The United States Postal Service will raise rates by an average of 6 percent for several package-shipping services during the 2026 holiday season.
The temporary increase will take effect October 4 and last through January 17, pending regulatory approval, USPS said in a news release Tuesday. The higher rates will apply to services including USPS Ground Advantage, Priority Mail, Priority Mail Express and Parcel Select.
“This seasonal adjustment will bring prices for the Postal Service’s retail and commercial customers in line with competitive practices,” the release reads.
The USPS’ proposed holiday rate increase is higher than the temporary increases it imposed during the 2025 peak season, when rates rose by an average of about 4.9 percent to 5.8 percent, depending on the shipping service.
However, the 6 percent figure is only an average. The actual increase customers pay will depend on the shipping service, package weight and distance traveled, meaning some shipments will see a much smaller increase while others will face significantly higher costs.
For example, a three-pound Ground Advantage commercial package shipped within Zone 1 would cost 40 cents more, while a 25-pound Priority Mail Express package sent to Zone 5 would cost $10.50 more, according to the release.
Peak-season surcharges are common across major parcel carriers as they face higher operating costs and increased demand during the holiday shipping rush. FedEx has already announced its 2026 peak-season fees, while OnTrac will increase its surcharges from Oct. 24 through January 15, 2027.
As of Wednesday, UPS has not announced its 2026 peak-season fees.
USPS’s temporary holiday hike comes after it introduced its first-ever 8 percent fuel surcharge on package deliveries to offset rising transportation costs. That increase is also set to remain in place through January 17, 2027.
While the surcharge was a first for USPS, fuel fees are already standard for carriers such as FedEx and UPS. Those costs rose alongside oil prices, as tensions in the Middle East drove up fuel expenses.
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