Yes, FedEx delivers on New Year’s Eve, Thursday, December 31, 2026, because its 2026 schedule lists the day as Modified Service rather than Closed, with every listed change concerning pickups and not deliveries. So does FedEx deliver on New Year’s Eve at the usual hour? Not necessarily, since FedEx publishes no delivery times for the day and nobody can promise a specific one.
The bigger break comes the next day. FedEx shows Friday, January 1, 2027 as Closed, which means a package due on New Year’s Eve or New Year’s Day needs a plan. The sections below cover which services are affected, how due dates shift and what to do if your box is late.
What FedEx says about December 31, 2026
FedEx’s 2026 holiday operations schedule marks December 31 as Modified Service. That label also appears for Christmas Eve, and FedEx describes New Year’s Eve as having similar modifications.
The footnote defines Modified Service as early on call pickups and drop box pickups in some areas. That includes drop box closures. It also covers modified Ground pickups on December 24 and December 31.
Nothing in the schedule says deliveries stop on December 31. The modifications are about when FedEx collects packages, not a halt to its trucks.
The schedule does not state delivery times, and the carrier says it can change. Check your tracking page that morning instead of assuming a normal route.
Does FedEx deliver on New Year’s Eve for every service?
| FedEx service | Thursday, Dec 31, 2026 | Friday, Jan 1, 2027 |
|---|---|---|
| FedEx (Express and Ground) | Modified Service | Closed |
| FedEx Office | Modified hours | Closed |
| FedEx Custom Critical | Open | Open |
| FedEx Logistics | Open | Closed |
The table answers does FedEx deliver on New Year’s Eve line by line: Custom Critical is the only one listed as open on both days. It is a dedicated, time definite service, so it works differently from a normal parcel route. Logistics is open on New Year’s Eve and closed on New Year’s Day.
What modified pickup means for your shipment
If you plan to hand FedEx a package on December 31, the pickup side is where problems appear. A scheduled pickup may come earlier than usual, and some drop boxes may be emptied early or closed. Ground pickups can also change.
Here is how to protect a shipment you are sending that day.
- Request your pickup for the morning, or ask your local location for its pickup window.
- Skip drop boxes in the late afternoon, because closures are possible in some areas.
- Take the package to a staffed counter if you need a scan receipt before the holiday.
- Look at the last days to ship page for the date that applies to your service.
A package scanned on December 31 may still ship that same day. FedEx does not say how many packages make the early cutoff. A package dropped after the early pickup may not be scanned until the next operating day, and January 1 is not one.
FedEx Office hours on New Year’s Eve
FedEx Office locations have modified hours the day before a holiday, and some close early. Hours vary by location, and FedEx does not publish a single schedule for every store. Call or check the store page before you drive over.
A store being open is also not the same as delivery happening. A store can hand over a held package at the counter even when no truck is running, but the reverse is also true. For the regular schedule, see the guide on whether FedEx is open on Christmas Eve, which shows how a similar modified day works.
How the New Year’s Day closure shifts delivery dates
FedEx defines business days as Monday to Friday, excluding six named holidays. New Year’s Day is one of them. So January 1, 2027 does not count as a business day, even though it falls on a Friday.
That matters for commitments counted in business days. An overnight package shipped on Thursday, December 31 would normally count its next business day as Monday, January 4, 2027, since Friday is a holiday. A Ground package works the same way, and each business day it needs starts counting after the closure.
Two worked examples show the effect.
- A Ground package with a four business day estimate shipped on Wednesday, December 30 loses Friday from the count, so the estimate moves later than a plain calendar count suggests.
- A 2Day package picked up on Thursday, December 31 counts Monday, January 4 as business day one under the holiday rule, so Tuesday, January 5 would be the second.
These dates come from FedEx’s business day definition, not from a published New Year’s promise. Your tracking page shows the estimate FedEx actually assigns, and that estimate is the one to trust.
Residential and business deliveries on December 31
FedEx does not publish separate times for New Year’s Eve, so the usual commitments are the only guide.
- Standard Overnight: by 5 p.m. to businesses and 8 p.m. to residences
- Priority Overnight: by 10:30 a.m. to most businesses and noon to residences
The receiving end is the bigger risk. If the business you are shipping to closes early on December 31, nobody is there to sign, and a signature package goes back on the truck. When a signature is needed, a residence or a Hold at Location request is the safer choice.
Weekend delivery around the holiday
FedEx Home Delivery runs Saturday and Sunday at no extra charge, typically by 8 p.m., on a normal week. Other services offer Saturday delivery for an extra fee. FedEx has not published whether those weekend options apply on January 2 and 3, 2027, so treat them as unconfirmed.
The guide to FedEx weekend delivery explains the usual Saturday and Sunday rules. Use it for the normal week, and use the tracking page for this particular one.
What to do if a package was due on December 31
Start with tracking. If it shows out for delivery on December 31, expect a normal day with the usual chance of a late arrival. If it shows no movement by evening, a delay is likely.
- Open the tracking page and read the latest status and estimated date.
- If the status says a delivery exception, follow the options it offers, such as holding at a location.
- If the date slides to January 4, 2027, do not expect delivery on January 1.
- If the estimate passes without movement, contact FedEx with your tracking number and ask for a trace.
For timing questions on a normal day, the article on how late FedEx delivers gives the usual evening window.
The Postal Holiday Checker shows other carriers on the same dates if you compare options.
What about New Year’s Eve 2027?
December 31, 2027 falls on a Friday. FedEx has not published its 2027 holiday status yet, so any answer to does fedex deliver on new year’s eve for that year would be a guess. Check the FedEx schedule again once next year’s version appears.
If you are comparing carriers for the same week, USPS hours at year end follow a different calendar.
The New Year’s Day side is covered in the guide on the FedEx New Year Day closure.
Plan for December 31 and January 1 together
FedEx runs on December 31, 2026 under a Modified Service label, and the changes are about earlier pickups and some drop box closures. The real stop is Friday, January 1, 2027, when FedEx is closed and the business day count skips that date, so ship early, expect shifted estimates and rely on tracking over any general rule.
