UPS does deliver on New Year’s Eve, Thursday, December 31, 2026, but only UPS Air and international Air packages. UPS Ground and Standard packages are not delivered that day, so does ups deliver on new years eve turns on the service printed on your label. UPS is closed the next day, Friday, January 1, 2027.
That split matters for anything with a due date of December 31. A Next Day Air package can still arrive, while a Ground package due the same day will not. The sections below show each service, what happens to a package that misses the date, and what to do about it.
Does UPS deliver on New Years Eve 2026?
UPS lists December 31, 2026 as “Open” on its 2026 holiday operations schedule, with a footnote that reads “Delivery of UPS Air and international Air packages only.” So the network runs, but only the air side delivers.
The UPS holiday page says the same thing in different words. Delivery stays available for air and international air services, and ground deliveries are unavailable. UPS does not describe December 31 as a full closure, and it does not describe it as a normal day either.
Service by service: what UPS does on December 31, 2026
| Service or event | Thursday, Dec 31, 2026 |
|---|---|
| UPS Air packages (Next Day Air, 2nd Day Air, 3 Day Select) | Delivery available |
| International Air packages | Delivery available |
| UPS Ground | No delivery |
| Air and international Air pickup | Only if prearranged by Monday, Dec 28, 2026 |
| UPS Ground pickup | Suspended |
| UPS Express Critical | Available every day, including holidays |
| The UPS Store | Listed as “Limited Locations” |
The schedule groups services as Air, international Air and Ground. It does not list each product by name, so the first row follows the Air label. If you need a firm answer for one tracking number, the tracking page shows the scheduled delivery date UPS has assigned.
What happens to a Ground package due on December 31
A Ground package that was due on December 31 cannot be delivered that day, so it moves to a later delivery day. January 1, 2027 is a UPS holiday with no pickup or delivery, which rules out Friday as well.
That leaves the weekend and then Monday, January 4, 2027. UPS publishes Saturday delivery only for 2nd Day Air, 3 Day Select and Next Day Air, and only when the shipper pays for it. Plan on Monday for a Ground package, and treat anything earlier as a bonus.
UPS has not published a rebooked date for packages caught by the holiday. Your tracking page will show the new scheduled date once the package is rescheduled in the network.
Worked example
A Ground package with a scheduled delivery of Thursday, December 31 will not arrive that day. It cannot go out on Friday, January 1, so the realistic arrival is Monday, January 4.
A 2nd Day Air package shipped on Tuesday, December 29 is due Thursday, December 31. That is Air delivery, so it can still arrive on its date.
Which Air services arrive on New Year’s Eve?
Air delivery covers the overnight and two or three day products. The 2026 rules list a delivery commitment of 12:00 p.m. for Next Day Air to residences, and Next Day Air Saver has a window that runs to 11:59 p.m.
For an Air shipment, then, does ups deliver on new years eve gets a yes: delivery goes ahead on December 31 and the usual commitment times still apply. UPS has not published a separate New Year’s Eve cutoff for air delivery.
Can you ship or schedule a pickup on New Year’s Eve?
Pickup is limited on this date. UPS Air and international Air pickup happens on December 31 only if you prearranged it by Monday, December 28, 2026. UPS Ground pickup is unavailable.
Ground shippers have no pickup option that day, so the date you hand over the package matters more than usual.
- Decide whether your package needs to move as Air or Ground.
- If it is Air or international Air, arrange pickup by December 28, 2026.
- If it is Ground, plan to hand it over before December 31 or after January 1.
Why Christmas Eve is different
People often assume December 24 and December 31 work the same way, but they do not. On Christmas Eve, December 24, 2026, UPS delivers Air, international Air, Standard and Ground packages. Only pickup is limited to Air, and it had to be prearranged by Friday, December 18.
New Year’s Eve is the tighter day because delivery itself drops to Air only. The full picture for the earlier date is in our Christmas Eve delivery guide.
Day by day: a Ground package over New Year’s
Follow one Ground package from the last working day of 2026 to the first of 2027. The timeline shows why a box due on the 31st can take until the following week.
| Day | What UPS publishes | What it means for a Ground package |
|---|---|---|
| Wed, Dec 30, 2026 | No holiday status listed | Normal Ground pickup and delivery |
| Thu, Dec 31, 2026 | Open; delivery of Air and international Air only; Ground pickup suspended | No delivery and no pickup |
| Fri, Jan 1, 2027 | Closed, no pickup or delivery | No movement |
| Sat, Jan 2, 2027 | Saturday delivery listed only for 2nd Day Air, 3 Day Select and Next Day Air, shipper paid | Not a listed Ground delivery day |
| Sun, Jan 3, 2027 | No Sunday delivery listed on the UPS domestic services page | No movement expected |
| Mon, Jan 4, 2027 | First regular business day after the holiday | Planning date for delivery |
A Ground package that is late on December 30 gets no help from the 31st. The earliest Ground delivery after that is Monday, January 4, by the planning date above.
That split is why does ups deliver on new years eve has two answers. The network is open, yet the Ground side is idle for deliveries.
What about December 31, 2027?
New Year’s Day 2028 falls on a Saturday, so the federal government observes it on Friday, December 31, 2027, according to OPM’s federal holiday list. That is a federal observance. UPS has not published its 2027 holiday operations schedule, so its status for that Friday is not known yet.
Check the UPS holiday page in the fall of 2027 before you rely on any December 31 delivery date.
What to do if a package was due on December 31
Start with the tracking page, because it shows the scheduled delivery date UPS currently holds. If the date still says December 31 for a Ground package, expect it to slip.
- Check whether the service is Air or Ground. Only Air is delivered that day.
- Use UPS My Choice to redirect the package to another address or reschedule it for a more convenient time. Basic fees apply only if the change completes.
- For urgent shipments on a closed day, UPS Express Critical runs 7/24/365 at 1-800-714-8779.
- Treat Monday, January 4 as the realistic date for a Ground package, and check tracking again that morning.
The postal holiday checker helps you count the closed days that sit between your ship date and delivery date.
The wider carrier comparison is in the holiday shipping deadlines hub.
Are UPS Store locations open on December 31?
The UPS holiday schedule prints “Limited Locations” for The UPS Store on December 31, 2026. UPS Store locations are franchise set, so hours differ by store and you should call yours.
A store being open does not mean the carrier is delivering Ground that day. The separate store and network schedule is in is UPS open on New Years Eve.
How New Year’s Day follows
January 1, 2027 is a clean stop. UPS lists it as “Closed,” with no pickup or delivery, and The UPS Store as “Limited Locations.” The details are in does UPS deliver on New Year’s Day.
The full list of closures is in what holidays is UPS closed.
For the normal weekly pattern, see does UPS deliver on weekends.
Carriers differ on this date, so the FedEx New Year’s Eve status is a separate answer.
Bottom line on the December 31 delivery
UPS runs on December 31, 2026, but only Air and international Air packages are delivered. Ground waits for Monday, January 4, 2027 as the planning date, because January 1 is closed. For 2027, the next New Year’s Eve status is not published yet.
