USPS Holiday Price Increase 2026: What Sellers Will Pay From Oct. 4 to Jan. 17

On Aug. 25, 2026, USPS announced a temporary price change for the 2026 holiday shipping season. It will start at 12 a.m. Central Time on Oct. 4, 2026 and end at 12 a.m. Central Time on Jan. 17, 2027. USPS has published the final price files for the change on its Postal Explorer site.

Many sellers call this a “holiday surcharge” or “peak season surcharge.” USPS does not add it as a separate fee. It builds the increase into the label price itself, so you will not see a surcharge line on your label or invoice. The label will simply cost more for the same weight and zone.

Only three USPS package services that sellers normally use are going up. The rest of the services sellers use for packages stay the same.

Parcel Select will also go up, by $0.40 to $2.35. It is a bulk service for shippers who drop mail at destination postal facilities, and most sellers never see it in their label tools.

Extra fees are not part of this change. The nonstandard length fees and the USPS $50 HazMat noncompliance fee stay the same.

Priority Mail labels will go up $0.40 to $9.10 at commercial prices. Zones 1 to 4 get the same amounts as Ground Advantage. Zones 5 to 9 go up more, so long-distance Priority Mail takes the biggest dollar jumps of the common services.

Priority Mail commercial increase per label

Priority Mail Cubic uses two tiers: 0.1 to 0.3 cubic feet will rise $0.40 (Zones 1–4) or $0.85 (Zones 5–9), and 0.4 to 0.5 cubic feet will rise $0.65 or $1.75.

Flat Rate prices do not change by zone, so each box has one increase.

At retail, the Large Flat Rate Box will go up $2.10 and other Flat Rate items will go up $1.00.

Priority Mail Express will rise $1.40 to $18.20 per label at commercial prices, depending on weight and zone. The Priority Mail Express Flat Rate Envelope will go up $2.35.

Most sellers pay commercial prices, and the Post Office counter charges retail prices. The holiday increase applies to both.

Labels bought online through Amazon Buy Shipping, eBay and other marketplaces, or shipping software are priced at USPS commercial levels. Labels bought at a Post Office counter use retail prices, which are higher, and the retail holiday increase is usually higher too.

Retail increase per label

Some marketplaces and label tools offer their own discounted USPS rates, and those can differ from USPS's published commercial price by a few cents. The final price shows on the label screen before you buy.

A typical label will cost 4% to 7% more during the holiday period. These examples use USPS commercial prices.

The increase steps up at 4 lb, 11 lb, and 26 lb, so a package just over a break pays more twice: once for the extra pound and again for the larger holiday increase. A 3 lb Ground Advantage label to Zone 8 will rise $0.55, while a 4 lb label will rise $1.05. The largest step is at 26 lb. A 25 lb Ground Advantage label to Zone 8 will go from $78.19 to $79.94, while a 26 lb label will go from $82.80 to $90.50.

Weigh packages on an accurate package scale. USPS rounds any fraction of a pound up to the next pound, so a few ounces can move a package into a higher band.

Anyone who ships on USPS labels will pay the holiday prices. That includes merchant-fulfilled (FBM) orders, eBay and other marketplace orders, and orders from your own website. It applies the same way whether you buy the label through Amazon Buy Shipping, another marketplace, shipping software, or the Post Office.

FBA fulfillment fees do not change because of this USPS move. Amazon sets FBA fees on its own schedule, which already includes Amazon's 3.5% FBA surcharge this year.

Return labels on Ground Advantage, Priority Mail, or Priority Mail Express use the same price tables, so returns shipped during the holiday period will generally cost more too. The exact charge depends on how your return labels are set up and billed.

A few checks now can keep the holiday prices from eating into Q4 margins.

1. Review shipping charges and templates. If you charge customers for shipping, decide whether your rates for Oct. 4 to Jan. 17 still cover the label cost.
2. Check weights near the breaks. Look at products that ship just over 3, 10, or 25 lb. Lighter packaging may drop them into a lower band.
3. Weigh your Zone 5 to 9 exposure. Long-distance orders take the largest increases, especially on Priority Mail.
4. Compare rates wherever you buy labels. The USPS increase applies everywhere, but the final price can vary by a few cents across label tools. If you ship through Amazon, look at linking your own USPS account to Amazon Buy Shipping and compare what shows at checkout.
5. Watch for adjustments. Higher prices make weight and size errors more costly. Review carrier shipping adjustments and back-charges so you know what to look for.
6. Note the holiday send-by dates. For delivery by Dec. 25 in the Lower 48, USPS recommends shipping by Dec. 17 for Ground Advantage, Dec. 18 for Priority Mail, and Dec. 19 for Priority Mail Express. See USPS holiday shipping dates for Alaska, Hawaii, and military addresses.

Both temporary increases are scheduled to end on Jan. 17, 2027. That covers the holiday prices and the 8% temporary change from April.

As of Sep. 25, 2026, USPS has not announced its January 2027 shipping prices. USPS usually sets new permanent prices in January, so check its announcements before you plan Q1 shipping costs.