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2026 Thanksgiving and Holiday Shipping Dates

Thanksgiving Day in 2026 is Thursday, November 26, followed by Black Friday and the Christmas and New Year period. This guide collects official 2026 operating days, closures or modified service, and official recommended ship-by dates from UPS, FedEx, USPS, and DHL Express. It was last checked on 2026-11-14. Carriers can update these dates; use the carrier’s own page or PDF as the authority.

These are the carriers’ recommendations — for example, a last day to ship so a package is scheduled to arrive, or a recommended send-by date for expected delivery before a stated day. They are not delivery guarantees, and they are not a calendar or promise from this site. Origin, destination, when the shipment is accepted, peak-season transit changes, and official “dates are subject to change” wording all still apply.

This site does not track packages for you, recover them, intercept them, change addresses, or file claims. If you need to act on a tracking status, use the linked guides below. This page does not rewrite those status entries.

No official 2026 “ship in time to arrive on Thanksgiving or Thanksgiving weekend” cutoff tables were found for these carriers on the sources checked on 2026-11-14. This guide does not invent those dates.

What this guide covers and what it does not

This page covers official 2026 holiday operating days and official recommended ship-by dates that could be tied to a specific official URL. It does not:

• Guarantee arrival by Thanksgiving, Christmas, or any other date
• Recover, intercept, or redirect a package, or file a claim for you
• Merge four carriers into one “arrive before Christmas” calendar
• Treat customer-service holiday hours as a nationwide pickup and delivery shutdown
• Reuse 2025 holiday notices as if they were 2026 rules

When a date could not be read from an official page or PDF, the gap is left blank and the official source is linked instead.

Thanksgiving week 2026 (Wednesday, Nov. 25–Friday, Nov. 27)

Thanksgiving Day is Thursday, November 26, 2026.

UPS

UPS Holiday Schedule (verbatim):

UPS is closed on New Year’s Day, Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving, and Christmas Day. UPS Express Critical® service is still available.

Source: UPS Holiday Schedule

That page labels November 26, 2026 as “Thanksgiving – UPS Holiday.” The “no pickup or delivery” wording for that day is taken from the 2026 Year-End Holiday Schedule PDF, not from a folded subsection of the holiday web page (that sentence was not confirmed in the visible holiday-page section checked on 2026-11-14).

UPS 2026 Year-End Holiday Schedule PDF (verbatim):

Thursday Nov. 26 Thanksgiving Day (UPS Holiday)

No UPS® pickup or delivery service. UPS Express Critical® service (provided by Marken) is available.

The same PDF (verbatim):

On UPS holidays — Nov. 26, Dec. 25, and Jan. 1 — there is no movement of any packages tendered to UPS, regardless of the date of tender.

In the year-end sequence, that January 1 date is New Year’s Day 2027.

Wednesday, Nov. 25, 2026. Year-End PDF (verbatim):

Normal pickup and delivery service. All UPS Next Day Air® packages picked up on Nov. 25 will be scheduled for delivery on Friday, Nov. 27. UPS 2nd Day Air® packages picked up Nov. 25 will be scheduled for delivery on Monday, Nov. 30 (except those processed and labeled for delivery on Saturday, Nov. 28).

Friday, Nov. 27, 2026 (day after Thanksgiving / Black Friday). The holiday page labels this “November 27, 2026: Day after Thanksgiving (Black Friday).” The Year-End PDF (verbatim) says “Friday Nov. 27” and “Normal pickup and delivery service.” Official pages checked for this guide do not say that Black Friday itself causes a delay.

Sources: UPS Holiday Schedule and the 2026 Year-End Holiday Schedule PDF.

The UPS Store® locations are independently owned and operated, and the holiday page says holiday hours may vary. Check a local store; this guide does not list one set of store hours.

