USPS prepares for holiday shipping surge, releases 2025 shipping deadlines

RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) — With Christmas just a month away, the countdown is on and the holiday shipping season is in full swing. However, for those gifts to get to your loved ones on time, the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) urges customers to plan ahead.

USPS officials said they have seen holiday shipping ramp up over the last few days.

“We’re already seeing mail-in package volumes increase in our processing and distribution centers,” said Philip Bogenberger, a USPS communications specialist. “We’re going to see foot traffic into post offices increase as we get closer to those mail-by dates,”

USPS said its holiday shipping deadlines are key to ensuring packages arrive by Christmas. This year, the agency recommends mailing by:

• Dec. 17 for First-Class Mail and Ground Advantage
• Dec. 18 for Priority Mail
• Dec. 20 for Priority Mail Express

To prepare for the holiday rush, Bogenberger said the Postal Service has hired 14,000 seasonal workers nationwide. He said USPS has also made several upgrades to its network, including adding high-speed package sorting machines to facilities like the Richmond Processing and Distribution Center.

“Our network can handle 88 million packages per day across the country,” he said. “We’ve installed more than 600 high-speed package sorting machines in just the last five years so that we have the network capacity to handle all the volume that comes our way.”

USPS is also asking customers to keep safety in mind as carriers work longer hours delivering holiday mail.

“Postal carriers are delivering earlier in the day and later in the evening, especially as we move further into the holiday,” Bogenberger said. “Customers can feel free to leave a porch light on and definitely want to have a clear path to the mailbox for everyone’s safety.”

Shipping pricing and additional mailing resources can be found here.