Last posting dates for Christmas 2026: Royal Mail, Parcelforce, Evri, DHL, DPD, Yodel and InPost

Last posting dates for Christmas 2026 at a glance

These are the last recommended dates to send within the UK for delivery before Christmas, earliest first. Each row links the carrier’s own page, where we read it on 12 November 2026. Royal Mail says its dates “are correct at the time of publishing and are subject to change”, and advises posting “as early as possible”. If you can post a few days before the date, do.

Royal Mail, service by service

Royal Mail’s last recommended posting dates for UK Christmas post in 2026 are: 2nd Class and 2nd Class Signed For, Friday 18 December; Royal Mail Tracked 48, Saturday 19 December; 1st Class, 1st Class Signed For and Royal Mail Tracked 24, Monday 21 December; Special Delivery Guaranteed, Wednesday 23 December. Saturday 19 December is also the last date for a Tracked Returns 48 parcel to get back to the sender before Christmas.

Royal Mail does not collect or deliver on Christmas Day (Friday 25 December), Boxing Day (Saturday 26 December) or the substitute bank holiday on Monday 28 December, according to its service updates page.

Parcelforce Worldwide

Parcelforce’s 2026 dates for account customers sending within the UK are Monday 21 December for express48 and express48large, and Tuesday 22 December for express10, expressAM and express24. Royal Mail’s last posting dates for personal customers give the same dates. Parcelforce says the dates “are a guide only and are subject to change”, and that some outlying UK areas have longer delivery times, so allow extra time for those.

Evri, DHL, DPD, Yodel and InPost

Evri announced its 2026 dates on 9 November 2026. Book a courier collection by Friday 18 December. At an Evri ParcelShop or locker, send Standard parcels by 11am on Saturday 19 December and Next Day parcels by 11am on Monday 21 December. Evri says its network runs on Christmas Eve, with no deliveries on Christmas Day, Boxing Day or New Year’s Day.

DHL Express gives 22 December as its last sending date within the UK. It says its dates are recommended “but deliveries are NOT guaranteed”, and deliveries to remote places can take longer.

DPD (for UK services), Yodel and InPost had not published Christmas 2026 dates when we checked on 12 November 2026. DPD’s 2026 delivery schedule lists its closed days (Christmas Day, Boxing Day and Monday 28 December in England, Scotland and Wales) but no last date to send. InPost Direct’s key dates page still showed Christmas 2025. We will add each date to the table when the carrier publishes it.

Sending abroad

Royal Mail and Parcelforce have not given country-by-country dates for 2026. Both say international services are much busier at this time of year and “strongly recommend posting as early as possible”, and both point to their country guides for delivery aims. Evri and DHL Express have published dates, below. DPD’s international dates are in PDFs on its own schedule page.

Sending to a forces address? Royal Mail’s 2026 BFPO dates are 24 October for static firm bases, which has passed, and 17 November for operations and HM Ships. Post coming back from BFPOs worldwide should be sent by Wednesday 16 December 2026.

Missed a date? What to do next

Step one: move up to a faster service. If you miss 2nd Class on Friday 18 December, 1st Class and Tracked 24 go until Monday 21 December. If you miss those, Royal Mail’s Special Delivery Guaranteed by 1pm runs until Wednesday 23 December. Royal Mail says: get it to the Post Office by the cut-off time “for delivery by 1pm next day - or your money back”. Some Highland and island postcodes, the Isle of Man and Jersey take longer, so check Royal Mail’s postcode exceptions. If you book a collection from home with Parcel Collect, Royal Mail adds an extra working day, so take it to a Post Office instead. Parcelforce express24 goes until Tuesday 22 December.

Step two: send it straight from the shop. Buying online with delivery to their address, or click and collect at a store near them, avoids posting anything. Each retailer has its own Christmas cut-off, so check the retailer’s delivery page before you order.

Step three: send a gift card or an e-gift. A gift card in a card still needs posting, so it works up to the 1st Class date. An e-gift card from the retailer’s own website arrives by email and has no posting date. Buy it from the retailer itself, not from a link in a message.

Step four: if it will be late, tell them. A card, a message or a photo of the present on Christmas Day, with the parcel following after the holiday, is fine. Royal Mail has no collections or deliveries on 25, 26 or 28 December.

What can hold post up in December, and how to check

Royal Mail posts daily updates on local delays on its service updates page, by postcode area. On 11 November 2026, for example, technical issues delayed a vehicle travelling from its Midlands Hub, so some mail due in the DD, EH, FK, KY, PH and TD postcode areas in Scotland might arrive later than expected. Parcelforce’s service updates page lists delays country by country for post going abroad.

Weather is the other cause. Royal Mail says in severe wintry conditions it “may occasionally be unable to safely access certain streets or addresses”, and may adjust or pause services in those areas. If a storm or snow is forecast near the date you plan to post, post earlier. Our weather warnings tracker shows the Met Office warnings in force, and the storm names tracker and winter storm guide cover named storms.

Sending safely: proof, compensation and what you can’t post

Keep your proof of posting. Royal Mail gives a certificate of posting automatically for Signed For and Special Delivery Guaranteed by 1pm. For other items you can ask for one at a Post Office. To claim for a lost item’s value, Royal Mail asks for evidence of posting and evidence of value. With only basic evidence, it will only consider a postage refund or stamps.

Compensation if an item is lost or damaged, from Royal Mail’s own pages: 1st Class, 2nd Class and both Signed For services, up to £20 or the item’s value, whichever is lower; Tracked 24 and Tracked 48, up to £75 or the item’s value, whichever is lower; Special Delivery Guaranteed by 1pm, up to £750 included, with extra cover up to £2,500 available. Money and jewellery are not covered on 1st Class, 2nd Class, Signed For or Tracked: Royal Mail says to use Special Delivery Guaranteed for valuables. Parcelforce’s express services include £150 cover, with extra cover available up to £2,500 per item.

Some presents cannot go in the post as they are. Royal Mail’s prohibited and restricted items leaflet lists power banks, and lithium batteries sent without a device, among the batteries it restricts or prohibits, with no packaging rules for sending them. A phone, camera or similar device with its lithium batteries fitted or packed with it can go within limits. These include no more than 100Wh per lithium-ion battery (20Wh per cell), a limit on how many batteries go in one parcel, no damaged or defective batteries, and strong rigid packaging that stops it moving or switching on. It “Must be presented at the counter”. The leaflet also says many everyday items, “such as aerosols, nail varnish and perfumes”, are dangerous goods under transport law. DHL Express says it sees more perfume, aftershave, power banks and Christmas crackers at this time of year, all prohibited with DHL. If you are not sure, check the carrier’s list before you wrap it.

Fake “missed parcel” texts

Royal Mail says scams that imitate delivery notifications, fee requests or missed parcel messages are on the rise. Royal Mail says it only texts or emails you if the sender asked for tracking updates. It never asks for payment for an underpaid item by email or text: it leaves a grey “Fee to Pay” card. The one exception is customs charges on parcels from abroad, where it may text or email if the sender gave your details, as well as leaving the grey card. Royal Mail “will never ask for passwords, bank details, or to enter info on an unknown website.”

To report a scam text, forward it free to 7726 and send a screenshot to reportascam@royalmail.com. If you have already clicked a link or paid, our what to do if you’ve been scammed guide has the first steps, and our scams guides cover the rest.

More for Christmas

Our Christmas shortages guide checks what is and is not in short supply this year, and power cut on Christmas Day covers finishing dinner if the electricity goes off.