FedEx peak season surcharges 2026-2027: dates, rates and the volume-based charge
The short version
- The FedEx 2026-27 season runs September 28, 2026 to January 17, 2027. Size charges run all sixteen weeks; per-package service charges run the last twelve, from October 26.
- The expensive weeks are November 23 to December 27. Ground residential goes from $0.50 to $0.80, Ground Economy from $2.55 to $4.05, overnight from $1.30 to $2.55, and 2Day and Express Saver from $1.20 to $2.35.
- Ground Economy carries more than five times the UPS Ground Saver charge at peak: $4.05 against $0.75.
- The volume-based charge is tested every week on current volume: more than 20,000 residential and Ground Economy packages in a calculation week. Volume in one week sets the charge two weeks after it ends.
- FedEx states that the volume-based charge is assessed in addition to the Residential Delivery Charge, and that any discount or cap on the Residential Delivery Charge does not apply to it.
FedEx peak season surcharges for 2026 run from September 28, 2026 to January 17, 2027. The size-based charges for additional handling, oversize and unauthorized packages start on September 28; the per-package demand surcharges on ground residential, Ground Economy and express services start on October 26; the flat service and size-based charges step up for the five weeks from November 23 to December 27; and the season ends on January 17. FedEx Ground Residential and Home Delivery carry $0.50 per package either side of the peak window and $0.80 inside it, and FedEx Ground Economy carries $2.55 rising to $4.05. Enterprise shippers that send more than 20,000 residential and Ground Economy packages in a week also pay a volume-based Demand Residential Delivery Charge of $1.70 to $8.00 per ground package, and $3.05 to $9.35 on express.
The amounts below are FedEx's published domestic demand surcharge schedule, dated July 22, 2026, and they are the figures behind our peak season surcharge calculator, which prices a shipment mix across the season for FedEx, UPS and USPS together.
FedEx peak surcharge dates for 2026 and 2027
FedEx works in weeks beginning Monday, so its dates sit one day later than the UPS equivalents at every boundary.
| Window | Dates | Length | Service charges | Size charges |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pre-season | September 28 to October 25, 2026 | 4 weeks | None | Shoulder rate |
| Early season | October 26 to November 22, 2026 | 4 weeks | Shoulder rate | Shoulder rate |
| Peak | November 23 to December 27, 2026 | 5 weeks | Peak rate | Peak rate |
| Late season | December 28, 2026 to January 17, 2027 | 3 weeks | Shoulder rate | Shoulder rate |
Source: FedEx demand surcharges, domestic schedule dated July 22, 2026.
FedEx demand surcharge rates by service
These are the standard per-package amounts. They are added to the transportation charge and to the package's other surcharges, and fuel is calculated on the total. FedEx Ground fuel was 29.75% for the week of September 28, 2026, according to the FedEx fuel surcharge history.
| Service | Sept 28 to Oct 25 | Oct 26 to Nov 22 | Nov 23 to Dec 27 | Dec 28 to Jan 17 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| FedEx Ground Residential and Home Delivery | None | $0.50 | $0.80 | $0.50 |
| FedEx Ground Economy | None | $2.55 | $4.05 | $2.55 |
| First, Priority and Standard Overnight | None | $1.30 | $2.55 | $1.30 |
| 2Day A.M., 2Day and Express Saver | None | $1.20 | $2.35 | $1.20 |
| Demand additional handling | $8.80 | $8.80 | $11.85 | $8.80 |
| Demand oversize | $95.75 | $95.75 | $117.25 | $95.75 |
| Demand unauthorized package | $535 | $535 | $595 | $535 |
Source: FedEx demand surcharges, domestic schedule dated July 22, 2026: the per-package amounts by service and the demand additional handling, oversize and unauthorized package charges.
FedEx prices overnight and deferred express separately, where UPS charges all air services one rate. The size charges are additions to the year-round additional handling, oversize and unauthorized package surcharges, not replacements for them, so a package that is additional handling in June carries both charges in December.
