The Holiday season is often the busiest time of year for a lot of businesses. From shipping deadlines to taxable and non-taxable gift guidelines, there is a lot of  things to bear in mind to ensure that your business is ready for the Holidays.

Christmas 2015: Dates and Deadlines for US Businesses

Official Holiday Dates

In 2015, Christmas Day will be Friday, December 25th. The vast majority of businesses (with the exception of restaurant chains and some convenience stores) will be closed on Christmas Day, and many will operate a reduced schedule on Christmas Eve too. Banks will be closed across the United States, and some financial institutions will also close early on December 24th.

Holiday Shipping Deadlines

Every year, the United States Postal Service publishes its Holiday posting and shipping deadlines. Domestic letters and parcels sent via Standard Post service must be posted by December 15th if they are to arrive on December 24th at the latest. Letters and parcels sent within the United States using First Class mail service must be posted by December 19th. Domestic items sent via Priority Mail should be on their way by December 21st, whereas letters and parcels sent to US addresses using Priority Mail Express can be posted as late as December 23rd.

The following deadlines apply to items sent to military or diplomatic addresses:

• November 7th for items sent via Standard Post
• November 25th for items sent via Space Available Mail
• December 3rd for items sent via Parcel Airlift Mail
• December 10th for items sent via Priority Mail and First Class Mail
• December 17th for items sent via Priority Mail Express – Military service

The deadlines for letters and parcels addressed to international destinations vary from country to country, with last shipping dates ranging between December 1st for First Class International mail to December 21st for items sent via Global Express Guaranteed. For a full list of international destinations and their applicable deadlines, please visit the USPS site at https://www.usps.com/holiday. Read more »