Does UPS deliver on Memorial Day? No, UPS runs no pickup or delivery service for Ground or Air shipments on Monday, May 25, 2026. The next Memorial Day falls on May 31, 2027, and UPS has not published its 2027 schedule yet.
The closure covers regular UPS routes, not the whole network. A few services keep running, and the delay lands on the next business day. The sections below show what stops, what continues, and how to plan around it.
Does UPS deliver on Memorial Day 2026?
UPS lists Memorial Day, May 25, 2026, as a day with no pickup and no delivery. That applies to both Ground and Domestic service and to Air and International service. Drivers do not run standard routes, and scheduled pickups do not happen.
It is one of nine dates on the 2026 UPS schedule with no service at all. The others are New Year’s Day, MLK Day, Easter, Mother’s Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving and Christmas Day.
Memorial Day is a federal holiday, and the Office of Personnel Management lists it on the last Monday of May. UPS treats it as a full closure for regular services. Other days in the same season, such as Labor Day and Thanksgiving, get the same treatment.
For a plain answer on whether the doors are open, see our guide on whether UPS is open on Memorial Day.
What UPS does on Memorial Day 2026
| Service | Memorial Day, May 25, 2026 |
|---|---|
| UPS Ground and Domestic | Closed, no pickup or delivery |
| UPS Air and International | Closed, no pickup or delivery |
| UPS Express Critical | Available |
| The UPS Store | May be closed, limited locations open |
The table follows the UPS 2026 holiday operations schedule. UPS says Express Critical is available every day of the year, including holidays. The other three rows are the ones that affect most senders and recipients.
UPS Express Critical is the exception
UPS describes Express Critical as its fastest service for urgent, time sensitive, emergency or high value goods, available 24/7/365 and provided through Marken. It is the only UPS service listed as available on Memorial Day.
Options include Next Flight Out on commercial airlines, exclusive surface transport, air charter and hand carry by a courier. UPS says most shipments arrive in 2 to 12 hours. Booking is by phone at 1 (800) 714-8779, and pricing is quoted per shipment, so it rarely makes sense for ordinary packages.
If you have a normal Next Day Air or 2nd Day Air package, the closure still applies. You can read how that service works in our explainer on UPS Next Day Air.
What happens to your package on Memorial Day
A package in transit does not vanish when UPS closes for a holiday. It waits and moves again on the next business day, which is Tuesday, May 26, 2026. Expect tracking to sit quiet until regular service resumes.
The holiday usually adds one business day to the delivery time. A Friday shipment that normally arrives Monday will arrive Tuesday instead. UPS does not publish a separate delay rule for each service on this holiday, so treat Tuesday as the earliest realistic date.
Check your own timing with the Delivery Time Estimator. It shows how a Monday closure moves an arrival date.
For general transit times, see how long UPS takes to deliver.
Why does UPS deliver on Memorial Day only by Express Critical?
Memorial Day is a federal holiday listed by OPM. UPS closes regular operations on it, along with MLK Day, Labor Day and Thanksgiving. Columbus Day is the one federal holiday in that run where UPS stays open.
That pattern is useful when you plan a shipment. Three of the four closures fall on a Monday, which creates a long weekend with no regular UPS delivery on Sunday or the holiday itself, so the next scan after Saturday is often Tuesday. Anything you need on a Monday holiday has to go out earlier in the week.
Business shippers feel this more than households. A customer who orders on Friday may expect a package early the next week, and the closure can push that to midweek. Setting that expectation in advance prevents complaints and refund requests.
Is The UPS Store open on Memorial Day?
Often not. UPS says The UPS Store may be closed on its closed holidays, and only limited store locations stay open. These stores are locally owned and operated, so each one sets its own hours.
The holiday schedule does not list hours for individual stores. Call the store or check its page before you drive over. If you need a drop off, a store that is open can take your package, but it will not move until UPS resumes regular service.
Do UPS and FedEx both skip Memorial Day?
Yes, for their main services. FedEx lists Memorial Day 2026 as closed for its main FedEx network, and UPS lists it as closed for Ground and Air. FedEx Custom Critical stays open on all listed holidays, in the same way UPS Express Critical does.
The FedEx schedule lists status for its main FedEx network, FedEx Office, FedEx Custom Critical and FedEx Logistics rather than by every product, and FedEx notes it is subject to change. The FedEx holiday page is the place to confirm a specific service.
UPS holiday closures compared
| Holiday | 2026 date | UPS Ground and Air | 2027 date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Martin Luther King Jr. Day | Mon, Jan 19 | Closed | Mon, Jan 18 |
| Memorial Day | Mon, May 25 | Closed | Mon, May 31 |
| Labor Day | Mon, Sep 7 | Closed | Mon, Sep 6 |
| Columbus Day (UPS: Indigenous Peoples’ Day) | Mon, Oct 12 | Open | Mon, Oct 11 |
| Thanksgiving | Thu, Nov 26 | Closed | Thu, Nov 25 |
Memorial Day sits with the closed group, and Columbus Day is the odd one out. Details are in our article on whether UPS delivers on Columbus Day.
The Labor Day closure is covered in our Labor Day guide.
What to do before the Memorial Day weekend
- Ship early. Send time sensitive packages by Thursday or Friday before the holiday so they are not stuck behind a three day weekend.
- Do not schedule a pickup for Monday. Choose Friday, or book Tuesday, May 26, 2026.
- Do not promise a Monday delivery date to a customer or a recipient. Tuesday is the realistic target.
- Use Express Critical only for true emergencies, since it is the one UPS service running that day.
- Call your local UPS Store if you plan to use it, because hours vary by owner.
The Postal Holiday Checker lists which carriers observe a given date, which saves guessing when you plan around a holiday week.
Does UPS ship on Memorial Day for international orders?
UPS lists Air and International service as closed on May 25, 2026, the same as Ground. A parcel going abroad will not be picked up that day, and its export processing waits for the next business day. Express Critical is again the only service listed as available.
If you ship overseas, add the lost day to the transit estimate. Customs clearance at the destination follows its own calendar, and UPS does not publish a Memorial Day rule for it.
When is the next Memorial Day?
The next Memorial Day is Monday, May 31, 2027, so check again then to see whether the answer to does UPS deliver on Memorial Day has changed. UPS has only published its January 1, 2027 holiday status so far. UPS usually follows the same pattern from year to year, so expect a closure, but confirm it on the UPS holiday shipping schedule once it is posted.
Bottom line
UPS stays off the road on Memorial Day, except for Express Critical. Plan for your package to move on Tuesday, and ship before the weekend if timing matters. For 2027, wait for UPS to publish its schedule before you commit to a date.
