Carrier Holiday Schedules 2026, Day by Day
Day-by-day 2026 pickup and delivery status for USPS, UPS and FedEx from Nov 25 to Jan 2, and how to plan handling time around each closure.
Thanksgiving (Thursday, November 26, 2026) and Christmas Day (Friday, December 25, 2026) are on the USPS 2026 postal holiday list, and UPS and FedEx run no regular pickup or delivery on those days or on New Year's Day, Friday, January 1, 2027. The days that catch sellers out are the ones around them. On Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve, UPS picks up only prearranged Air packages and FedEx runs modified service.
For the last day to ship each service before Christmas, use our 2026 holiday shipping deadlines.
Which days are the carriers closed around the 2026 holidays?
UPS and FedEx are closed on Thanksgiving (November 26), Christmas Day (December 25) and New Year's Day (January 1, 2027), and USPS lists Thanksgiving and Christmas Day as 2026 postal holidays.
- USPS. The USPS 2026 postal holiday list includes Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day. Black Friday, Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve are not on it. The list covers 2026, so for New Year's Day 2027 check the USPS site and your local Post Office.
- UPS. According to the UPS holiday shipping schedule, UPS offers no pickup or delivery on Thanksgiving, Christmas Day or New Year's Day. UPS Express Critical (provided by Marken) runs every day of the year.
- FedEx. FedEx lists all three days as closed. Its 2026 holiday operations schedule (PDF) says FedEx Office locations are closed on all three, and that the schedule covers parcel and express freight but not LTL freight.
What does each carrier do day by day from November 25 to January 2?
"Regular schedule" marks dates the 2026 holiday notes cited here do not single out; weekend service still depends on the service and area. "Confirm locally" means the USPS sources checked for this post give no 2026 Post Office hours or collection times for that day, so check your Post Office and the USPS holiday service FAQ first.
| Date (2026 unless noted) | USPS | UPS | FedEx |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wed, Nov 25 | Regular schedule | Next Day Air picked up today scheduled for Fri, Nov 27; 2nd Day Air for Mon, Nov 30 (Sat, Nov 28 if labeled for Saturday) | Modified service |
| Thu, Nov 26 (Thanksgiving) | Postal holiday | No pickup or delivery | Closed |
| Fri, Nov 27 (Black Friday) | Not a postal holiday; confirm locally | Normal pickup and delivery | Modified service |
| Sat, Nov 28 to Thu, Dec 17 | Regular schedule | Regular schedule | Regular schedule |
| Fri, Dec 18 | Regular schedule | Last day to prearrange an Air pickup for Dec 24 | Regular schedule |
| Sat, Dec 19 to Wed, Dec 23 | Regular schedule | Regular schedule | Regular schedule |
| Thu, Dec 24 (Christmas Eve) | Not a postal holiday; confirm locally | Delivers all services; prearranged Air pickups only; no Ground pickup | Modified service, including modified Ground pickups |
| Fri, Dec 25 (Christmas Day) | Postal holiday | No pickup or delivery | Closed |
| Sat, Dec 26 | Confirm locally | Air and international Air only | Open |
| Sun, Dec 27 | Regular schedule | Regular schedule | Regular schedule |
| Mon, Dec 28 | Regular schedule | Last day to prearrange an Air pickup for Dec 31 | Regular schedule |
| Tue, Dec 29 to Wed, Dec 30 | Regular schedule | Regular schedule | Regular schedule |
| Thu, Dec 31 (New Year's Eve) | Not a postal holiday; confirm locally | Delivers Air only, no Ground delivery; prearranged Air pickups only | Modified service, including modified Ground pickups |
| Fri, Jan 1, 2027 | Confirm locally | No pickup or delivery | Closed |
| Sat, Jan 2, 2027 | Confirm locally | Air and international Air only | Open |
UPS's year-end holiday schedule (PDF) is the source for the Air delivery dates and the Saturday rows. UPS calls them scheduled delivery dates, so treat them as a plan, not a promise to your buyer.
What changes during Thanksgiving week and on Black Friday?
Thanksgiving is closed for every carrier, FedEx runs modified service the day before and the day after, and UPS treats Black Friday as a normal pickup and delivery day.
FedEx defines modified service as early on-call pickups and earlier drop box pickups, or drop box closures, in some areas. If you use a FedEx drop box or on-call pickup, move your packing cutoff earlier on Wednesday, November 25 and Friday, November 27.
