--- title: New USPS Fuel Surcharge Will Make Mailing Packages More Expensive Through 2027 description: The U.S. Postal Service called its 8% surcharge "a time-limited price change to better align its costs of transportation with the market." authors: - name: Pete Grieve role: Lead News Reporter url: https://money.com/author/pete-grieve/ bio: Pete Grieve is a personal finance reporter. In his time at Money, Pete has covered everything from car buying to credit cards to the housing market. education: University of Chicago, BA Political Science at_money_since: 2022 articles: 601 covers: - Economy and Politics - Banking - Business - Career Advice - Credit - Credit Cards - Debt - Education - Health and Wellness - Housing - Identity Theft - Insurance - Investing - Lifestyle - Loans - Mortgages - Personal Finance - Professional Services - Retirement - Shopping - Taxes social: - https://twitter.com/pete_grieve - https://linkedin.com/in/pete-grieve-b5aa02138 - https://www.facebook.com/petegrieve4 editors: - name: Julia Glum role: Managing Editor url: https://money.com/author/julia-glum/ bio: Julia Glum joined Money in 2018 and specializes in covering financial trends that affect everyday Americans' wallets. She also writes Dollar Scholar, a weekly newsletter that teaches young adults how to navigate the messy world of money. education: University of Florida at_money_since: 2018 articles: 453 covers: - Economy and Politics - Banking - Business - Career Advice - Credit - Credit Cards - Debt - Education - Health and Wellness - Housing - Identity Theft - Insurance - Investing - Lifestyle - Loans - Mortgages - Personal Finance - Professional Services - Retirement - Shopping - Taxes - Technology also_seen_in: - Newsweek - International Business Times - CBS News - Good Morning America - WUSA9 - Pix 11 - The New York Times - Mashable - The Washington Post - CNBC - Politico social: - https://x.com/superjulia - https://www.linkedin.com/in/julia-glum published: '2026-03-27T11:36:01.000Z' section: Economy and Politics tags: - News word_count: 433 canonical: https://money.com/usps-fuel-surcharge-package-costs/ type: NewsArticle source: structured-blocks --- > **Disclosure:** We research all brands listed and may earn a fee from our partners. Research and financial considerations may influence how brands are displayed. Not all brands are included. [Learn more](https://money.com/page/disclaimer/). ![Woman signing for a package at a post office](https://img.money.com/2026/03/News-Postal-Service-Surcharge-Packages.jpg) The next time you go to mail a package, be ready to pay up: The U.S. Postal Service's governing board approved temporary price increases for package shipping set to take effect in one month. On Wednesday, the USPS [confirmed](https://about.usps.com/newsroom/national-releases/2026/0325-usps-announces-transportation-related-time-limited-price-change.htm) it is adding 8% surcharges for Priority Mail services, Ground Advantage and Parcel Select shipping. The announcement comes as fuel costs are spiking, with the national average for diesel fuel — on which the agency's long-haul trucks run — at $5.38 per gallon, up from $3.76 a month ago, according to AAA. The USPS described the surcharge as "a time-limited price change to better align its costs of transportation with the market." But, in a warning that's perhaps scarier for cost-conscious Americans, the announcement also acknowledged that the surcharge could be a "bridge to a permanent mechanism to reflect market conditions in prices." ### Negotiates lower bills for you ![Learn More](https://s3.consumersadvocate.org/prd/image/image/16503/medium_faad9f7e-a896-420c-94ca-3ea14e865a43.png) Our Partner [Learn More](https://money.com/go/22ca2c741646?bidid=4099801494&pmeta=p129-c591-u50761&ptid=669326883&ptoken=dfcabf478a7e03a171c9583dc3b0e76a) ### Earn up to $100 per survey. Free Signup. ![Learn More](https://s3.consumersadvocate.org/prd/image/image/4351/medium_40401e9f-55bc-40f7-92c4-8ce2e7dc4121.png) Our Partner [Learn More](https://money.com/go/f84c77ae090a?bidid=4099801492&pmeta=p129-c591-u50761&ptid=669326883&ptoken=a140355d9d3d312880bd1fcfbd6b0608) ### Quick and free to join ![Learn More](https://s3.consumersadvocate.org/prd/image/image/25975/medium_3f4cfdde-438a-41dd-8774-c8db000f5e8b.png) Our Partner [Learn More](https://money.com/go/070a945fe132?bidid=4099801496&pmeta=p129-c591-u50761&ptid=669326883&ptoken=6eb796fdca40c77605cd434679cc0ebb) ### Free $5 signup bonus to new members ![Learn More](https://s3.consumersadvocate.org/prd/image/image/8091/medium_fdc1aa75-a8b6-4442-992f-d8c3f6246837.png) Our Partner [Learn More](https://money.com/go/a110eeb193c8?bidid=4099801493&pmeta=p129-c591-u50761&ptid=669326883&ptoken=a5c61f93cea1bbca47d52173d404f2e8) ![Learn More](https://s3.consumersadvocate.org/prd/image/image/20077/medium_8412c7dc-5c2b-4649-b5c0-37b91ac356d8.png) