If an order must arrive on or before a specific date, you need to account for both Manifest's processing SLA and the carrier's transit time when selecting a shipping method. Work backwards from the required delivery date to determine what shipping service is needed.
Step 1: Determine your processing SLA
Before choosing a shipping method, identify how long Manifest needs to process and generate a label for your order. See Manifest's SLA Guide for turnaround times by order type. Day Zero of your SLA is the day the order enters Manifest's fulfillment queue — for D2C orders this is the day the order is imported before 12pm CT.
Step 2: Choose a shipping method that covers the remaining window
Once you know when the label will be generated, count the remaining business days to your required delivery date and select a service that covers that window.
Important: 2-Day and Overnight shipping options are the only guaranteed services and the only options eligible for full reimbursement of shipping costs if the delivery date is not met. All other carriers and services provide estimated arrival windows only and are not guaranteed. If delivery by a specific date is critical, select a guaranteed 2-Day or Overnight service.
Illustrative example:
Today is Tuesday before 12pm CT. Your required delivery date is the following Monday. The order has 30+ units with no special handling, making it a Standard B2B order with a 3 business day processing SLA. Manifest will complete processing by end of day Friday. Selecting an Overnight shipping option ensures carrier delivery by end of day Monday.
To edit the shipping method on an existing order, see How to Edit the Shipping Method on an Order.