The volume-based residential charge
The Demand Residential Delivery Charge is the part of the FedEx schedule that costs the most and is the least understood. In the schedule's own terms, FedEx applies it "for customers at the enterprise level who ship more than 20,000 residential and FedEx Ground Economy packages (total for U.S. domestic shipments) during a calculation week". FedEx One Rate packages are excluded from the count.
Eligibility and the peaking factor are separate tests. The combined count of residential and Ground Economy packages decides whether a shipper is in scope in a calculation week. The peaking factor, and the charge it sets, is then determined by service type: each service's volume in the calculation week is divided by its weekly average from June 1 to June 28, 2026, and multiplied by 100, and that percentage selects the tier for that service. A shipper can be in a high ground tier and a low express tier in the same week.
The lag. Volume is measured in a calculation week and charged in an application week two weeks after it ends. The first pair is the week of October 5, which sets the charge for October 26 to November 1, and the last is the week of December 21, which sets the charge for January 11 to 17. So the charge runs across twelve application weeks from October 26 to January 17, not only in the peak window, and a busy week in mid-November is billed in the first week of December.
Holiday weeks. For a calculation week containing a holiday, FedEx adjusts the volume for the missing operating day by multiplying it by 5 and dividing by 4, which raises the peaking factor for Thanksgiving and Christmas weeks.
It is not covered by your residential discount. FedEx states that the charge "will be assessed in addition to the Residential Delivery Charge and any contracted discount or cap the customer may have on the Residential Delivery Charge will not apply". A residential concession negotiated for the rest of the year does not reach it.
| Peaking factor | Ground and Home Delivery | Overnight, 2Day and Express Saver |
|---|---|---|
| Over 105% to 125% | $1.70 | $3.05 |
| Over 125% to 150% | $2.40 | $3.75 |
| Over 150% to 200% | $2.70 | $4.05 |
| Over 200% to 300% | $3.35 | $4.70 |
| Over 300% to 400% | $5.60 | $6.95 |
| Over 400% | $8.00 | $9.35 |
Source: FedEx demand surcharges, "Demand – Residential Delivery Charge per Package by Peaking Factor".
The tier table starts above 105%. Like the UPS schedule, the rate is per package for the whole application week, so crossing a boundary changes the price of every residential package that week, not only the extra ones. On a June ground baseline of 25,000 packages a week, a calculation week of 26,500 is 106% and sets the $1.70 tier for the matching application week. If that application week also carries 26,500 eligible ground residential packages, the charge is $45,050. A calculation week of 26,000, which is 104%, sets no tier charge at all.
What it costs: a worked example
A shipper below the 20,000 threshold sends 4,000 FedEx Ground residential packages a week, 3% of them attracting additional handling. The service charge runs for twelve weeks and the handling charge for sixteen.
| Charge | Calculation | Season total |
|---|---|---|
| Ground residential, early season | 4,000 x 4 weeks x $0.50 | $8,000 |
| Ground residential, peak | 4,000 x 5 weeks x $0.80 | $16,000 |
| Ground residential, late season | 4,000 x 3 weeks x $0.50 | $6,000 |
| Demand additional handling, shoulder | 120 x 11 weeks x $8.80 | $11,616 |
| Demand additional handling, peak | 120 x 5 weeks x $11.85 | $7,110 |
| Total before fuel | 64,000 packages over the season | $48,726 |
Calculated by ebb Logistics from the published amounts in the FedEx demand surcharges schedule. The shipment volumes are illustrative.
That is $0.76 per package across the season, and 38% of it comes from the 3% of packages that attract handling. The same shipper on UPS Ground Residential would pay $47,690 under the UPS schedule, as calculated in our UPS article, because the two carriers are within a few cents on these charges. Move the same 4,000 packages to FedEx Ground Economy and the service charge alone becomes $16,200 a week at peak and $152,400 for the season before handling, against $30,000 on Ground Residential. Open this example in the peak surcharge calculator.
FedEx against UPS this season
| Charge, at peak | FedEx | UPS |
|---|---|---|
| Ground residential | $0.80 | $0.75 |
| Economy ground parcel | $4.05 | $0.75 |
| Overnight air | $2.55 | $2.50 |
| Deferred air | $2.35 | $2.50 |
| Additional handling | $11.85 | $11.90 |
| Oversize or large package | $117.25 | $117.50 |
| Unauthorized or over maximum | $595 | $590 |
Sources: FedEx demand surcharges, domestic schedule dated July 22, 2026; UPS demand surcharges, August 26, 2026.
