UPS publishes a single-page operations calendar for the year, and the table below is a straight transcription of the 2026 U.S. edition, read on 2026-07-28. The useful detail most summaries drop is that pickup and delivery are not the same question in late December: on two dates UPS keeps delivering while pickup narrows to prearranged air collections only.
Late December splits the two. The calendar below keeps them in separate columns, the way UPS prints it.
Four columns, twenty dated rows. The middle column covers The UPS Store locations, which are independently owned and keep their own hours, so limited locations there means check the branch rather than assume anything.
| Holiday | Day | Date | Domestic ground, air and international | The UPS Store | Air and Ocean Freight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New Year's Day | Thursday | 1 Jan 2026 | Closed | Limited locations | Closed |
| Martin Luther King, Jr. Day | Monday | 19 Jan 2026 | Closed | Limited locations | Closed |
| Valentine's Day | Saturday | 14 Feb 2026 | Open | Open | Open |
| Presidents' Day | Monday | 16 Feb 2026 | Open | Open | Open |
| Good Friday | Friday | 3 Apr 2026 | Open | Open | Open |
| Easter | Sunday | 5 Apr 2026 | Closed | Limited locations | Closed |
| Mother's Day | Sunday | 10 May 2026 | Closed | Limited locations | Closed |
| Memorial Day | Monday | 25 May 2026 | Closed | Limited locations | Closed |
| Juneteenth | Friday | 19 Jun 2026 | Open | Open | Open |
| Independence Day (Observed) | Friday | 3 Jul 2026 | Open | Open | Closed |
| Independence Day | Saturday | 4 Jul 2026 | Closed | Limited locations | Closed |
| Labor Day | Monday | 7 Sep 2026 | Closed | Limited locations | Closed |
| Indigenous Peoples' Day (Columbus Day) | Monday | 12 Oct 2026 | Open | Open | Open |
| Veterans Day | Wednesday | 11 Nov 2026 | Open | Open | Open |
| Thanksgiving Day | Thursday | 26 Nov 2026 | Closed | Limited locations | Closed |
| Day after Thanksgiving | Friday | 27 Nov 2026 | Open | Open | Open |
| Christmas Eve | Thursday | 24 Dec 2026 | Open, see note 2 | Open | Open |
| Christmas Day | Friday | 25 Dec 2026 | Closed | Limited locations | Closed |
| New Year's Eve | Thursday | 31 Dec 2026 | Open, see note 3 | Limited locations | Closed |
| New Year's Day | Friday | 1 Jan 2027 | Closed | Limited locations | Closed |
UPS attaches its own caveat to the sheet: the information is subject to change, and it directs shippers to ups.com for updates to holiday operations. That is worth taking seriously for the December rows in particular.
The two December footnotes are the operationally useful part of this calendar, and they are what most summaries drop.
Delivery of UPS Air, international Air, UPS Standard and UPS Ground packages. Pickup service available only for Air and international Air packages if prearranged by Friday, Dec. 18.Note 2, 2026 U.S. UPS Holiday Operations Schedule, for Christmas Eve
Delivery of UPS Air and international Air packages only. Pickup service available only for Air and international Air packages if prearranged by Monday, Dec. 28.Note 3, 2026 U.S. UPS Holiday Operations Schedule, for New Year's Eve
Read together: on 24 December your ground parcel can still be delivered but cannot be collected from you unless it is an Air shipment booked by 18 December. On 31 December even delivery narrows to Air. If your December plan depends on a late collection, those two dates are the ones to diary.
For a sense of what you are scheduling around, these are the UPS rows the SMKlog calculator returned on 2026-07-28 for a 12 x 10 x 6 in box at 5 lb, Newark, NJ 07102 to Denver, CO 80202. The price is the whole checkout amount.
| Service | Price | Window returned |
|---|---|---|
| Ground Saver | $16.47 | none returned |
| Ground | $17.00 | 6-7 business days |
| 2nd Day Air | $28.29 | 2-3 business days |
A 6-7 business day ground window on that lane will straddle at least one weekend, and in a holiday month it can straddle a closure as well. The air row buys the window down to 2-3 for $11.29 more, which is the trade to weigh whenever a closed date sits in the middle of your plan.
Domestic ground, air and international are all marked closed on New Year's Day 1 January, Martin Luther King, Jr. Day 19 January, Easter 5 April, Mother's Day 10 May, Memorial Day 25 May, Independence Day 4 July, Labor Day 7 September, Thanksgiving Day 26 November, Christmas Day 25 December and New Year's Day 1 January 2027.
Partly. On Christmas Eve, Thursday 24 December, UPS delivers Air, international Air, Standard and Ground packages, with pickup limited to Air and international Air packages arranged in advance by Friday 18 December. On New Year's Eve, Thursday 31 December, delivery narrows to Air and international Air only, with pickup prearranged by Monday 28 December.
Both are marked open for domestic ground, air and international, along with Valentine's Day, Presidents' Day, Juneteenth, Indigenous Peoples' Day and Veterans Day. The Friday before Independence Day, 3 July, is open for ground and air but closed for Air and Ocean Freight Services.
UPS lists UPS Express Critical as available on every row of the calendar, including the days everything else is shut, and prints a phone number for it. That is a separate product bought directly from UPS; it does not appear in our rate set and we do not resell it.