FedEx

On the FedEx holiday schedule and last days to ship page, which is consistent with the 2026 Holiday Operations Schedule PDF:

The official tables also list FedEx Custom Critical® as Open on these dates. This table is for FedEx® parcel and express operations and FedEx Office® stores; it is not a FedEx Freight LTL schedule. Official pages state that FedEx includes all U.S. and international parcel and express freight services, except LTL freight services.

Footnotes from the holiday page and the Holiday Operations Schedule PDF:

1. Early on-call pickups and drop box pickups (including Drop Box closures) in some areas. 4. FedEx Office locations will have modified hours the day before the holiday, with some locations closing early. Please contact your local FedEx Office location for details.

“Modified service” here is not the same as “closed,” and footnote 1 is limited to some areas. This guide does not shorten that to a nationwide early close.

The FedEx holiday schedule page (verbatim):

The information shown here reflects our current operating schedules planned for these holiday periods. These dates are subject to change, however. Any updates will be posted on this page, so please check back as the date of the holiday approaches.

USPS

The USPS 2026 holiday list includes “Thursday November 26 : Thanksgiving Day.” USPS Contact Us (verbatim):

Postal facilities are closed on federal holidays.

Sources: USPS holidays and events and USPS Contact Us.

That tells you postal facilities are closed on listed federal holidays, including Thanksgiving Day 2026. It does not say whether any particular class of mail is still delivered that day. A 2026 national release stating whether only Priority Mail Express® would be delivered on Thanksgiving was not found on the sources checked on 2026-11-14. This guide does not reuse a 2025 Thanksgiving notice for 2026, and it does not treat the 2026 Veterans Day release as a Thanksgiving delivery rule.

The Priority Mail Express® product page says “Sunday and holiday delivery available in many major markets for an additional fee.” That is a general product description (many major markets, additional fee). It is not a 2026 Thanksgiving operating bulletin, and it is not a promise that a package will arrive on Thanksgiving. Source: Priority Mail Express®.

A note on the holiday-list page about Post Offices being open on a Friday when a holiday falls on a Saturday refers to 2027 dates (including Saturday, Dec. 25, 2027). It should not be applied to Thursday, November 26, 2026.

DHL Express

The DHL Express United States contact page lists Holiday Hours after its customer-service hours of operation. That list includes Thanksgiving Day (Nov 26) and Christmas Day (Dec 25), and the page says “We're closed on these holidays.”

Those Holiday Hours are contact-page hours. This guide has not verified a 2026 DHL Express U.S. pickup and delivery operations schedule. It does not say that DHL Express does not pick up or deliver in the United States on Thanksgiving.

A 2026 DHL eCommerce U.S. peak or closure schedule was also not found. Express and eCommerce are not treated as one “DHL closed” calendar here.

Christmas and New Year’s week

UPS

From the Year-End Holiday Schedule PDF, with complementary wording from the holiday page where noted. The “no pickup or delivery” sentences for Christmas Day and New Year’s Day are from the PDF.

Thursday, Dec. 24, 2026 (Christmas Eve). Holiday page (verbatim):

UPS® pickup for Air and international Air services only if prearranged by December 18, 2026. No UPS Ground® service pickup.

Year-End PDF (verbatim), kept separate so the conditions are not merged away:

Normal delivery service. Pickup service available only for Air and International Air* packages if prearranged by Friday, Dec. 18. UPS Next Day Air® packages picked up today will be scheduled for delivery on Monday, Dec. 28 (except those processed and labeled for delivery on Saturday, Dec. 26).

Friday, Dec. 25, 2026 (Christmas Day – UPS Holiday). The holiday page labels this “Christmas Day – UPS Holiday.” Year-End PDF (verbatim):

No UPS® pickup or delivery service. UPS Express Critical® service (provided by Marken) is available.

Saturday, Dec. 26, 2026. Year-End PDF (verbatim):

Delivery of Air and International Air* packages labeled for delivery on Saturday only. Pickup service is available only for regularly scheduled Air and International Air* packages.

Thursday, Dec. 31, 2026 (New Year’s Eve). Holiday page (verbatim):

UPS® pickup for Air and international Air services only if prearranged by December 28, 2026. No UPS Ground® service pickup.

Year-End PDF (verbatim):

Delivery of UPS Air and International Air* packages only. Pickup service available only for Air and International Air* packages if prearranged by Monday, Dec. 28. UPS Next Day Air® packages picked up today will be scheduled for delivery on Monday, Jan. 4 (except those processed and labeled for delivery on Saturday, Jan. 2).

Friday, Jan. 1, 2027 (New Year’s Day – UPS Holiday). The holiday page labels January 1, 2027 as “New Year’s Day – UPS Holiday.” Year-End PDF (verbatim):

No UPS® pickup or delivery service.

The PDF’s “no movement of any packages” sentence quoted above also includes Jan. 1, with Express Critical® (Marken) still described as available.

Sources: UPS Holiday Schedule and the 2026 Year-End Holiday Schedule PDF.

FedEx

From the same holiday page and Holiday Operations Schedule PDF:

FedEx Custom Critical® is listed as Open on these dates. LTL freight is not included.

Additional footnote from the holiday page and operations PDF:

2. Early on-call pickups and drop box pickups (including Drop Box closures) in some areas. Modified Ground pickups on December 24 and December 31.

Footnote 4 is the same FedEx Office “day before the holiday” modified-hours note quoted in the Thanksgiving section. Official dates are subject to change, as quoted above.

Sources: FedEx holiday schedule and the 2026 Holiday Operations Schedule PDF.

USPS

The USPS 2026 holiday list includes “Friday December 25 : Christmas Day.” The Contact Us sentence quoted above — “Postal facilities are closed on federal holidays” — applies to listed federal holidays, including Christmas Day 2026. This guide does not add a 2026-specific delivery-class rule that was not found on the official pages checked on 2026-11-14.

Sources: USPS holidays and events and USPS Contact Us.

DHL Express

The same U.S. contact-page Holiday Hours list includes Christmas Day (Dec 25). As with Thanksgiving, that is contact-page wording, not a verified 2026 U.S. pickup and delivery shutdown. A 2026 DHL Express U.S. operations schedule for Christmas week was not found on the sources checked on 2026-11-14.

Source: Contact DHL Express.

Official recommended ship-by dates for Christmas

Read the target date carefully. USPS recommended send-by dates are for expected delivery before December 25. UPS recommended last days to ship, and FedEx last shipping dates in the Peak PDF, are for delivery or scheduled arrival by December 24. This guide does not treat those as the same deadline, and it does not promise arrival on either date.

A 2026 official table of last days to ship in time for Thanksgiving was not found.

USPS — expected delivery before December 25

From 2026 Holiday Shipping Deadlines. The page heading and table headings are for expected delivery before December 25. Footnote 1 on that page (verbatim):

Actual delivery date may vary and is based on origin, destination, Post Office™ acceptance time, and other conditions.

These are recommended send-by dates, not a delivery guarantee. USPS also advises mailing and shipping early.

Contiguous U.S. (Lower 48, excluding Alaska and Hawaii)

The same dates appear on USPS’s September 22, 2026 news release and on the Postal Bulletin cover. Source for the table: 2026 Holiday Shipping Deadlines. Related: USPS news release, September 22, 2026.

Alaska, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, and U.S. territories

For Ground Advantage®, the official table says “See below.” USPS states that Ground Advantage packages between the contiguous United States and Alaska, Hawaii, American Samoa, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, and the Freely Associated States will have a 10-day or more service expectation, and that the number of days varies with distance. Look up service expectations at USPS Service Commitments. This guide does not invent a single Alaska or Hawaii Ground Advantage® send-by date.

International mail

Recommended send-by dates for expected delivery before December 25, for every region listed on the official table (Africa; Asia/Pacific Rim; Australia/New Zealand; Canada; Caribbean; Central & South America; Europe; Mexico; and the Middle East):

Footnote 1 still applies. These are not an international delivery promise.

