Tracker · Last reviewed 24 August 2026
Peak surcharges: what's actually announced.
Carriers publish their peak season demand surcharges in mid-to-late summer, and every planning article you'll find quotes last season's numbers without saying so. This page tracks what has genuinely been published for 2026–27, and gives you last season's exact figures — taken from the carrier's own schedule — as a planning baseline until it isn't one.
2026–27 season status
Checked 24 Aug 20262025–26 UPS demand surcharges — the verified baseline
These are the amounts UPS published for the season that ran 28 September 2025 to 17 January 2026. That season is over. Use them to model Q4 exposure, not to quote a live shipment.
| Charge | 28 Sep – 22 Nov 2025 | 23 Nov – 27 Dec 2025 | 28 Dec 2025 – 17 Jan 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Additional Handling | $8.25 | $10.80 | $8.25 |
| Large Package Surcharge | $90.50 | $107.00 | $90.50 |
| Over Maximum Limits | $485.00 | $540.00 | $485.00 |
| Service | 26 Oct – 22 Nov 2025 | 23 Nov – 27 Dec 2025 | 28 Dec 2025 – 17 Jan 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|
| UPS Ground Saverformerly SurePost | $0.40 | $0.60 | $0.40 |
| UPS Ground Residential | $0.40 | $0.60 | $0.40 |
| UPS Next Day Air | $1.10 | $2.05 | $1.10 |
| All other UPS Air2nd Day Air A.M., 2nd Day Air, 3 Day Select | $1.10 | $2.05 | $1.10 |
Source: UPS Demand Surcharges schedule, 28 August 2025 update, published at assets.ups.com. Figures transcribed 24 August 2026.
What we're not publishing
Numbers that circulate widely but couldn't be confirmed against a carrier-published document.
2026 base surcharge thresholds. Reported changes to Additional Handling and Large Package criteria — including cubic-volume triggers — appear in many rate-increase summaries. The thresholds belong in the carriers' Rate and Service Guides; until confirmed there, they're not stated as fact on this page.
Any 2026–27 amount. Nothing has been confirmed. Anyone publishing specific 2026–27 peak figures right now is either quoting an announcement we haven't found or reprinting last season.
Common questions
When do carriers announce peak season surcharges?
Typically mid-to-late summer for a season that begins in late September. Announcement timing varies year to year, and carriers reserve the right to change amounts and extend the demand periods after publishing.
Are peak surcharges added to other surcharges or do they replace them?
They're added. A demand surcharge sits on top of the base surcharge, the fuel surcharge, residential charges and dimensional weight pricing. This is why the stacked cost on an oversized residential parcel in December bears little resemblance to the base rate.
Can peak surcharges be negotiated?
Sometimes, on high-volume contracts — waivers or caps are more common than outright removal. Size-based charges like oversize, additional handling and residential are rarely waived. Your rate agreement governs, not any published schedule.
What's the cheapest way to reduce peak exposure?
Stay below the size thresholds. Demand surcharges on additional handling and large packages dwarf the per-package service fees — the difference between an ordinary parcel and an oversized one during peak week was two orders of magnitude in the 2025–26 schedule. Shrinking a box below the trigger avoids the charge entirely.
How often is this page updated?
The status block at the top is rechecked and dated. When a carrier publishes its 2026–27 schedule, the figures move into a verified table with the source and date attached, exactly as the 2025–26 baseline is presented here.
Size thresholds are what trigger the expensive surcharges. The calculator shows the largest box that still bills on actual weight, using each carrier's published divisor and rounding rules.
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