There is no single FedEx overnight cut off time. The latest drop-off for First Overnight, Priority Overnight and Standard Overnight is set by each FedEx location and pickup route, and your package must be dropped off or picked up before that location’s cutoff to ship that day. FedEx drop boxes are typically collected between 3:30 p.m. and 6 p.m., and the FedEx location finder shows the exact time for any store.
The cutoff decides your ship date, and the ship date decides when the next-day clock starts. This guide explains how cutoffs work for each way of handing over a package, how Standard Overnight and Priority Overnight differ once the package is on its way, and what to do when you’re running late. Our guide to FedEx tracking and delivery picks up from there once the package is scanned.
What Is the FedEx Overnight Cut Off Time?
The cutoff is the last moment FedEx can accept a package at a given location and still put it on that night’s flight. FedEx’s overnight page says the latest drop-off time varies by location and doesn’t publish a universal deadline. The time depends on how you tender the package:
| How you hand it over | What sets the cutoff | How to check it |
|---|---|---|
| FedEx Drop Box | The box’s posted collection time, typically between 3:30 p.m. and 6 p.m. | Read the box label or the location finder |
| FedEx Office or other staffed retail location | That location’s last express pickup | Location finder at local.fedex.com, or call the store |
| On-call pickup from your address | Your pickup window; FedEx asks for packages to be ready at least two hours before your business closes | The pickup window shown when you schedule, and the My Pickups tab |
| Regularly scheduled pickup | The fixed time agreed when you enrolled | Your FedEx account representative |
| FedEx Extra Hours | A later drop-off at qualified locations for local next-day delivery | A FedEx account representative |
Drop boxes usually close earliest, so they are a poor choice for a late overnight package. Dangerous goods and dry ice can’t go in a drop box or through FedEx Office at all, and must be tendered at a pickup or a staffed location that accepts them. Our guide to FedEx closing times covers store hours, which often run later than the last express pickup.
How Does FedEx Standard Overnight vs Priority Overnight Compare?
Making the cutoff gets the package moving. The service you chose decides when it arrives the next business day:
| Service | Delivery to most businesses | Delivery to residences | Saturday delivery | Maximum weight |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| FedEx First Overnight | Early morning, by 8, 8:30, 9 or 9:30 a.m. depending on the ZIP code | Same early-morning commitment | Available for an added charge | 150 lbs. |
| FedEx Priority Overnight | By 10:30 a.m. (11 a.m. in some areas) | By noon (1:30 p.m. in some areas) | Available for an added charge | 150 lbs. |
| FedEx Standard Overnight | By 5 p.m. | By 8 p.m., where Priority Overnight delivers by 10:30 a.m. or noon | Available for an added charge | 150 lbs. |
All three services take packages up to 150 lbs., 119 inches long and 165 inches in length plus girth. Standard Overnight costs less and still arrives the next business day, so it fits documents and parts that only need to land by end of day. Priority Overnight is the safer choice when a recipient needs the package before a morning meeting. For the price side of standard overnight vs priority overnight, our FedEx overnight shipping cost guide explains what each tier adds.
Commitment times vary by destination ZIP code, and some remote areas get a later time. FedEx’s rate and transit tool shows the exact commitment for your origin, destination and ship date. Our guide to what time FedEx delivers covers delivery windows for every service.
How Do You Find the Overnight Cutoff for Your Location?
- Use the FedEx location finder. Search your ZIP code at local.fedex.com and open the location’s page to see its hours and last pickup times.
- Call the store. FedEx itself recommends calling when you need to be sure about a location’s cutoff.
- Check a drop box’s label. Each box shows its collection time, and boxes are typically emptied between 3:30 p.m. and 6 p.m.
- Schedule a pickup. For expedited packages, FedEx offers same-day or next-day on-call pickups, and the available window shows when you book.
- Check the holiday calendar. Holiday hours are listed on FedEx’s Last Days to Ship page, and our FedEx holiday schedule covers the dates FedEx doesn’t deliver.
Business addresses with steady volume can get a later cutoff through FedEx Extra Hours, which lets qualified locations accept drop-offs later in the evening for local next-day delivery. FedEx sets it up through an account representative.
What Happens If You Miss the FedEx Overnight Cutoff?
