2024 Peak Season Surcharges for USPS, UPS, FedEx, and DHL
by EasyPost
Updated: October 7, 2024
Peak season is here! As merchants, this is one of the most exciting times of the year for you. Shoppers are excited to celebrate Black Friday and try new products and services for the holiday season. The end of the year is a critical time for merchants as you’ll likely see a large influx in new potential customers.
But, it’s also a busy season for all the carriers who will transport those orders. To help you stay a step ahead, we’ve compiled all of the peak surcharges you can expect from USPS, UPS, FedEx, and DHL for 2024.
Wait, what are peak season surcharges?
Peak season surcharges are extra fees carriers charge during their busiest months, typically from October through January. These charges are usually flat fees added on top of your shipping rate. This year, a few surcharges will last longer into January compared to previous years.
These surcharges help carriers manage increased cost due to the surge in shipping volume during the holiday season. The fees cover labor, fuel, supplies, and more, ensuring their service standards are maintained during the busiest time of the year.
The surcharge rates and application dates may change any time during this period, so we recommend staying tuned in to any communication from your carriers.
If you’re curious to see how these surcharges compare to last year’s, check out our 2023 peak season surcharge blog.
USPS
On September 5th, 2024, the USPS filed notice with the Postal Regulatory Commission (PRC) for proposed peak surcharges for commercial and retail rates effective midnight Central on October 6, 2024 until January 19, 2025. Shippers should note which rates they use to accurately forecast the seasonal surcharges, and understand the PRC may make adjustments to these rates until October. By default, all EasyPost users should rely on the Merchant Discount pricing and commercial rates.
Commercial Priority Mail Express®
Weight | Zone 1-4 | Zone 5-9 |
|---|---|---|
0-3 lbs. | $1.00 | $1.75 |
4-10 lbs. | $1.50 | $3.95 |
11-25 lbs. | $3.50 | $7.50 |
26-70 lbs. | $8.95 | $13.00 |
Commercial Priority Mail®
Weight | Zone 1-4 | Zone 5-9 |
|---|---|---|
0-3 lbs. | $0.30 | $0.70 |
4-10 lbs. | $0.45 | $1.25 |
11-25 lbs. | $0.75 | $2.75 |
26-70 lbs. | $3.00 | $7.00 |
Commercial Ground Advantage®
Weight | Zone 1-4 | Zone 5-9 |
|---|---|---|
0-3 lbs. | $0.30 | $0.35 |
4-10 lbs. | $0.45 | $0.75 |
11-25 lbs. | $0.75 | $1.25 |
26-70 lbs. | $3.00 | $5.50 |
UPS
UPS has several surcharges from October 27, 2024 until January 18, 2025 for service level, shipment origin and destination country, and additional services. Surcharges may have different rates for select periods during peak season, so be aware of fluctuations throughout the season.
UPS® Air, UPS® Ground Residential and UPS SurePost® Packages
The following demand surcharge will apply to all UPS Air, UPS Ground Residential, and UPS SurePost packages during the designated time period.
Service Level | October 27, 2024 until November 23, 2024 | November 24, 2024 until December 28, 2024 | December 29, 2024 until January 18, 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
UPS Next Day Air® | $1.00 | $2.00 | $1.00 |
UPS® Ground Residential | $0.25 | $0.50 | $0.25 |
UPS SurePost® | $0.25 | $0.50 | $0.25 |
All Other UPS® Air | $1.00 | $2.00 | $1.00 |
Additional volume-based surcharges for UPS® Air, UPS® Ground Residential and UPS SurePost® Packages
UPS will add an additional surcharge if you’re a high-volume shipper with more than 20,000 shipments and ship above your “baseline” volume during peak season. This baseline is determined by averaging your weekly UPS volume for UPS® Air, UPS® Ground Residential, or UPS SurePost®.
