WASHINGTON — Next week is the last week to get holiday gifts and greetings in the mail by the recommended deadlines. Customer traffic at all Post Office locations has been steadily increasing since Dec. 1, with the week of Dec. 15 expected to be the busiest of the year.
USPS holiday service schedule
Post Office locations nationwide will be closed Christmas Day (Thursday, Dec. 25, 2025) and New Year’s Day (Thursday, Jan. 1, 2026).
All Post Office locations will be open, and regular mail delivery will resume, on Friday, Dec. 26, 2025, and Friday, Jan. 2, 2026.
Services and hours of operation may vary by location. Always check with your local Post Office for specific hours. For more details, visit usps.com/holidayhours.
2025 Holiday Shipping Deadlines
For expected delivery before Dec. 251, the Postal Service recommends the following send-by dates:
2025 Holiday Shipping Dates for Contiguous U.S. (Lower 48 States)
- Dec. 17 — USPS Ground Advantage service
- Dec. 17 — First-Class Mail
- Dec. 18 — Priority Mail
- Dec. 20 — Priority Mail Express2
2025 Holiday Shipping Dates for Alaska, Hawaii, Puerto Rico and U.S. Territories
- Dec. 16 — USPS Ground Advantage service3
- Dec. 17 — First-Class Mail
- Dec. 18 — Priority Mail
- Dec. 20 — Priority Mail Express4
1. Actual delivery date may vary and is based on origin, destination, Post Office™ acceptance time, and other conditions.
2. For Priority Mail Express® 1-Day shipments mailed December 22nd through December 25th, postage for the money-back, guaranteed service is not refunded if the shipment was delivered, or delivery was attempted, within two (2) business days of the date of mailing.
3. Ground Advantage packages weighing over 1 lb. that are shipped to or from offshore ZIP codes (AK, HI, PR, and U.S. Territories) may experience longer transit times and extended Estimated Delivery Dates (EDD). Please review the EDD for these ZIP codes and adjust the induction date as needed.
4. Excluding Puerto Rico, USPS does not process refund requests for guaranteed service on these items. Refund requests for loss will still be processed.
For a complete list of suggested dates for customers sending packages to military or international addresses, the Postal Service recommends visiting the USPS holiday shipping page.
Modernization Investments
The Postal Service has been preparing for the holiday peak season — the time between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day — since January. Continued nationwide investment in modernization efforts has resulted in more capacity in its processing, logistics and delivery infrastructure. The organization is staying ahead of challenges and pulling together its people, technology, transportation, equipment and facilities into a well-integrated, streamlined mail and package network to meet customers’ evolving postal needs, during the holidays and beyond.
Network improvements enabled the Postal Service to outperform its competitors last holiday season. USPS delivered 45 percent more packages and more than 350 million mailpieces per operating day in December 2024 than its competitors.
Key preparations for the 2025 holiday season include:
- Installing more than 600 package sorters since 2020, including 94 this year. The machines have increased daily processing capacity to 88 million from 60 million.
- Updating service standards. New standards enable the Postal Service to expand its reach for turnaround service — that is, processing and delivering mail and packages within the same region. These enhancements now have a 2-day or 3-day service standard, which means local consumers and businesses can send holiday greetings in the region more quickly and reliably.
- To date USPS has received more than 36,000 new delivery vehicles. The organization expects to acquire a total of 106,480 new vehicles, including 66,000 zero-emission electric vehicles, demonstrating its commitment to sustainability and environmental responsibility while ensuring reliable service.
- Opening nearly 200 processing facilities nationwide in the past four years, including in Dallas; Phoenix; Johnson City, TN; and other cities this year alone. The new facilities will ensure the Postal Service has the space needed to not only process additional holiday volume but to better serve customers year-round.
- Developing a more stable workforce. Nearly 232,000 precareer employees have been converted to full time since 2020. A national drive began in October to hire an additional 14,000 seasonal employees — down from 40,000 just a few years ago. The seasonal workforce complements the full-time employees and better positions the Postal Service to handle the extra holiday volume in key locations throughout the nation.
- Providing a variety of convenient and affordable products and services for shipping gifts. Customers can rely on USPS Ground Advantage (expected delivery in 2-5 business days), Priority Mail (2-3 business days) and Priority Mail Express (1-3 business days) during the holidays. $100 insurance and tracking is included on most shipments.
For information on preparing packages, ordering stamps or free shipping supplies for the holidays, and featured products and services, visit usps.com.
The Postal Service also offers shipping tips in 10 video “how to” guides. Each video is less than three minutes long and touches on topics such as how to address packages, how to ship them and how to pack a box so items arrive safely.
Additional Information
As in previous years, the Postal Service will prioritize morning parcel delivery, enhanced scanning technology and extended retail and pick-up delivery hours at popular Post Office locations. Sunday delivery has been expanded in select locations that experience high package volumes — the Postal Service already delivers packages on Sundays in most major cities, and it continues to offer the lowest postage rates in the industrialized world.
Mail carriers will also deliver Priority Mail Express packages for an additional fee on Christmas Day in select locations.
