FedEx announced 2025 peak season surcharges Tuesday that come at a higher rate than last year's holiday fees.
The added levies begin Sept. 29 for packages that require additional handling, are oversized or unauthorized. On Oct. 27, three more fees – two of which FedEx introduced last year – covering various standard and expedited services will take effect. The carrier will also apply residential delivery charges for higher-volume shippers that see a jump in shipping activity.
The amount of each holiday surcharge depends on the date, with prices peaking between Nov. 24 and Dec. 28. The added fees conclude on Jan. 18, 2026.
FedEx 2025 peak season surcharges
| Fee name | Services affected | Peak surcharge range per package | Effective dates |
|---|---|---|---|
| Additional Handling Surcharge | U.S. Package Services, FedEx International Ground shipments | $8.25 to $10.90 | Sept. 29 - Jan. 18, 2026 |
| Oversize Charge | U.S. Package Services, FedEx International Ground shipments | $90 to $108.50 | Sept. 29 - Jan. 18, 2026 |
| Ground Unauthorized Package Charge | FedEx Ground, FedEx Home Delivery and FedEx International Ground shipments | $490 to $545 | Sept. 29 - Jan. 18, 2026 |
| Demand Surcharge | FedEx First Overnight, Priority Overnight, Standard Overnight, 2Day, 2Day A.M., Express Saver (excluding One Rate packages) | $1.05 to $2.10 | Oct. 27 - Jan. 18, 2026 |
| Demand Surcharge | FedEx Ground residential shipments, FedEx Home Delivery residential shipments | $0.40 to $0.65 | Oct. 27 - Jan. 18, 2026 |
| Demand Surcharge | FedEx Ground Economy Package Services | $2.20 to $3.55 | Oct. 27 - Jan. 18, 2026 |
| Demand — Residential Delivery Charge* | Ground, Home Delivery, First Overnight, Priority Overnight, Standard Overnight, 2Day, 2Day A.M., Express Saver (excluding One Rate packages) | $1.55 to $8.75 | Oct. 27 - Jan. 18, 2026 |
*Applies to enterprise-level customers who ship more than 20,000 residential and Ground Economy packages, with the price based on how much their volume deviates from their “baseline” shipping activity.
FedEx said it implements demand surcharges in times when capacity is squeezed and operating costs jump due to elevated volume, which is often the case throughout the holidays. For instance, FedEx picked up nearly 24 million packages on Cyber Monday 2024, 70% more than the average day, EVP and Chief Customer Officer Brie Carere said on a March earnings call.
The additional fees could pressure shippers' bottom lines during the holiday shopping season. Actions FedEx customers can take include securing demand surcharge discounts or waivers, weighing the cost impact of the fees with no changes and modeling volume transition scenarios to other carriers, LPF Spend Management founder Nate Skiver said in a LinkedIn post on Wednesday.
UPS has also levied peak season surcharges for years. As of Thursday morning, the company hasn't made an announcement on 2025 holiday fees.
