Australia Post revealed the last dates to send Christmas presents domestically

Australia Post has issued an important deadline for anyone sending Christmas presents or cards to loved ones in Australia.

Australia Post has issued deadlines for sending Christmas gifts around the country and overseas to ensure they are delivered in time for the busy holiday season.

As the mailrooms brace for a busy couple of months, customers are urged to send presents to loved ones interstate before December 12 if they want them to be under the tree by Christmas Day.

If that deadline is causing panic for those who don’t have time to shop for presents and send them off, Express deliveries will offer some relief.

Gifts can be sent Express until December 19 to still reach their destination by the holiday.

However, the cut off date is more pressing for customers sending gifts to loved ones in Western Australia or the Northern Territory.

Australia Post has revealed the cut off dates for sending gifts to ensure they arrived before Christmas Day. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Kelly Barnes

For those destinations, Australia Post has pushed the deadline forward to December 7 for parcels and December 14 for the pricier and quicker Express Post option.

The postal service also provided a cut off for Christmas cards, which should be shoved in the mailbox by December 15 in order to make it onto the Christmas Day mantelpiece in other states.

If the cards are destined for the same state, the deadline is pushed back to the last-minute cut off of December 19.

The domestic deadlines come just one week after the postal service released the international deadlines for Christmas packages, which are more urgent.

Australia Post is warning customers to be wary of the deadlines for sending gifts.

While the cut off dates vary for different destinations, Australia Post recommended sending cards and gifts by November 14 as a general rule.

For those wanting to send parcels and letters to the UK, you’ll have to get them in the mail by November 21 for economy air.

For those who aren‘t as organised with the festive season, the latest date you can send presents to popular destinations like the US, UK, New Zealand, and Canada is December 9 if posted via international express.

Executive general manager Gary Starr said presents should be sent off early to ensure they reach their destination amid the busy holiday season.

“We know our last sending dates provide an important guide for people in the lead-up to Christmas and we’ve been preparing all year for another busy peak season to ensure things run as smoothly as possible,” he said.

Australia Post is preparing for a very busy Christmas period. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Kelly Barnes

“As always, we’ll continue to deliver items sent after these dates as quickly as possible, but they may not arrive until after Christmas.”

The postal service is bracing for a very busy few months after it delivered more than 52 million parcels in December 2021.

“We’ve been preparing all year for another busy peak season by recruiting thousands of new team members, investing in our network and making digital enhancements like improved notifications for parcel deliveries,” Mr Starr said.

Originally published as Australia Post revealed the last dates to send Christmas presents domestically