Letter Carrier Steve Homa loads up his mail truck with letters and packages for delivery at the post office in Chatham, Illinois, on East Walnut Street Tuesday Dec. 13, 2022.

If you are planning to send someone a gift this holiday season via the U.S. Postal Service, UPS, or FedEx, it might be a good idea to plan ahead.

To help you know when you need to have gifts wrapped and on the way, these major shipping carriers have posted holiday deadlines for shipping packages.

In anticipation of the holiday rush, USPS said in an October news release it is "ready to handle the expected increase in mail and package volume during the holidays," including hiring 14,000 seasonal employees to "better position the Postal Service to handle the extra holiday volume in key locations throughout the nation."

“The Postal Service plans throughout the year to deliver the nation’s mail and packages during the high-volume holiday season and we are well prepared and ready to deliver for the American public,” said Postmaster General and CEO David Steiner in the news release.

Here are some dates to keep in mind if you have gifts and packages to send this holiday season.

US Postal Service shipping deadlines for holiday deliveries

Here are the Postal Service's recommended mailing and shipping send-by dates for holiday mail and packages expected to be delivered before Dec. 25 for addresses in the U.S., except Hawaii and Alaska.

  • USPS Ground Advantage service (2-5 business days): Dec. 17
  • First-Class Mail service (1-5 business days): Dec. 17
  • Priority Mail service (2-3 business days): Dec. 18
  • Priority Mail Express service (1-3 day guarantee): Dec. 20

The 2025 recommended USPS holiday mailing and shipping dates for items sent to addresses in Alaska and Hawaii:

  • USPS Ground Advantage service: Dec. 16
  • First-Class Mail service: Dec. 17
  • Priority Mail service: Dec. 18
  • Priority Mail Express service: Dec. 20

For customers sending packages internationally or to military addresses, the Postal Service suggests checking the complete list of recommended holiday mailing and shipping dates on its website.

FedEx shipping deadlines for holiday deliveries

FedEx’s recommended mail-by dates will help ensure your packages arrive at their destination on or before Wednesday, Dec. 24. FedEx Home delivers packages 150 pounds or less to residences every day of the week (with a $5.15 residential surcharge per package). FedEx Ground delivers packages of 150 pounds or less to businesses or commercial addresses Monday to Friday.

  • FedEx Home Delivery 5-Day Shipping: Dec. 17
  • FedEx Home Delivery 4-Day Shipping: Dec. 18
  • FedEx Home Delivery 3-Day Shipping: Dec. 19
  • FedEx Home Delivery 2-Day Shipping: Dec. 22
  • FedEx Home Delivery 1-Day Shipping: Dec. 23
  • FedEx First Overnight, FedEx Priority Overnight, FedEx Standard Overnight: Dec. 23
  • FedEx Same Day: Dec. 24
  • FedEx Ground Economy: Dec. 15
  • FedEx Ground 5-Day Shipping: Dec. 17
  • FedEx Ground 4-Day Shipping: Dec. 18
  • FedEx Ground 3-Day Shipping: Dec. 19
  • FedEx Ground 2-Day Shipping: Dec. 22
  • FedEx Ground 1-Day Shipping: Dec. 23

You can get more details on shipping dates for freight or packages sent to Mexico, Canada, or Puerto Rico here. Shipping rates can also be calculated here.

UPS shipping deadlines for holiday deliveries

These are the recommended last days for shipping gifts domestically with UPS for Dec. 24 delivery:

  • Ground: Check the UPS website for deadlines and details.
  • 3-Day Select: Dec. 19
  • 2nd Day Air: Dec. 22
  • Next Day Air: Dec. 23

Customers can also check the UPS website for recommended last days to ship to Canada and Mexico, as well as calculate the time to ship to other international destinations.

Gabe Hauari is a national trending news reporter at USA TODAY. You can follow him on X @GabeHauari or email him at Gdhauari@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Get gifts on time. See holiday shipping deadlines for USPS, FedEx, UPS.

Reporting by Gabe Hauari, USA TODAY / USA TODAY

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