Most charges are within a few cents of each other. The exception is economy ground: FedEx Ground Economy carries $3.30 more per package at peak than UPS Ground Saver. The volume-based schedules also differ in who they catch. FedEx tests each calculation week on current volume, so a shipper is in or out week by week. UPS tests whether any week since October 2025 exceeded 20,000, and once met, eligibility continues. The UPS schedule is covered in UPS peak season surcharges 2026, and the USPS holiday adjustment in the USPS holiday price increase.
How to reduce what you pay
- Work the size charges first. At $11.85 and $117.25 per package during peak, packaging that moves boxes below the additional handling or oversize thresholds saves more in these weeks than at any other time of year.
- Look hard at Ground Economy volume. At $4.05 per package at peak, the demand charge alone can outweigh the base-rate saving that put light parcels on Ground Economy in the first place.
- If you ship near 20,000 residential packages a week, model the calculation weeks, not the application weeks. The charge for the first week of December is set by the week of November 9, and the 105% boundary prices every package in the week.
- Do not assume a residential concession protects you. FedEx states that discounts and caps on the Residential Delivery Charge do not apply to the volume-based charge. If you want protection, it has to be negotiated against the demand charges by name.
- Audit the season as it runs. Demand charges are applied by date, service and package characteristics, and a charge at the peak rate on a shoulder-week shipment is recoverable. Our invoice audit guide covers the checks and the claim deadlines.
If you want the demand charges negotiated or checked against your invoices, our FedEx contract negotiation and FedEx invoice audit work covers both.
Frequently asked questions
When do FedEx peak surcharges start in 2026?
The size-based charges for additional handling, oversize and unauthorized packages start on September 28, 2026. The per-package demand surcharges on FedEx Ground Residential, Home Delivery, Ground Economy and express services start on October 26, 2026.
When do FedEx peak surcharges end?
The FedEx 2026-27 season ends on January 17, 2027. The higher peak rates stop after December 27, 2026, and the three weeks from December 28 to January 17 return to the shoulder rates.
How much is the FedEx Ground Residential peak surcharge in 2026?
$0.50 per package from October 26 to November 22, 2026, $0.80 from November 23 to December 27, and $0.50 from December 28 to January 17, 2027. Enterprise shippers over 20,000 residential and Ground Economy packages in a calculation week can also pay the volume-based Demand Residential Delivery Charge of $1.70 to $8.00 per ground package.
What is the FedEx Demand Residential Delivery Charge?
It is a volume-based charge for enterprise shippers that send more than 20,000 residential and Ground Economy packages in a calculation week. For each service type, that week's volume is compared with its weekly average from June 1 to 28, 2026, and the resulting peaking factor sets a per-package charge: from $1.70 above 105% to $8.00 above 400% for ground, and from $3.05 to $9.35 for express. It is charged two weeks after the calculation week ends, and FedEx states that discounts or caps on the Residential Delivery Charge do not apply to it.
How much is the FedEx Ground Economy peak surcharge?
$2.55 per package from October 26 to November 22, 2026, $4.05 from November 23 to December 27, and $2.55 from December 28 to January 17, 2027. That is the largest gap with UPS this season: UPS Ground Saver carries $0.50 and $0.75.
Can FedEx peak surcharges be negotiated?
Yes. Demand surcharges can be capped, discounted or waived on a share of volume, but only where the agreement names them. A residential delivery concession does not extend to the volume-based demand charge, by FedEx's own terms.
Sources
- FedEx, demand surcharges, domestic schedule dated July 22, 2026, for every date, amount, the eligibility threshold, the peaking factor, the calculation and application weeks, the holiday adjustment and the quoted terms.
- UPS, demand surcharges, August 26, 2026, for the UPS comparison and the $47,690 standard-schedule example, as covered in our UPS article.
- FedEx, historical fuel surcharge, for the 29.75% ground figure for the week of September 28, 2026.