If your USPS labels cost more this month, two temporary changes are stacked on each other. Since October 4, 2026, temporary holiday prices have been added on top of the 8% increase USPS started on April 26, 2026 , and USPS has scheduled both to end on January 17, 2027. Neither change applies to stamps.
Last checked: October 9, 2026.
The 2026 USPS price changes, in order USPS changed shipping prices three times in 2026. All three hit Priority Mail Express, Priority Mail, USPS Ground Advantage and Parcel Select, and none touched stamps.
Effective
What changed
Source
January 18, 2026
Yearly increase of about 7.8% for Ground Advantage, 6.6% for Priority Mail, 5.1% for Priority Mail Express and 6.0% for Parcel Select
USPS, November 14, 2025
April 26, 2026 to January 17, 2027
Time-limited 8% increase to base postage, retail and commercial
USPS, March 25, 2026
October 4, 2026 to January 17, 2027
Holiday prices: a flat dollar amount added per package, set by weight and zone, retail and commercial
USPS, August 25, 2026
The holiday prices did not replace the April increase. Both run until January 17, 2027, so a label you buy today carries both.
What the holiday prices add to each package USPS sells postage at two price levels. Commercial prices are the lower ones you get when you buy labels online or through shipping software. Retail prices are what you pay at the Post Office counter. The other factor is zone: the distance band between where a package ships from and where it's going, from Zone 1 for nearby addresses up to Zone 9. If you're not sure which zones your orders go to, our guide to USPS shipping zones explains how they're set.
USPS's August 25, 2026 announcement lists the holiday change as dollar amounts for each weight and zone band, not as a percentage. These are the commercial amounts for packages up to 10 lb, in place from October 4, 2026 to January 17, 2027:
Package weight
Ground Advantage, Zones 1–4
Ground Advantage, Zones 5–9
Priority Mail, Zones 1–4
Priority Mail, Zones 5–9
Up to 3 lb
+$0.40
+$0.55
+$0.40
+$0.85
4 to 10 lb
+$0.65
+$1.05
+$0.65
+$1.75
Commercial Priority Mail Flat Rate boxes and envelopes go up $0.85 each, and the Large Flat Rate Box goes up $1.75, according to USPS's August 25, 2026 announcement . Retail labels go up more: USPS's August 25, 2026 announcement adds $0.50 to retail Ground Advantage and Priority Mail packages up to 3 lb in Zones 1–4, and $0.75 to retail Ground Advantage packages up to 3 lb in Zones 5–9.
You may see an average percentage quoted for the holiday change in news coverage. That figure is a publication's own estimate; USPS's August 25, 2026 announcement gives only the dollar amounts above.
Worked example: what a typical small-brand label costs now The current prices below come from USPS Notice 123, the price list effective October 4, 2026 . The "before October 4" column subtracts the holiday amount in USPS's August 25, 2026 announcement from each current price.
Package
Before October 4
Since October 4
Difference
Ground Advantage, commercial, under 1 lb, Zone 1
$6.93
$7.33
+$0.40
Ground Advantage, commercial, under 1 lb, Zone 5
$7.69
$8.24
+$0.55
Ground Advantage, commercial, under 1 lb, Zone 8
$8.40
$8.95
+$0.55
Ground Advantage, commercial, 1 lb, Zone 5
$8.74
$9.29
+$0.55
Ground Advantage, commercial, 5 lb, Zone 5
$13.48
$14.53
+$1.05
Ground Advantage, retail, 4 to 8 oz, Zone 1
$7.90
$8.40
+$0.50
Ground Advantage, retail, 4 to 8 oz, Zone 5
$8.60
$9.35
+$0.75
On a commercial Ground Advantage label under 3 lb, the number to remember is 40 to 55 cents: that is what USPS's holiday prices add, depending on zone. At 300 orders a month, it works out to roughly $120 to $165 extra a month until mid-January.
On the current price list, commercial Ground Advantage charges one price for anything from 4 oz up to 15.999 oz (USPS Notice 123, effective October 4, 2026 ). Older rate tables that split commercial prices at 8 oz or 12 oz are out of date. If you're new to the service, here's what USPS Ground Advantage is and how it works .
What happens on January 17, 2027 Both temporary changes are scheduled to end on the same night. The holiday prices run until 12 a.m. Central Time on January 17, 2027 , and the 8% increase runs until midnight Central Time on January 17, 2027 .
That does not mean labels drop back to spring prices. When USPS announced the 8% increase, it said that at the January 17 end date it "can determine if a different long-term approach is needed" . What you pay from January 17 depends on the prices USPS files next. Until that list is out, budget at today's prices.
What changes in January 2027 Status as of October 9, 2026: USPS's Postal Explorer price change page listed only the time-limited change running October 4, 2026 through January 17, 2027. It showed no January 2027 shipping prices yet.
For timing, USPS filed its January 2026 shipping prices on November 14, 2025 . This section will be updated with the January 2027 prices and dates once USPS posts them.
UPS holiday surcharges UPS charges a per-package demand surcharge over the holidays. If you ship with UPS, this is a separate surcharge on top of your normal rate. For UPS Ground Residential and UPS Ground Saver, UPS's demand surcharge schedule (August 26, 2026 update) sets it at $0.50 per package from October 25 to November 21, 2026, $0.75 from November 22 to December 26, 2026, and $0.50 from December 27, 2026 to January 16, 2027.
Air services carry a higher amount: UPS's August 26, 2026 schedule charges $1.35, $2.50 and $1.35 per residential package on UPS Next Day Air and other UPS Air services across the same three periods. For bulky boxes, UPS's August 26, 2026 schedule adds $8.75, $11.90 and $8.75 to packages that trigger Additional Handling, in periods running September 27 to November 21, 2026, November 22 to December 26, 2026, and December 27, 2026 to January 16, 2027. Shippers billed for more than 20,000 packages in a week fall under separate, higher tables.
UPS's 2027 rate change will be added here if UPS announces one.
FedEx: an average 5.9% increase on January 4, 2027 FedEx says its standard list rates for U.S., U.S. export and U.S. import package services will rise an average of 5.9% on January 4, 2027, and its minimum rates will also go up. Because 5.9% is an average across services, your own increase depends on the service, weight and zone you ship. FedEx's current rates page links the 2027 standard list rates as PDF and Excel files, so you can check your most common package before January.
FedEx also has holiday surcharges this year. FedEx's demand surcharge page, updated July 22, 2026, charges $0.50 per package on FedEx Ground residential and FedEx Home Delivery shipments from October 26 to November 22, 2026, $0.80 from November 23 to December 27, 2026, and $0.50 from December 28, 2026 to January 17, 2027.
What a small brand can do now Check you're paying commercial prices. If you still buy some labels at the counter, the holiday amount is higher there: $0.50 retail against $0.40 commercial for a Ground Advantage package up to 3 lb in Zones 1–4.Price the increase into Q4. If you charge for shipping or offer free shipping above a cart total, decide whether the extra 40 to 55 cents per order comes out of your margin or goes into your shipping charge or threshold.Look at where your orders go. The larger amounts apply in Zones 5–9. If most of your orders travel far, your average increase will sit near the top of the range.Compare services before you switch. Moving heavier orders between Ground Advantage and Priority Mail can change the math; see which USPS service to use for each kind of order .Ask your 3PL how it handles carrier changes. If you use a fulfillment company or are comparing them, ask how carrier price changes and holiday surcharges are passed through to you, and from what date. Our peak season guide covers the operations side of the holidays.