UPS Air timing matters on Wednesday, November 25. UPS says Next Day Air picked up that day is scheduled for delivery Friday, November 27, and 2nd Day Air for Monday, November 30, unless it is processed and labeled for Saturday, November 28 delivery. A buyer who pays for overnight on Wednesday afternoon is looking at a Friday delivery date.
For USPS, Black Friday is not a postal holiday. Ask your Post Office for its hours and last collection time before you count on a late drop-off. Our Black Friday shipping prep checklist covers supplies, printer checks and a dry run before that weekend.
How do Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve pickups work?
Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve are open days with limited pickups: UPS picks up only prearranged Air packages, and FedEx runs modified service that includes modified Ground pickups.
- Thursday, December 24. UPS delivers all services: Air, international Air, Standard and Ground. It picks up only Air and international Air packages, and only if prearranged by Friday, December 18. UPS On-Call Pickup is available for Air. There is no UPS Ground pickup.
- Thursday, December 31. UPS delivers only Air and international Air packages, with no Ground delivery, and picks up Air packages only if prearranged by Monday, December 28.
- Saturdays, December 26 and January 2, 2027. UPS runs normal pickup and delivery for Air and international Air only. The schedule names no Ground service on either day, so do not count on one.
UPS says Next Day Air picked up on December 24 is scheduled for delivery Monday, December 28, and Next Day Air picked up on December 31 is scheduled for Monday, January 4, 2027. Overnight on either Thursday is scheduled to arrive four days later.
FedEx lists itself as open on both Saturdays; confirm each eve's pickup or drop box time with FedEx.
If USPS is your fallback, neither eve is a 2026 postal holiday, but confirm hours with your own Post Office. For other handoff points, see package drop-off options by carrier.
How should you plan handling time around the closures?
Count every carrier closure as a non-shipping day, then set your handling promise from the day the package can actually leave, not the day you print the label.
- Mark the no-ship days. Block November 26, December 25 and January 1, 2027 in your fulfillment calendar and in any store setting that counts business days.
- Pull FedEx handoffs earlier on November 25, November 27, December 24 and December 31.
- Prearrange UPS Air pickups by Friday, December 18 for Christmas Eve and by Monday, December 28 for New Year's Eve.
- Move UPS Ground volume off December 24 and December 31.
- Print the day before each closure. Batch labels on the last full day so the eve is packing and handoff only. Our batch fulfillment day workflow lays out the steps.
- Ask your Post Office for its hours and last collection on November 27, December 24, December 31 and January 2, 2027.
- Rewrite buyer messaging with absolute dates and the ship-by dates from the deadlines post.
Example timeline (example)
Example: a hypothetical home-goods shop packs each order the business day after it arrives, ships most orders by UPS Ground with a daily pickup, and uses USPS Ground Advantage drop-off as a fallback.
| Order placed (example) | Packed | Leaves by |
|---|---|---|
| Wed, Nov 25 | Fri, Nov 27 | UPS pickup, a normal UPS day |
| Thu, Nov 26 | Fri, Nov 27 | The same Friday pickup |
| Wed, Dec 23 | Thu, Dec 24 | No UPS Ground pickup; USPS drop-off once local hours are confirmed, or hold for Mon, Dec 28 |
| Wed, Dec 30 | Thu, Dec 31 | UPS pickup rule names Air only; USPS drop-off once hours are confirmed, or hold for Mon, Jan 4, 2027 |
From December 23, name the real handoff day on the storefront before the buyer pays.
Where GoatLabels fits
GoatLabels rate-shops USPS, UPS and FedEx from one account with one all-in price per rate, so when one carrier is limited you can compare the others in one place. You can set a ship date up to 14 days ahead, and the estimated delivery date follows it, which helps when you buy before a closure for a later handoff. Bulk CSV import takes up to 500 rows per file, and you can merge up to 50 labels into one PDF; see bulk shipping labels from CSV and pricing.
The limits matter here. GoatLabels does not change any carrier's holiday schedule. You can schedule a carrier pickup from the dashboard or the API for labels already bought, where the carrier offers one, but drop-off is the default and the carrier's holiday rules still decide what gets picked up on December 24 and December 31. GoatLabels has no LTL or freight service.