The era of the "once-a-year" small parcel price hike is officially behind us. A big shift in small parcel shipping has happened over the past few years and might have been under the radar of many companies. It’s the frequent, aggressive expansion of surcharges that is driving additional costs for shippers throughout the year.

The impact? For FedEx and UPS, the annual General Rate Increase (GRI) has become simply a starting point for shippers' budgets. To help get your parcel planning and spending on a solid footing, we’ve rounded up the most critical surcharge updates FedEx and UPS have introduced so far in 2026.

The State of UPS and Its Surcharges

UPS is navigating a strategic "inflection point" focused on margin expansion and network modernization. While the company faces near-term challenges from a softening manufacturing economy and recent labor settlements, it is projecting full-year revenues of approximately $89.7 billion as it pivots toward higher-yield markets such as healthcare and small businesses.

For the latest rates and surcharge updates from UPS (click here).

UPS has made the following rate and surcharge announcements so far in 2026:

Ground Saver: Non-Compliant Label Fee

Effective on or after May 4, 2026, a $5.00 per package Non-Compliant Label Fee will apply to each UPS Ground Saver package if the Customer fails to apply proper labeling. See UPS Ground Saver for more information.

Customs Brokerage Partner Government Agency (PGA) Disclaimer Fee

Effective April 13, 2026, the PGA Disclaimer Fee increased from $1.00 per disclaimer to $2.50 per disclaimer.

Fuel Surcharges

Fuel Surcharge (FSC) amounts can change weekly. See the UPS FSC update page for weekly changes.

Here are the most recent UPS fuel surcharges as of April 13, 2026.

Domestic Fuel Surcharge:

Effective April 13, 2026, the U.S. Ground Domestic and the UPS Ground Saver^® Fuel Surcharge and the U.S. Domestic Air Fuel Surcharge will change. Read More About the Rate Change Here.

U.S. International Fuel Surcharge

Effective April 13, 2026, the U.S. International Ground Export Import Fuel Surcharge and the U.S. International Air-Export and International Air-Import Fuel Surcharge will change. Read More About the Rate Change Here.

The State of FedEx and Its Surcharges

FedEx is aggressively scaling its "One FedEx" initiative, which is consolidating its historically separate Express and Ground networks into a unified system to eliminate delivery redundancies and improve margins. Following a strong Q3 performance, the company is focused on its Network 2.0 rollout and its transition toward high-margin premium verticals (similar to UPS).

For the latest rates and surcharge updates from FedEx (click here).

FedEx has made the following rate and surcharge announcements so far in 2026:

FedEx One Rate® pricing will increase, Effective April 20, 2026. View the 2026 FedEx One Rate Pricing Here.

Middle East Demand Surcharges

FedEx introduced a new international demand surcharge for shipments moving between the U.S. and Zone K (Middle East). The surcharge took effect March 5, 2026 and will remain in place until further notice.

View the Export Demand Surcharge Details Here.

View the Import Demand Surcharge Details Here.

FedEx Home Delivery

Effective Jan. 12, 2026, FedEx Date Certain Home Delivery®, FedEx Evening Home Delivery®, and FedEx Appointment Home Delivery® surcharges are applied per package rather than per shipment. See the FedEx Service Guide for more information.

Disbursement and Duty and Tax Forwarding Fee

Effective Jan. 5, 2026, there were changes to shipping surcharges and fees that may apply to shipments and affect your total shipping rate, including an adjustment to the Disbursement Fee and Duty and Tax Forwarding Fee.

Fuel Surcharges

Fuel Surcharge (FSC) amounts can change weekly. See the FedEx FSC update page for weekly changes.

Here are the most recent FedEx fuel surcharges as of April 13, 2026.

Conclusion

As we’ve seen throughout the first quarter of 2026, the complexity of parcel pricing is no longer just about the rates. It is about the "fine print" triggers that can turn what was once a standard shipment into something much more expensive. With surcharges now accounting for nearly one-third of the average package cost, simply knowing that rates have gone up isn't enough to keep your budgets on track. Calculating the real impact of these new fees and shifting rules requires a deep dive into your specific shipping data.

Don’t leave your remaining 2026 and 2027 budget to chance. Talk to the parcel experts at TransImpact for a no-obligation analysis of your small parcel shipping operation. We’ll show you exactly how these surcharges impact your bottom line and provide actionable strategies to mitigate or avoid these rising costs altogether.

[LD1]I think we should have a consistent graphic for the FSC table as opposed to a screen grab of each carrier.