Service Level | 105% to 125% | 125% to 150% | 150% to 200% | 200% to 300% | 300% to 400% | 400% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
UPS Next Day Air® | $2.65 | $3.20 | $3.50 | $4.00 | $6.05 | $8.25 |
UPS® Ground Residential | $1.50 | $2.05 | $2.35 | $2.85 | $4.90 | $7.05 |
UPS SurePost® | $1.50 | $2.05 | $2.35 | $2.85 | $4.90 | $7.05 |
All Other UPS® Air | $2.65 | $3.20 | $3.50 | $4.00 | $6.05 | $8.25 |
UPS® Additional Handling, Large Packages and Over Maximum
UPS will apply a demand surcharge to all packages that require additional handling, large packages, or over maximum limits service from January 14, 2024 until January 18, 2025. This applies to U.S. domestic, U.S. import, and U.S. export shipments.
Surcharges | January 14, 2024 until September 28, 2024 | September 29, 2024 until November 23, 2024 | November 24, 2024 until December 28, 2024 | December 29, 2024 until January 18, 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Additional Handling | $3.50 | $7.75 | $9.95 | $7.75 |
Large Package | $40.00 | $84.75 | $99.00 | $84.75 |
Over Maximum Limits | $0.00 | $445.00 | $495.00 | $445.00 |
UPS Mail Innovations®
UPS Mail Innovations® services will apply the following peak season fees from November 3, 2024 until December 28, 2024. These additional fees and demand surcharges will be included in the shipping label's base rate.
All UPS Mail Innovations® services pieces in all mail classes will receive a $0.20 per piece fee. This applies to outbound domestic, domestic returns, and outbound international. See the table below for other additional charges that may be applied.
UPS Mail Innovations® outbound packages | Surcharge |
|---|---|
>10 lbs. | $2.00 |
>22" in length or >2 cubic feet | $2.00 |
Zone 9 destination | $2.00 |
FedEx
FedEx will be applying the following demand surcharges from September 29, 2024 until January 19, 2025. There are several types of surcharges, so shippers should be sure to read through all the tables to see what could apply to their shipments.
FedEx Package Demand Surcharges
Service Levels | October 28, 2024 until November 24, 2024 | November 25, 2024 until December 29, 2024 | December 30, 2024 until January 19, 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
FedEx First Overnight®, FedEx Priority Overnight®, FedEx Standard Overnight® | $1.00 | $2.00 | $1.00 |
FedEx 2Day® A.M., FedEx 2Day® | $1.00 | $2.00 | $1.00 |
FedEx Express Saver® | $1.00 | $2.00 | $1.00 |
FedEx Ground®, FedEx Home Delivery® residential shipments | $0.30 | $0.55 | $0.30 |
FedEx Ground® Economy Package Services | $1.90 | $3.15 | $1.90 |
Additional Demand Surcharges
Surcharge | February 5, 2024 until September 29, 2024 (Pre-Peak Season) | September 30, 2024 until November 24, 2024 | November 25, 2024 until December 29, 2024 | December 30, 2024 until January 19, 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Additional Handling Surcharge (U.S. Package Services, FedEx International Ground Shipments) | $3.45 | $7.75 | $10 | $7.75 |
Oversize Charge (U.S. Package Services, FedEx International Ground Shipments) | $39.50 | $84.50 | $100 | $84.50 |
Ground Unauthorized Package Charge (FedEx Ground, FedEx Home Delivery, and FedEx International Ground Shipments) | n/a | $450 | $500 | $450 |
FedEx U.S. Export Demand Surcharges
FedEx will apply an export demand surcharge in the U.S. to the following destinations:
- Canada: Calgary, Hull, Kitchener, Montreal, Niagara, Oshawa, Ottawa, Toronto, Vancouver, Windsor, Winnipeg, New Brunswick, Newfoundland, Northwest Territories, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, Saskatchewan, Yukon
- Anguilla; Antigua; Aruba; Bahamas; Barbados; Barbuda; Bermuda; Bonaire; British Virgin Islands; Cayman Islands; Curacao; Dominica; Dominican Republic; Grenada; Guadeloupe; Haiti; Jamaica; Martinique; Montserrat; Saba; St. Barthelemy; St. Croix (U.S. Virgin Islands); St. Eustatius; St. John (U.S. Virgin Islands); St. Kitts and Nevis; St. Lucia; St. Maarten/St. Martin; St. Thomas (U.S. Virgin Islands); St. Vincent; Trinidad and Tobago; Turks and Caicos Islands; U.S. Virgin Islands
- Argentina; Belize; Bolivia; Brazil; Chile; Colombia; Costa Rica; Ecuador; El Salvador; French Guiana; Guatemala; Guyana; Honduras; Nicaragua; Panama; Paraguay; Peru; Suriname; Uruguay; Venezuela
Surcharge | September 16, 2024 until January 31, 2025 |
|---|---|
U.S. Export Demand Surcharge | $0.10 per lb. |
Parcel minimum charge: $1 per shipment. Freight minimum charge: $15 per shipment.
