Overview
- Royal Mail set its last recommended UK posting dates for Christmas 2026, including Second Class by December 18, Royal Mail Tracked 48 by December 19, First Class and Tracked 24 by December 21, and Special Delivery Guaranteed by December 23.
- Parcelforce Worldwide published its own final UK cutoffs, with express48 and express48large due December 21 and express10, expressAM and express24 due December 22.
- To meet peak demand the operator hired 22,000 seasonal workers, will add 7,500 hire vans to a roughly 44,000‑van fleet that includes about 9,100 electric vehicles, and will increase Sunday processing and extra deliveries.
- Royal Mail reported improved recent letter service performance, with about 85% of first class and 91.4% of second class items delivered on time, and said the gains follow rollout of a new delivery model across most delivery offices.
- Customers are urged to post early, check local branch final acceptance times and note separate earlier BFPO military mail deadlines, and Royal Mail warned published dates may change.