The UPS® Holiday Schedule 2024: The Dates You Should Know

With a planned holiday schedule in place, UPS is able to effectively ensure that its millions of customers can send and receive parcels in time for the holidays. Whether it’s President's Day, New Year’s, Valentine’s Day, Black Friday, or Christmas, your customers will be ordering tons of gifts during the peak season, which means you need to get your shipping in order.

For some eCommerce retailers, it can be challenging to make sure that their shipments get to their destinations on time, especially if couriers face delays because of the high shipping volumes typically seen during the holidays.

That’s why if you operate an eCommerce store, you need to know the UPS holiday schedule for 2024 and their relevant shipping cutoff dates so that you make sure your customers receive their orders in time for their celebrations.

Once you understand these dates, you can use Easyship to smooth the shipping process even more. Whether you use the platform to access your own UPS rates or not, you’ll have access to Easyship’s suite of useful functions that make shipping easy, from automated labels and branded tracking to transparent taxes and pickup schedules.

The UPS Holiday Deadlines for 2024

Each year, there are a number of major holidays that eCommerce store owners should have on their radar. Online shopping peaks around these holidays, so you’ll need to be prepared for this with enough inventory, great promotions, and of course, a strong stripping strategy.

Knowing the 2024 UPS holiday schedule will help you understand when the last date you’ll be able to ship orders to customers for the holidays is; you’ll also be able to keep your customers aware of shipping cutoffs so they know to place their orders well ahead of time. Below, you’ll find all the info you need about the UPS holiday schedule this year.

Resource: What's the Cheapest Way to Ship Internationally in 2024?

Valentine's Day: Tuesday, February 14, 2024

UPS will be operating normally on Valentine's Day 2024. UPS customers can expect the following on this holiday:

• UPS® pickup and delivery services are available for normal service
• The UPS Store® locations are open

To ensure your special delivery arrives by Valentine's Day 2024, make sure you plan ahead. For instance, add 3-4 days or opt for express courier services by UPS to minimize the risk of a delayed shipment.

President's Day: Monday, February 19, 2024

UPS will be available on President's Day 2024. UPS customers can expect the following on this holiday:

• UPS pickup and delivery services are available
• UPS SurePost® and UPS Mail Innovations® services will require one more business day because of the UPS holiday

To ensure your parcel is delivered by President's Day 2024, use the Easyship Shipping Rates Calculator to get an instant quote and estimated delivery lead time.

Good Friday: Friday, March 29, 2024

UPS will operate normally on Good Friday 2024. UPS customers can expect normal deliveries and services on this holiday.

Memorial Day: Monday, May 27, 2024

UPS operations will not be available on Memorial Day 2024. UPS customers can also expect the following on this national holiday:

• UPS® Domestic Ground, Air & International will not be available
• UPS store locations are closed

Independence Day: Thursday, July 4, 2024

This major American national holiday is observed on a Tuesday this year, and as a result, the UPS 2024 holiday schedule stipulates that there are no UPS pickup or delivery services available on this day.

Labor Day: Monday, Monday, September 2, 2024

Does UPS deliver on Labor Day? On this holiday, UPS Store® locations may be closed and the only delivery and pickup services offered are those scheduled in advance. Since the holiday is preceded by a weekend, you’ll want to ensure your Labor Day shipments arrive at your destination by Friday, August 30. For this, the UPS holiday shipping deadlines 2024 are:

• UPS® Ground Shipping: Friday, August 30, 2024
• UPS Next Day Air® Shipping: Saturday, August 31, 2024
• UPS 2nd Day Air® Shipping: Monday, September 2, 2024
• UPS 3 Day Select® Shipping: Wednesday, August 28, 2024

Columbus Day: Monday, October 14, 2024

Although Columbus Day is officially a holiday, the UPS schedule shows that the courier will maintain normal operations for the day. This means all ground, air, and freight will ship as normal and The UPS Store® locations will be open. So, you don’t need to offer specific shipping cutoff dates for this holiday, since your shipments will be handled normally.

Veteran’s Day: Monday, November 11, 2024

Since this holiday is about recognizing America’s veterans for their service to their country, it’s not what’s considered a statutory holiday. So, once again, UPS will operate its courier services as usual, and its stores will operate with their normal hours.

Please note: The following year-end dates are subject to change, so may be updated at a later date.

Thanksgiving Day: Thursday, November 28, 2024

Does UPS work on Thanksgiving? According to the 2024 UPS holiday schedule, Thanksgiving is a major holiday, so the company won’t offer any delivery or pickup services on this day. Most UPS Store® locations will be closed, and all UPS® Ground and air services will be suspended for the day. If you intend to ship around Thanksgiving, these are the deadlines you should keep in mind:

• UPS® Ground shipping: Check ups.com for details
• UPS Next Day Air® shipping: November 21
• UPS 2nd Day Air® shipping: November 20
• UPS 3 Day Select® shipping: November 19

Black Friday and Cyber Monday

Black Friday is always the day immediately after Thanksgiving; this is swiftly followed by Cyber Monday, which is the following Monday. In both cases, retailers see a massive surge in online shopping due to the incredible deals that are available these days. Sometimes, the sales are extended for a full week, which means that shipping volumes are huge for several days. It’s considered one of the busiest times on the holiday schedule.

To assist with this, on Black Friday, the courier will maintain normal operations for ground and air services, and keep stores open; however, its freight services will be temporarily suspended for the day. But, for Cyber Monday (and the rest of the week), you can expect to use the full complement of services. Since purchases on your store will be made on Black Friday or Cyber Monday and not before the holiday itself, you shouldn’t need to worry about shipping cutoffs for this weekend.

Christmas Deadlines: Tuesday, December 24 - Wednesday, December 25, 2024

The UPS holiday schedule for 2024 shows that on Christmas Eve, the courier will not be operating as normal. UPS® Domestic Ground, Air & International will not be operating as well as UPS® Forwarding (Air and Ocean). Limited UPS Store® locations will be operating. Christmas Day is another major holiday, so the courier will not offer any pickup or delivery services on this day; additionally, all The UPS Store® locations will be closed.

Christmas Eve (December 24, 2024):

• UPS® Domestic Ground, Air & International: Limited service. Delivery times may be extended.
• UPS® Express Critical®: Available 24/7.
• UPS® Forwarding (Air and Ocean): Limited service.
• The UPS Store® locations: Many stores will be open with reduced hours. Check with your local store for specific hours.

Christmas Day (December 25, 2024):

• UPS® Domestic Ground, Air & International: No service.
• UPS® Express Critical®: Available 24/7.
• UPS® Forwarding (Air and Ocean): No service.
• The UPS Store® locations: All stores closed.

So here are the Christmas cutoff dates for UPS:

New Year’s: Tuesday, December 31, 2024 - Wednesday, January 1, 2025

UPS will operate with a modified service on New Year's Eve. Deliveries will only be available for air services; for pickups, air services must be scheduled by December 18. No freight will be operating, and The UPS Store® locations will have shorter hours. On New Year’s Day, no services will be available. If you need an order to arrive before New Year’s, these are the shipping deadlines you should use:

How Easyship Can Help Ship Your Holiday Orders

UPS has maintained its position as one of the best parcel delivery service providers in the US for years. With its 2024 UPS holiday schedule, eCommerce store owners can use this renowned service and efficiently arrange for shipments to be delivered to their customers or loved ones on time for every given holiday.

Plus, integration with Easyship can help you ensure timely UPS shipments all year round as well as access great shipping discounts.

Ready to ship? Sign up for a FREE Easyship account and get instant access to high-volume discounts for UPS® shipping