The holidays are almost upon us. If you don't plan accordingly for air travel, things can get out of control.
* Major shipping carriers like USPS, FedEx, and UPS have announced their 2025 holiday shipping deadlines for delivery by Christmas.
* USPS has implemented temporary price increases from October to January to cover additional holiday handling costs.
* The ending federal government shutdown could cause shipping delays due to its impact on air travel.
With the holiday season fast approaching, most shipping agencies have released their recommended deadlines for shipping packages across the United States.
To determine when your gifts need to be wrapped for Christmas, the United States Postal Service, FedEx, and UPS have posted holiday shipping deadlines. In anticipation of the rush, most shipping services added employees ahead of the holiday season.
Ongoing air travel cancellations and delays after the end of the federal government shutdown may also affect shipping schedules.
Along with deadlines, USPS implemented price adjustments from Oct. 5 to Jan. 18 to help cover additional handling costs and ensure a successful peak season. The Postal Service's governors approved the prices on Aug. 7.
The hikes will affect Priority Mail Express (PME), Priority Mail (PM), USPS Ground Advantage, and Parcel Select. Other products will not be affected.
What are the new USPS prices?
The rates are based on shipping zones, which are numbered from one to nine, with one being the closest and nine being the farthest from the shipping origin. Therefore, what you pay depends on how far a package has to travel to reach its destination.
Below are the new prices:
Priority Mail and USPS Ground Advantage: Zone 1-4
Priority Mail Zone 5-9
Priority Mail Flat Rate
* $1.45 for large flat rate boxes.
* $0.90 for all other flat rate products.
USPS Ground Advantage Zone 5-9
Priority Mail Express
Priority Mail Express Flat Rate
* $2.00 increase for flat rate envelopes.
Priority Mail and USPS Ground Advantage: Zone 1-4, and Parcel Select (all entries)
Priority Mail Zone 5-9
Priority Mail Flat Rate
* $1.25 for large flat rate boxes.
* $0.70 for all other flat rate products.
USPS Ground Advantage Zone 5-9
Priority Mail Express:
Priority Mail Express Flat Rate
* $1.75 for flat-rate envelopes.
What is the USPS deadline for delivery by Christmas?
If you're shipping gifts to any of the 48 contiguous states in the U.S and want it to arrive before Dec. 25, the 2025 USPS holiday shipping deadlines recommend you send your package by these dates:
* Wednesday, Dec. 17, for USPS Ground Advantage
* Wednesday, Dec. 17, for First-Class Mail
* Thursday, Dec. 18, for Priority Mail
* Saturday, Dec. 20, for Priority Mail Express
If you have a package heading to Hawaii or Alaska, these are the deadlines:
* Tuesday, Dec. 16, to Alaska or Hawaii with USPS Ground Advantage
* Wednesday, Dec. 17, to Alaska or Hawaii with First-Class Mail
* Thursday, Dec. 18, to Alaska or Hawaii with Priority Mail
* Saturday, Dec. 20, to Alaska or Hawaii with Priority Mail Express
2025 UPS holiday shipping deadlines
The 2025 year-end holiday schedule for UPS includes the following recommended dates for packages to be delivered by Dec. 24.
2025 FedEx Holiday Shipping Schedule
If you want your package to arrive by Dec. 24, FedEx's 2025 shipping deadlines for holiday packages recommend mailing them no later than the following dates:
For more details, visit the FedEx holiday page at FedEx.com/holiday.
USA TODAY contributed to this report.
Jordan Green covers trending news for The Commercial Appeal. She can be reached at jordan.green@commercialappeal.com.