Australia Post’s elves are already reminding us to get organised for Christmas with the last-sending dates for 2026 now set in stone.

Millions of Christmas presents are expected to move across the country during the festive season and people have been encouraged to check the recommended sending dates for their destination now to ensure no-one’s left with a lump of coal.

Australia Post parcel, post and ecommerce services executive general manager Gary Starr said preparations have been underway for months for the busiest time of the year.

“With major shopping events such as Black Friday and Cyber Monday just around the corner, we expect millions of Australians to take advantage of sales and start their Christmas shopping earlier than ever,” he said.

“Whether you’re sending a gift close to home, across the country or internationally, getting organised early can help take some of the stress out of the festive season.

“Our message is simple: check the dates, shop early, send early and get one more thing ticked off your Christmas to-do list.”

Australia Post delivered almost 111 million parcels during November and December in 2025, recording a 7.6 per cent increase year-on-year.

This translated to more than 3075 parcels every minute and about two million parcels a day for more than 30 days in a row.

Even more packages are expected in the 2026 peak season and an extra 3800 seasonal workers have been employed across the network to support the festive surge.

For metro locations across Australia, parcels should be sent by 21 December for interstate deliveries and 22 December for same-state deliveries. Express post parcels should be sent by 23 December.

Christmas letters and cards should be posted by 18 December for interstate deliveries and 21 December for same-state deliveries.

If you’re lodging items over the counter at a post office, they’ll need to be dropped off by 2.30 pm on the aforementioned dates.

People sending to or from Western Australia, Northern Territory, Tasmania, or regional and remote locations should allow a few extra days for all postal services.

If you have friends and family overseas expecting deliveries, the international last-send dates vary depending on the final destination.

Economy Air parcels should be sent between 24 November and 4 December, while International Express deliveries should be posted between 4 December and 15 December.

International Standard deliveries should be organised between 1 December and 11 December.

All last-sending dates can be found through Australia Post. Customers are encouraged to use the Australia Post app or check online service updates to stay informed about delivery updates, including expected arrival times and any major service interruptions or impacts to the network.