Starting April 26, 2026, the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) is implementing a temporary 8% fuel surcharge on select shipping services. This move follows a significant spike in diesel and gasoline prices and aims to keep the Postal Service financially stable while maintaining some of the lowest shipping rates in the industry.
This marks the first time the USPS has incorporated a fuel surcharge, a practice already standard among other freight carriers like UPS and FedEx.
WHAT IS AFFECTED?
The 8% surcharge applies primarily to competitive package services, including:
- Priority Mail Express
- Priority Mail
- USPS Ground Advantage
- Parcel Select
WHAT IS NOT AFFECTED?
The good news for daily mailers is that “Mailing Services” are exempt from this specific surcharge. Prices will remain the same for:
- First-Class Mail Stamps (Forever Stamps)
- First-Class Mail Letters
- Postcards
- Marketing Mail (Standard Mail, including Nonprofit mail)
Timeline: This surcharge will remain in effect until January 17, 2027.
The USPS emphasizes their surcharge is significantly lower than those charged by private carriers. It is also a fixed amount that will not fluctuate while in effect, providing greater budget certainty than the variable surcharges used by private carriers. Additionally, the USPS notes that even with the surcharge in place, its rates continue to be lower than those of other providers.
If any of your projects utilize the package services affected by this surcharge, we recommend reviewing your upcoming shipping volume and budgets now to account for the additional cost. If you have questions about a specific upcoming campaign, feel free to reach out to our team for assistance.
Please Note: This surcharge is separate from the standard postage rate increases that typically occur in July. A base price increase for First-Class stamps is still expected this summer.