FedEx published its 2026 peak season surcharge schedule in late July, and the dates matter more than most brands realize. These fees do not wait for Black Friday. The first wave starts September 28.
UPS, as of this week, still has not published its 2026 peak surcharge schedule. History says it will look similar. Plan as if it will.
The two waves
Wave one starts September 28 and runs through January 17, 2027. This wave hits packages with size and handling problems: additional handling surcharges of $8.80 to $11.85 per package, oversize charges of $95.75 to $117.25, and unauthorized package charges of $535 to $595 for freight-sized items in the parcel network.
Wave two starts October 26 and runs through January 17. These are the demand surcharges on ordinary parcels: ground residential adds $0.50 to $0.80 per package, 2Day services add $1.20 to $2.35, and overnight adds $1.30 to $2.55. A separate demand charge on residential delivery ranges from $1.70 to $9.35 depending on volume tier.
The ground residential surcharge peaks at $0.80 this year against $0.65 last year. That is a 23 percent jump on the fee most DTC brands actually pay.
What this means for your brand
Multiply your November and December order count by the surcharge on your primary service level. A brand shipping 10,000 ground residential orders a month eats up to $8,000 a month in demand fees alone at the peak rate, before any handling or oversize charges.
Two ways to fight it:
- Fix your dimensional profile before September 28. Additional handling fees trigger on weight and dimensions. Right-sizing packaging for your top 10 SKUs is the single fastest fix, and it is exactly the kind of project a kitting and special projects team knocks out in a week.
- Ship on aggregated rates. Surcharges land on top of your base rate, so the base matters more in Q4 than any other quarter. Our clients ship on carrier discounts negotiated across the combined volume of every brand in the building, rates a single shipper cannot get alone.
We publish transparent, itemized invoices, so our clients see exactly which surcharges applied to which packages. If your current provider buries peak fees inside a blended rate, ask them why. Then ask us for a quote.
FAQ
Do peak surcharges apply to every package?
Handling and oversize charges apply per offending package all season. Demand surcharges on ordinary parcels depend on the carrier, the service level, and in some tiers your volume relative to baseline. Ground residential fees generally apply broadly during the surcharge window.
Can a small brand negotiate surcharges away?
Almost never directly. Carriers waive or discount peak fees for very large shippers. The practical route for a mid-size brand is shipping under a 3PL's aggregated volume, where the negotiating weight already exists.