Mailing a holiday package costs more right now. The Postal Service’s temporary holiday surcharge on Priority Mail Express, Priority Mail, USPS Ground Advantage and Parcel Select packages began at 12 a.m. Central on Oct. 4 and runs until 12 a.m. Central on Jan. 17, 2027, according to the agency’s announcement.
The Postal Service says the extra charge helps “cover extra handling costs to ensure a successful peak season.” It applies to the four package services only. Stamps and other products were not part of the announcement.
People shipping gifts to grandchildren, mailing care packages or sending cards with a package inside want to know how much more it costs and when the higher prices end. The size of the increase depends on the service, the weight and how far the package travels, so the amounts range from well under a dollar to more than $9 for a heavy retail box.
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The start and end dates
The Postal Service lists the window as Oct. 4, 2026, through Jan. 17, 2027. Its Postal Explorer price-change page shows the same dates for what it calls the time-limited 2026 price change, and the final price files there carry a Sept. 18 revision date.
The ending time matters for last-minute shippers. The surcharge stops at 12 a.m. Central on Jan. 17, so packages mailed on or after that date are priced without it. Anything mailed during the holiday rush, including the weeks after Christmas, carries the higher price.
Four services, different increases
The agency’s announcement gives sample increases for each kind of mail. A retail Priority Mail Express package going to Zones 1 through 4 and weighing up to 3 pounds costs $1.40 more. A retail Priority Mail package sent to Zones 5 through 9 and weighing 26 to 70 pounds costs $9.10 more. Commercial Priority Mail Express in the same heavy, far-zone category goes up $18.20, and Parcel Select packages of 26 to 70 pounds go up $2.35.
Zones are the Postal Service’s measure of distance. Zone 1 is a local trip, and Zone 9 is across the country or beyond. The farther and heavier the package, the bigger the charge.
What it means for a typical box
Retail Dive, reporting on the announcement, calls it a 6 percent average increase. It adds that this is above the 2025 holiday surcharge, which ranged from 4.9 percent to 5.8 percent. Retail Dive also gives two examples: a 3-pound Ground Advantage package to Zone 1 goes up 40 cents, and a 25-pound Priority Mail Express package to Zone 5 goes up $10.50.
For many gift packages, then, the increase is modest. A 3-pound box going a short distance by Ground Advantage costs about 40 cents more. The big jumps are on heavy boxes crossing the country, and on Priority Mail Express, the fastest and most expensive service.
Approval at the Postal Regulatory Commission
The Postal Service’s announcement says the change needs approval from the Postal Regulatory Commission, under Docket No. CP2026-10. The Retail Dive report from Aug. 31 described the filing as pending. The Postal Explorer page now lists the change as running from Oct. 4 through Jan. 17, and no delay or change to the dates has been announced.
Stamps and letters
The announcement does not include stamps, and no new stamp price is part of this change. Postcards and ordinary letters mailed with stamps were not named in it, so a holiday card in a standard envelope is not covered.
Planning holiday shipping around the surcharge
The Postal Service publishes its full price tables on Postal Explorer, where the time-limited price change is listed with links to the price files. The post office counter can also quote the current price for a specific package and destination before it is mailed.
Because the surcharge runs until Jan. 17, no shipping date inside the window avoids it. Anyone who wants to save should compare services for the same box. The increases are largest on Priority Mail Express, so a package that does not need the fastest service gains the most from a cheaper one. A lighter box, or a smaller box that fits a lower weight bracket, brings the price down on every service.
The Postal Service’s own figures settle the dates: the temporary price change on Priority Mail Express, Priority Mail, Ground Advantage and Parcel Select began Oct. 4, 2026, and ends at 12 a.m. Central on Jan. 17, 2027.
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This article was produced with AI assistance and edited for accuracy against the Postal Service pages linked above.