Military mail

Recommended send-by dates for expected delivery before December 25, taken from the current table on the USPS holiday shipping dates page (not from a Postal Bulletin weekday that differs, and not from an older commented-out row on that page):

The live holiday page writes the 962-966 row with the AE prefix, as `APO/FPO/DPO AE ZIPs 962-966`. This guide keeps that wording and does not change the prefix. On that page, only the 090-092 row includes ZIPs™; the other military rows do not.

The 2026-12-09 and 2026-12-16 dates are Wednesdays, matching the consumer holiday page. Footnote 5 on that page says PMEMS is available to selected military/diplomatic Post Offices™, and to check with a local Post Office to see whether the service is available to an APO/FPO/DPO address.

UPS — recommended last days to ship for December 24 delivery

The Year-End PDF section title is “2026 Holiday Season Recommended Last Days to Ship for Dec. 24 Delivery.” A footnote on that table says: “Shipments to certain destinations may require an earlier ship date. Check ups.com/ctc.”

UPS Holiday Shipping FAQs (verbatim):

Your last day to ship for delivery by December 24th depends on the UPS service you choose, where your shipment starts, where it is going and when it needs to arrive. Use Calculate Time and Cost to estimate transit time, and review the year-end holiday schedule for important service dates.

Source: UPS Holiday Schedule. Use Calculate Time and Cost (ups.com/ctc).

Year-End PDF (verbatim) for the Next Day Air® condition on Wednesday, Dec. 23:

This is the last day to ship UPS Next Day Air® packages for delivery on Thursday, Dec. 24, with a UPS On-Call Pickup® service, a UPS Smart Pickup® service, or other prearranged, scheduled pickup, or by tendering a shipment at a The UPS Store® location or a UPS Authorized Service Location.

Source: 2026 Year-End Holiday Schedule PDF.

FedEx — last shipping dates so a package is scheduled to arrive by December 24, 2026

The 2026 Peak last-day-to-ship PDF (verbatim):

The information below provides the last shipping dates for select services to help ensure your package is scheduled to arrive by December 24, 2026.

The same PDF also states that the information reflects current planned operating schedules and that these dates are subject to change. The target date in that PDF is December 24, not December 25.

U.S. domestic package and air freight last days. The official PDF has a calendar grid for services such as FedEx SameDay®, First Overnight®, Priority Overnight®, Standard Overnight®, 2Day®, 2Day® AM, Express Saver®, Ground Economy, and 1Day/2Day/3Day Freight. In the sources checked on 2026-11-14, those cells could not be read as specific calendar dates. This guide does not fill in third-party dates such as a nationwide Dec. 23, Dec. 22, or Dec. 21 last day for those services. See FedEx’s official 2026 last-day-to-ship PDF.

FedEx Ground® and FedEx Home Delivery®. The official last day depends on origin, destination, and transit time; this guide does not invent one national date. Peak PDF (verbatim):

The last day to ship via FedEx Ground and FedEx Home Delivery is based on a regular scheduled pickup or drop off of shipments at a staffed FedEx location. Transit times are typically 1 to 5 business days within the contiguous U.S. (3 to 7 business days to and from Alaska and Hawaii), based on the destination ZIP code.

The PDF also shows a 5-day through 1-day transit header row. Those columns could not be reliably aligned to one calendar date each, so they are not rewritten here as a “ship by Dec. …” list.

International lanes that the official PDF states in words (still for scheduled arrival by December 24, 2026):

The same PDF states that International First, International Priority, International Economy, and International Ground dates do not take into account time requirements for customs clearance; extra transit days may be needed outside major cities; and if the FedEx Service Guide conflicts with a transit time on fedex.com, the Service Guide terms control. These dates are not a guarantee that customs clearance will finish and the package will arrive on December 24.

U.S. to Canada Ground in that PDF is also split by 7-day through 1-day transit and is not rewritten here as a single national ship-by date.