A package tendered after the cutoff ships the next business day, so a Tuesday-evening miss becomes a Thursday delivery. You still pay for the overnight service, because the commitment is counted from the actual ship date. A label created in advance doesn’t change that.
When you’re running late, you have a few options. You can drive to a staffed location with a later last pickup, book a same-day pickup for an expedited package if your area still has windows open, or ask about FedEx SameDay for something that can’t wait. If the package can wait one more day, compare the delivery date of Standard Overnight against FedEx 2Day before paying for overnight on a missed cutoff. Our comparison of FedEx Home Delivery vs Ground explains the slower ground options.
Does FedEx Overnight Ship or Deliver on Weekends?
FedEx overnight services deliver Monday through Friday by default, so a package shipped on Friday arrives on Monday. Saturday delivery is available with First Overnight, Priority Overnight, Standard Overnight and FedEx 2Day for an added charge in many areas. On Saturdays, Priority Overnight delivers by 12 p.m. or 1:30 p.m. to most of the contiguous U.S., and by 5 p.m. in some rural areas. Standard Overnight delivers by 5 p.m.
Saturday pickups are available in many areas for an added charge, and overnight packages picked up on a Saturday also carry a Saturday expedited processing fee. Dropping a package at a retail location on Saturday has no added charge, though availability varies by location. FedEx overnight services don’t deliver on Sunday. Our guide to whether FedEx Priority Overnight delivers on Saturday covers weekend timing in detail.
What Are the Alternatives When the FedEx Cutoff Has Passed?
Other carriers’ next-day services run on their own cutoffs, so a missed FedEx deadline doesn’t always mean a missed delivery. UPS Next Day Air and USPS Priority Mail Express are the usual alternatives, and Priority Mail Express offers Sunday and holiday delivery in many major markets for an added fee.
If you’re open to UPS or USPS instead, ParcelPath offers up to 85% off UPS and up to 89% off USPS, free with no subscription or per-label fee. You can compare UPS Next Day Air and Priority Mail Express for your package in the ParcelPath rate calculator, then hand it over without a printer using a UPS Mobile Barcode at The UPS Store or USPS Label Broker at the Post Office. FedEx shippers can review the FedEx Rewards program separately, since it applies only to FedEx shipping.
Frequently Asked Questions
What time is the FedEx overnight cut off?
It depends on the location. FedEx doesn’t publish one national FedEx overnight cut off time. Drop boxes are typically collected between 3:30 p.m. and 6 p.m., and staffed locations set their own last express pickup. Check your location’s page in the FedEx location finder at local.fedex.com, or call the store, before you head out with an overnight package.
Is the cutoff different for Priority Overnight and Standard Overnight?
The cutoff is set by the location’s last express pickup, and FedEx doesn’t publish separate national cutoffs by service. What differs is the delivery commitment. Priority Overnight arrives by 10:30 a.m. to most businesses and by noon to most homes. Standard Overnight arrives by 5 p.m. to businesses and by 8 p.m. to homes, the next business day.
What happens if I drop off a FedEx overnight package after the cutoff?
It ships the next business day, so the overnight commitment counts from that later date. A package dropped off after Tuesday’s cutoff is delivered Thursday. To avoid this, take it to a staffed location with a later last pickup, book a same-day on-call pickup where available, or use a carrier whose cutoff hasn’t passed.
Can I ship FedEx overnight on a Saturday?
Yes, in many areas. Saturday pickup is available for an added charge, and Saturday drop-off at a retail location has no added charge where the location is open. A package shipped Saturday is delivered the next business day, Monday, unless Saturday delivery was booked for a Friday shipment. FedEx overnight services don’t deliver on Sundays.
Sources
- FedEx: Overnight shipping, delivery commitments, size limits, drop-off cutoffs and Extra Hours
- FedEx: Schedule and manage pickups (drop box collection times, pickup readiness)
- FedEx: Saturday and Sunday delivery
- FedEx Service Guide 2026 (U.S.): Saturday delivery, Saturday expedited processing, dangerous goods drop-off rules
- USPS: Priority Mail Express
Part of our What Time Does FedEx Deliver guide. Related: FedEx Shipping hub, FedEx Holiday Schedule.
