UPS Peak Season Surcharges

UPS may apply temporary surge, demand, or emergency surcharges during periods of increased shipping volume and network demand.

These charges may apply in addition to standard transportation rates and other accessorial fees. UPS has announced updated Surge Emergency Fees and peak-season charges for select shipments involving Canada, the United States, and other international destinations for the 2026–2027 peak period.

Unless otherwise indicated, UPS advises that other fees already in effect remain unchanged. Pasted markdown

2026 UPS peak season surcharges – Canada

For UPS Canada, the following peak-season charges apply to domestic, export, and import shipments, including Freight Collect services, from September 20, 2026 through January 16, 2027:

These charges are applied in addition to the applicable underlying UPS fees. Pasted markdown

Additional Canada domestic and U.S. Standard surcharge

From October 25, 2026 through January 16, 2027, UPS is also applying a CAD $0.75 per package surge or demand fee to:

• UPS Canada Domestic Air and Ground Services
• UPS Standard® shipments to and from the United States

Applicable Canadian domestic services include UPS Express® Early, UPS Express®, UPS Express Saver®, UPS Expedited®, and UPS Standard®. Pasted markdown

2026 UPS peak season surcharges – United States

For qualifying U.S.-origin shipments to all destinations, UPS has published three surcharge periods:

These charges apply to qualifying UPS Worldwide Express®, UPS Worldwide Express Saver®, UPS Worldwide Express Plus®, UPS Worldwide Expedited®, UPS Transborder Standard®, and UPS Worldwide Standard® shipments originating in the United States. Pasted markdown

Additional Canada–U.S. Surge Emergency Fees

UPS has also announced separate Surge Emergency Fees for certain cross-border services:

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International Surge Emergency Fees – shipments to Canada

For the UPS Worldwide services listed below, the following fees apply from September 27, 2026 through January 16, 2027:

These rates apply to qualifying UPS Worldwide Express Plus®, UPS Worldwide Express®, UPS Worldwide Express Saver®, UPS Worldwide Expedited®, UPS Worldwide Express Freight®, and UPS Worldwide Express Freight® – Midday services. Pasted markdown

International Surge Emergency Fees – shipments from Canada

For qualifying shipments originating in Canada, the following fees apply from September 27, 2026 through January 16, 2027:

These rates apply to qualifying UPS Worldwide Express Plus®, UPS Worldwide Express®, UPS Worldwide Express Saver®, UPS Worldwide Expedited®, UPS Worldwide Express Freight®, and UPS Worldwide Express Freight® – Midday services. Pasted markdown

Additional Surge Emergency Fees for shipments to the United States

UPS has also announced the following fees for qualifying international shipments destined for the United States, effective September 27, 2026 until further notice:

These fees apply to qualifying UPS Worldwide Express®, UPS Worldwide Express Saver®, UPS Worldwide Express Plus®, and UPS Worldwide Expedited® services. Pasted markdown

Which countries are included in each UPS region?

UPS groups some countries and territories into broader regions when determining international Surge Emergency Fees.

Asia
For this notice, the "All of Asia" group includes Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Maldives, Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, and Vietnam. China, Hong Kong, Macau, India, Australia, and New Zealand are listed separately in the surcharge tables. Pasted markdown

Europe
Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom. Pasted markdown

Middle East
United Arab Emirates, Bangladesh, Bahrain, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Oman, Pakistan, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia. UPS lists the United Arab Emirates separately for certain Canada-origin surcharges. Pasted markdown

Latin America (LATAM)
Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Aruba, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Bermuda, Bolivia, Bonaire, Brazil, Cayman Islands, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Curaçao, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, French Guiana, Grenada, Guadeloupe, Guatemala, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica, Martinique, Mexico, Montserrat, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Saint Barthélemy, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Maarten, Saint Martin, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago, Turks and Caicos Islands, Uruguay, Venezuela, British Virgin Islands, U.S. Virgin Islands, and USVI. Pasted markdown

ISMEA
UPS uses the ISMEA region for a broad group of countries and territories across Africa, Eastern Europe, Asia, Latin America, the Caribbean, and other regions. It includes locations such as Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, Argentina, Armenia, Bahamas, Barbados, Brazil, Bulgaria, Cambodia, Chile, Colombia, Croatia, Cyprus, Ecuador, Egypt, Estonia, Fiji, Georgia, Ghana, Greece, Iceland, Indonesia, Iraq, Jamaica, Japan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Latvia, Lithuania, Malaysia, Malta, Mexico, Morocco, New Zealand, Nigeria, Peru, Philippines, Romania, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey, Ukraine, United Kingdom, Uruguay, Vietnam, and many others. Pasted markdown

Because UPS’s ISMEA classification contains a very large number of countries and territories, confirm the applicable region and surcharge when reviewing an international shipment if the destination is not clearly listed elsewhere in this article.

What do the UPS surcharges mean?

Additional Handling
May apply when a package requires additional processing because of its dimensions, weight, packaging, shape, or other characteristics.

Examples can include:

• packages exceeding applicable size or weight thresholds
• items not fully enclosed in corrugated cardboard
• cylindrical or irregularly shaped items
• packages with exposed or protruding components
• packaging requiring additional manual handling

The applicable criteria are defined in the current UPS Rate & Service Guide and UPS Terms and Conditions of Service.

Large Package
May apply when a package exceeds UPS’s applicable Large Package dimensional thresholds.

Large Package charges can affect the billable weight of the shipment in addition to the surcharge itself.

Over Maximum Limits
May apply when a package exceeds UPS’s maximum permitted size or weight specifications.

Packages exceeding UPS limits may require special handling or may not be accepted under standard parcel service.

Because UPS definitions and thresholds can change, refer to the current UPS Rate & Service Guide for the applicable requirements.

Are there different surcharge periods?

Yes.

UPS uses different effective periods depending on the shipment’s origin, destination, service, and surcharge type.

For example, U.S.-origin Additional Handling, Large Package, and Over Maximum Limits charges increase during the busiest period from November 22 through December 26, 2026, before returning to the earlier surcharge levels through January 16, 2027. Pasted markdown

Canada’s Additional Handling, Large Package, and Over Maximum Limits peak charges run continuously from September 20, 2026 through January 16, 2027. Pasted markdown

International Surge Emergency Fees may have different effective periods, including some that remain in effect until further notice. Pasted markdown

How do these charges appear in ShipTime?

When an applicable UPS peak-season, surge, demand, or emergency surcharge is in effect, it is reflected in the applicable shipment pricing.

This allows you to compare UPS with other available courier services before completing your shipment.

Because UPS applies different fees based on the shipment’s origin, destination, service, package characteristics, and date, the surcharge shown on one shipment may differ from another.

Compare peak surcharges across couriers

Peak-season fees can vary by courier, service, package characteristics, destination, and date.

When reviewing quotes in ShipTime, consider:

• the total shipment price
• applicable accessorial and peak-season surcharges
• estimated transit time
• service availability

If you have questions about a UPS peak-season or Surge Emergency Fee appearing on your shipment, contact our Heroic Support™ team and we can help review the charge.

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