DHL Express — U.S. origin ship-by dates not verified

A 2026 official last-day-to-ship or last-sending table for DHL Express shipments originating in the United States was not found on the sources checked on 2026-11-14. This guide does not fill that gap from a third-party calendar, and it does not treat a United Kingdom last-sending table as a U.S. domestic or U.S.-origin deadline.

Peak-season transit changes (not closures)

These are official statements that some transit or commitment times may be longer. They are not holiday closures.

UPS. The holiday page “Operational Adjustments” wording is consistent with the Year-End PDF:

• For UPS Air and International Air packages scheduled for delivery Nov. 27, 2026–Jan. 2, 2027: UPS Next Day Air® Early and UPS Worldwide Express Plus® commitment times are extended by 90 minutes; UPS Next Day Air®, UPS Worldwide Express®, and UPS 2nd Day Air® A.M. to commercial locations with a typical 10:30 a.m. or 12:00 p.m. delivery time are extended to 3:00 p.m.; UPS Next Day Air® and UPS Worldwide Express® to residential locations, and other time-definite Air and International Air services, are extended to end-of-day.
• A limited number of UPS 2nd Day Air® packages tendered on Dec. 14, 15, 16, or 21, and UPS 3 Day Select® packages tendered on Dec. 14 or 15, may require an additional day in transit.
• From Nov. 16, 2026–Jan. 8, 2027, a limited number of UPS® Ground and UPS® Standard packages will require additional time in transit. Use ups.com/ctc at the time of shipping.

The Year-End PDF also states that the Service Guarantee is currently in effect for select Air and International services but is otherwise suspended. This guide does not restate UPS guarantee coverage. See UPS’s official Service Guarantee information.

Sources: UPS Holiday Schedule and the 2026 Year-End Holiday Schedule PDF.

FedEx. The 2026 Winter holiday operations PDF states that from Nov. 23 through Jan. 4, delivery commitment times will be extended by 90-minutes on select time-definite FedEx Expedited services. The U.S. Domestic services listed are FedEx First Overnight®, FedEx Priority Overnight®, FedEx 2Day® AM, FedEx First Overnight® Extra Hours, and FedEx Priority Overnight® Extra Hours. Extra Hours appears only with First Overnight and Priority Overnight on that list, not with 2Day® AM. The U.S. Inbound International services listed include FedEx International First®, FedEx International Priority®, FedEx International PriorityDirectDistribution®, and FedEx International Priority® Express. The same PDF states that FedEx air freight commitment times will remain unchanged. This is not described here as an extension of every FedEx service.

Source: 2026 Winter holiday operations PDF.

If a scan stops updating, or an estimated date disappears, during this busier period, use the tracking guide rather than a holiday-only wait rule.

If tracking stalls or a delivery exception appears during peak

This page is not a status glossary and does not set a special holiday waiting period.

• If tracking has not updated, or an estimated delivery date disappeared: Tracking hasn’t updated / estimated delivery date disappeared
• If tracking shows a delivery exception or a similar delay: What does delivery exception mean?
• If tracking says delivered but you do not have the package: Says delivered, but I don’t have it

Sources (last checked 2026-11-14)

Official wording and dates in this guide come from the following pages and PDFs, checked on 2026-11-14. If a carrier updates a date, use the live official source.

UPS

• UPS Holiday Schedule
• 2026 Year-End Holiday Schedule PDF
• Calculate Time and Cost (ups.com/ctc)

FedEx

• Holiday schedule and last days to ship
• 2026 Holiday Operations Schedule PDF
• 2026 Peak last-day-to-ship PDF
• 2026 Winter holiday operations PDF

USPS

• 2026 Holiday Shipping Deadlines
• September 22, 2026 news release
• USPS holidays and events
• USPS Contact Us
• Priority Mail Express®
• USPS Service Commitments

DHL Express

• Contact DHL Express (United States)

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