Short answer
It is not too late. Thousands of employers are hiring for the season on Jobs2Careers, mostly in stores, warehouses and package delivery. Typical advertised pay is about $17 an hour in stores, $18 in warehouses and $22.50 for delivery drivers. Apply soon, because employers want new people trained before the busy weeks start around Thanksgiving (November 26 this year). If you want to keep the job after the holidays, ask about that in the interview.
Who's hiring for the 2026 holiday season
Two of the biggest seasonal employers have announced their plans. Amazon said this October that it plans to hire more than 300,000 people for the holiday season, at an average wage of $20 an hour. UPS said this October that it will hire 100,000 seasonal workers to sort, move and deliver packages. Both hire for warehouse and delivery work, and you apply on their own career sites or through job listings.
Beyond those two, the seasonal listings on Jobs2Careers come from department stores, specialty shops, parcel carriers, warehouses, call centers and tax-prep offices. A few large employers post most of the delivery jobs, so a smaller town may have only one or two. Store and warehouse jobs come from many more employers, so they are easier to find close to home.
| Seasonal job type | Typical advertised pay (Jobs2Careers) | Year-round national median (BLS) |
|---|---|---|
| Store jobs: sales floor, cashier, gift wrap | $17.00 an hour | $17.03 (retail salespersons) |
| Warehouse, package handling and stockroom | $18.00 an hour | $17.95 (stockers and order fillers) |
| Package delivery (no CDL) | $22.50 an hour | $21.57 (light truck drivers) |
| Customer service, often remote | Few listings show pay | $21.53 (customer service representatives) |
| Tax season (January to April) | Few listings show pay | $26.40 (tax preparers) |
Based on job listings on Jobs2Careers. The middle column is the typical hourly pay advertised in seasonal and holiday listings. The right column is the national median for the closest year-round job from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS, May 2025). Seasonal pay lands close to it. Pay varies by state and city, and some employers pay more for night shifts.
Seasonal store jobs
Stores add people for the sales floor, the register, gift wrap, and early-morning or overnight stocking. Most of these jobs ask for no experience. You will need weekend and evening availability, and stores usually expect you to work the busiest days, such as the weekend after Thanksgiving and the week before Christmas. Ask for your schedule before you accept, because hours can range from a few shifts a week to full time.
Help shoppers, run the register, restock shelves. Weekend and evening shifts are the norm.
Unload trucks and fill shelves, often before the store opens or overnight.
Warehouse and package handling jobs
Warehouses and parcel hubs need the most extra hands in November and December. Package handlers load and unload trailers and sort boxes. Warehouse associates pick, pack and ship orders. The BLS says these jobs usually have no formal education requirement and that training on the job takes a month or less. The work is physical, with lots of lifting and standing, and many shifts start early in the morning or run overnight.
Load, unload and sort packages. Part-time shifts are common.
Pick, pack and ship orders. Ask how much overtime is on offer in peak weeks.
Delivery driver jobs
Seasonal delivery jobs paid the most of the common seasonal jobs in our listings, about $22.50 an hour. Most of them need only a regular driver's license and a clean driving record. Some use a company vehicle and some ask you to drive your own car, so check before you apply. The BLS notes that delivery drivers often work weekends and holidays.
You will also see app-based food and grocery delivery listings that call themselves seasonal. Those are gig work. You are an independent contractor, you use your own car and pay for your own gas, and the overtime rules for employees do not apply.
Deliver packages on a set route. Expect long days in the weeks before Christmas.
Answer calls or chats for retailers and insurers, often from home. Few listings show pay, so ask.
If you need a paycheck fast, see our guide to jobs hiring immediately with no experience. For work from home, read remote jobs with no experience.
How to earn extra pay over the holidays
Many people take a seasonal job, or extra shifts at the job they have, to earn more for the holidays. There are two ways to raise your pay: overtime and holiday pay. They work differently.
Overtime is the law for most hourly workers. Under federal law, an hourly employee who is not exempt must get at least time and a half for every hour over 40 in a workweek. That applies to seasonal workers too. Some states go further. California, for example, pays time and a half for hours over 8 in a workday. Peak season usually means extra hours, so ask how much overtime the job offers.
Holiday pay is up to the employer. The U.S. Department of Labor says federal law does not require extra pay for working on a holiday, a weekend or at night. Premium pay for Thanksgiving (Thursday, November 26), Christmas (Friday, December 25) or New Year's Day (Friday, January 1, 2027) depends on your employer, a union contract, or your state. A few states have their own rules. Rhode Island, for example, requires time and a half for most work on Sundays and holidays.
Premium pay, such as time and a half or double time, is most common in nursing and caregiving, restaurants and hotels. These places stay open every day of the year, so they need people on the holidays. Many employers pay a premium without putting it in the listing, so ask.
Ask before you sign up for a holiday shift
Is holiday pay time and a half, double time, or a flat bonus? Which days count: Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, New Year's Eve, New Year's Day? Do seasonal workers get it, or only permanent staff? Do you have to work the shift before and after the holiday to qualify?
Hospitals and nursing homes staff every holiday. A CNA needs a state certificate, and some employers pay for the training.
Home care agencies serve clients every day, holidays included. Many hire without experience.
Restaurants open on holidays are busy. Ask whether holiday shifts pay a premium.
Sites need guards around the clock. Some security employers pay time and a half on set holidays.
How to stay on after January
Many seasonal jobs end after the holidays, but some turn permanent. Amazon, for example, said some of its seasonal workers can move into permanent positions. Your odds go up if you plan for it from the start.
Jobs that start in January
When holiday jobs end, tax season starts. Tax-prep offices hire seasonal staff to work from January to the April filing deadline. Tax-prep offices are already posting seasonal jobs, and more appear as January gets closer. Anyone who prepares federal tax returns for pay must have a Preparer Tax Identification Number (PTIN) from the IRS. It costs $18.75. The BLS median for tax preparers is $26.40 an hour, but that includes experienced preparers who work year-round, so new seasonal preparers usually start lower.
Prepare returns in a tax office during filing season. Some employers train new preparers; ask what the course costs.
Watch out for seasonal job scams
Scam warning
Fake job offers spike when lots of people are looking for quick work. The Federal Trade Commission says reshipping goods "is never a real job". If someone offers to pay you to receive packages at home and send them on, it is a scam.
A real employer will not ask you to pay for a job, for training before you are hired, or to deposit a check and send part of the money back. Apply on the employer's own site or through a listing you can trace back to it.
Frequently asked questions
Find a seasonal job near you
Browse seasonal and holiday jobs on Jobs2Careers. It is free to apply.
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