FedEx Delivery Charge Demand Surcharges
FedEx will apply a dynamic surcharge that is recalculated each week to customers with high shipping volume. Your surcharge is based on your shipping volume and “peaking factor” during your “calculation week” and is then applied during your “application week” two weeks after. For more information please see the FedEx website.
Delivery Charge per Package by Peaking Factor
Service Level* | 105% to 125% | 125% to 150% | 150% to 200% | 200% to 300% | 300% to 400% | 400% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
FedEx First Overnight®, FedEx Priority Overnight®, FedEx Standard Overnight® | $2.60 | $3.25 | $3.55 | $4.10 | $6.15 | $8.25 |
FedEx 2Day® A.M., FedEx 2Day® | $2.60 | $3.25 | $3.55 | $4.10 | $6.15 | $8.25 |
FedEx Express Saver® | $2.60 | $3.25 | $3.55 | $4.10 | $6.15 | $8.25 |
FedEx Ground®, FedEx Home Delivery® services | $1.45 | $2.10 | $2.40 | $2.95 | $5.00 | $7.10 |
*Excluding FedEx One Rate packages
Delivery Charge Calculation and Application Week Schedule
Peaking Period | Calculation Week | Application Week |
|---|---|---|
1 | October 7, 2024 - October 13, 2024 | October 28, 2024 - November 3, 2024 |
2 | October 14, 2024 - October 20, 2024 | November 4, 2024 - November 10, 2024 |
3 | October 21, 2024 - October 27, 2024 | November 11, 2024 - November 17, 2024 |
4 | October 28, 2024 - November 3, 2024 | November 18, 2024 - November 24, 2024 |
5 | November 4, 2024 - November 10, 2024 | November 25, 2024 - December 1, 2024 |
6 | November 11, 2024 - November 17, 2024 | December 2, 2024 - December 8, 2024 |
7 | November 18, 2024 - November 24, 2024 | December 9, 2024 - December 15, 2024 |
8 | November 25, 2024 - December 1, 2024 | December 16, 2024 - December 22, 2024 |
9 | December 2, 2024 - December 8, 2024 | December 23, 2024 - December 29, 2024 |
10 | December 9, 2024 - December 15, 2024 | December 30, 2024 - January 5, 2025 |
DHL Express
DHL Express will be applying the following demand surcharges from September 15, 2024 until January 31, 2025.
Impacted service levels:
- DHL Express Worldwide
- DHL Express 12:00
- DHL Express 10:30
- DHL Express 9:00
- DHL Express Envelope
- DHL Economy Select
- DHL Medical Express
- DHL Breakbulk Express
- DHL Breakbulk Economy
DHL Express Demand Surcharges
Origin | Americas | Asia | China, Hong Kong | Europe | Middle East, North Africa | Oceania | Rest of the World |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Americas | $0.20 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.20 | $0.40 |
China, Hong Kong | $2.00 | $0.20 | $0.20 | $1.60 | $1.30 | $0.20 | $0.70 |
Europe | $0.40 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.20 | $0.00 | $0.20 | $0.40 |
Middle East, North Africa | $0.90 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.70 | $0.20 | $0.20 | $0.40 |
Rest of Asia | $1.20 | $0.20 | $0.20 | $0.90 | $0.70 | $0.20 | $0.70 |
Rest of the World | $0.40 | $0.40 | $0.40 | $0.40 | $0.40 | $0.40 | $0.40 |
South Asia | $1.40 | $0.20 | $0.20 | $0.90 | $0.40 | $0.20 | $0.40 |
DHL eCommerce
DHL eCommerce will be applying the following peak surcharges from October 27, 2024 until January 18, 2025.
