holiday rush.

At Thysse, we help businesses and organizations manage direct mail from print production and mailing list preparation to postal processing and delivery coordination.

Have a holiday mailing in the works? Let's talk about your schedule and how we can help you get it out the door.

For the latest recommended shipping dates, visit the official USPS holiday shipping deadlines page.