All three carriers have published. We print each one's own numbers, with the date we read them.
FedEx, published July 22, 2026
FedEx's schedule has three windows. The charges on non-standard parcels started September 28, 2026; the per-package charges on residential ground, express and Ground Economy parcels start October 26. Every row steps up from November 23 to December 27 and ends January 17, 2027.
| Category | Start to Nov. 22, 2026 | Nov. 23 to Dec. 27, 2026 | Dec. 28, 2026 to Jan. 17, 2027 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Additional handling, from Sept. 28 | $8.80 | $11.85 | $8.80 |
| Oversize charge, from Sept. 28 | $95.75 | $117.25 | $95.75 |
| Unauthorized package, from Sept. 28 | $535 | $595 | $535 |
| First, Priority and Standard Overnight, from Oct. 26 | $1.30 | $2.55 | $1.30 |
| 2Day, 2Day A.M. and Express Saver, from Oct. 26 | $1.20 | $2.35 | $1.20 |
| Ground and Home Delivery residential, from Oct. 26 | $0.50 | $0.80 | $0.50 |
| Ground Economy, from Oct. 26 | $2.55 | $4.05 | $2.55 |
Source: FedEx demand surcharges page, U.S. package table updated July 22, 2026 (page updated Sept. 4, 2026), per fedex.com, checked 2026-10-06. The express rows exclude FedEx One Rate packages, and Ground Economy is a contract-only service. The dynamic residential delivery charge, published at $1.70 to $8.00 per package on a peaking factor, applies to shippers billed for more than 20,000 residential and Ground Economy packages in a calculation week.
UPS, published August 26, 2026
The UPS document for this season, dated August 26, 2026, has the same shape as FedEx's. Charges on additional handling, large and over-maximum packages run from September 27; Ground Saver, Ground Residential and air parcels pick up a per-package charge from October 25. The middle window is the expensive one, and everything ends January 16, 2027.
| Category | Start to Nov. 21, 2026 | Nov. 22 to Dec. 26, 2026 | Dec. 27, 2026 to Jan. 16, 2027 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Additional handling, from Sept. 27 | $8.75 | $11.90 | $8.75 |
| Large package, from Sept. 27 | $96.25 | $117.50 | $96.25 |
| Over maximum limits, from Sept. 27 | $530 | $590 | $530 |
| Ground Saver and Ground Residential, from Oct. 25 | $0.50 | $0.75 | $0.50 |
| Next Day Air and all other UPS air, from Oct. 25 | $1.35 | $2.50 | $1.35 |
Source: UPS demand surcharges document, August 26, 2026 update, reached from ups.com and checked 2026-10-06. UPS Ground Saver was formerly UPS SurePost. Shippers billed for more than 20,000 packages in any week since October 2025 fall under a separate higher volume table that scales with their weekly volume against a baseline.
USPS, announced August 25, 2026
USPS does not call it a surcharge. It is a time-limited price change on four products, Priority Mail Express, Priority Mail, USPS Ground Advantage and Parcel Select, retail and commercial alike, from 12 a.m. Central on October 4, 2026 to 12 a.m. Central on January 17, 2027. These are the retail increases, the ones paid at a Post Office counter.
| Service and zones | 0 to 3 lb | 4 to 10 lb | 11 to 25 lb | 26 to 70 lb |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ground Advantage and Priority Mail, zones 1 to 4 | $0.50 | $0.80 | $1.25 | $3.90 |
| Ground Advantage, zones 5 to 9 | $0.75 | $1.40 | $2.75 | $7.50 |
| Priority Mail, zones 5 to 9 | $1.00 | $2.10 | $4.30 | $9.10 |
| Priority Mail Express, zones 1 to 4 | $1.40 | $2.45 | $5.05 | $12.70 |
| Priority Mail Express, zones 5 to 9 | $2.35 | $6.30 | $11.70 | $20.80 |
Source: USPS newsroom release of August 25, 2026 on about.usps.com, and the Time-Limited 2026 Price Change page on pe.usps.com, both checked 2026-10-06. The 26 to 70 lb amounts for Ground Advantage, and for Priority Mail in zones 1 to 4, also apply to oversized parcels. Flat Rate goes up too: $2.10 on a Large Flat Rate Box, $1.00 on other Priority Mail Flat Rate products and $2.35 on a Priority Mail Express Flat Rate Envelope.
Commercial prices, which are what shipping services buy at, rise by smaller amounts: $0.40 to $3.15 on Ground Advantage and Priority Mail in zones 1 to 4, for example. The full commercial table is in the same release, and the price filing is PRC Docket No. CP2026-10.
Most of this is not aimed at you
Both carriers reserve their steepest peak numbers for shippers moving more than twenty thousand packages a week, scaled against a baseline of their own summer volume. Send one box in December and you meet the flat per-package figures instead, which for ground residential means cents rather than dollars. USPS is the exception: its change is a price increase on every parcel of the four products it covers.
The awkward-package rows are the ones to watch
Peak amounts on additional handling and oversize sit on top of the year-round charge, and those are already the largest fees in the book. A bulky carton that costs an extra $95.75 in late September costs $117.25 in December at FedEx. If a big item can move before Thanksgiving, move it.
Price it in the week you ship
Peak schedules change mid-season and carriers say so in the documents themselves. A quote run today reflects what applies today. That is the only version of this table that cannot go stale on you.
Peak surcharge questions
When does peak season pricing start in 2026?
It has already started for awkward parcels. UPS began its demand charges on additional handling, large and over-maximum packages on September 27, 2026, and FedEx on September 28. The USPS time-limited price change took effect on October 4. Ordinary parcels pick up the UPS and FedEx per-package charges later, on October 25 at UPS and October 26 at FedEx. Every window ends in mid-January 2027.
How much does peak add to a single parcel?
For a one-off shipper the per-package rows are small. From late October, UPS adds $0.50 to $0.75 to Ground Saver and Ground Residential parcels and FedEx adds $0.50 to $0.80 to ground residential deliveries. At USPS a 0 to 3 lb Ground Advantage parcel costs $0.50 more at the counter in zones 1 to 4 and $0.75 more in zones 5 to 9. The heavy numbers land on awkward parcels: $96.25 to $117.50 per large package at UPS and $95.75 to $117.25 per oversize package at FedEx.
Do peak surcharges apply to everyone?
The volume-scaled tables do not. FedEx applies its dynamic residential charge to shippers billed for more than 20,000 residential and Ground Economy packages in a calculation week, and UPS uses a similar 20,000 package threshold for its higher volume schedule. Below that, the flat amounts apply. USPS is different: its change is a price increase on every Priority Mail Express, Priority Mail, Ground Advantage and Parcel Select parcel, whatever the volume.
Does USPS raise prices for the holidays?
Yes, in 2026 too. On August 25, 2026 USPS announced a temporary price change for Priority Mail Express, Priority Mail, USPS Ground Advantage and Parcel Select, retail and commercial, from 12 a.m. Central on October 4, 2026 to 12 a.m. Central on January 17, 2027. No other products change. Retail increases run from $0.50 on a light Ground Advantage or Priority Mail parcel in zones 1 to 4 to $20.80 on a 26 to 70 lb Priority Mail Express parcel in zones 5 to 9.