DHL eCommerce SmartMail Domestic Product Peak Surcharge
DHL eCommerce SmartMail Domestic Products | Zone 1-8 | Zone 11-13 |
|---|---|---|
Parcel Ground & Expedited | $0.25 | $0.35 |
Parcel Plus Ground & Expedited (1-3 lbs.) | $0.00 | $0.35 |
Parcel Plus Ground & Expedited (4-10 lbs.) | $0.00 | $0.75 |
Parcel Plus Ground & Expedited (11-25 lbs.) | $0.00 | $1.25 |
Parcel Expedited Max (1-16 oz.) | $0.25 | $1.25 |
Parcel Expedited Max (2-25 lbs.) | $0.00 | n/a |
Bound Printed Matter Ground & Expedited (1-3 lbs.) | $0.25 | $0.35 |
Bound Printed Matter Ground & Expedited (4-10 lbs.) | $0.25 | $0.75 |
Bound Printed Matter Ground & Expedited (11-25 lbs.) | $0.25 | $1.25 |
Marketing Parcel Ground & Expedited | $0.75 | $0.75 |
DHL eCommerce SmartMail Return Product Peak Surcharge
DHL eCommerce SmartMail Return Products | Surcharge |
|---|---|
Parcel Return Light | $0.35 |
Parcel Return Ground | $0.75 |
Parcel Return Plus | $1.45 |
Additional Domestic Product Peak Surcharge
Zone 1-4
Additional Domestic Products | 0-3 lbs. | 4-10 lbs. | 11-25 lbs. | 26-70 lbs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Ground Advantage | $0.30 | $0.45 | $0.75 | $3.00 |
Priority Mail | $0.40 | $0.55 | $0.95 | $4.00 |
Zone 5-8
Additional Domestic Products | 0-3 lbs. | 4-10 lbs. | 11-25 lbs. | 26-70 lbs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Ground Advantage | $0.35 | $0.75 | $1.25 | $5.50 |
Priority Mail | $0.90 | $1.45 | $3.25 | $8.50 |
DHL eCommerce International Product Peak Surcharge
DHL eCommerce International Products | Surcharge |
|---|---|
Packet International | $0.00 |
Packet International Direct | $0.00 |
Packet International Standard | $0.00 |
Packet International - SMB (0-3 lbs.) | $0.30 |
Packet International - SMB (4-4.4 lbs.) | $0.45 |
Packet International Standard - SMB & Direct SMB (0-3 lbs.) | $0.30 |
Packet International Standard - SMB & Direct SMB (4-10 lbs.) | $0.45 |
Packet International Standard - SMB & Direct SMB (11-25 lbs.) | $0.75 |
Packet International Standard - SMB & Direct SMB (>26 lbs.) | $3.00 |
DHL eCommerce Canada to U.S. Product Peak Surcharge
DHL eCommerce Canada to U.S. Products | Zone 1-8 | Zone 11-13 |
|---|---|---|
Parcel International Direct Standard & Priority (1-16 oz.) | $0.25 | $0.35 |
Parcel International Direct Standard & Priority (2-3 lbs.) | $0.00 | $0.35 |
Parcel International Direct Standard & Priority (4-10 lbs.) | $0.00 | $0.75 |
Parcel International Direct Standard & Priority (11-15 lbs.) | $0.00 | $1.25 |
Parcel International Direct Max (1-16 oz.) | $0.25 | n/a |
Parcel International Direct Max (2-15 lbs.) | $0.00 | n/a |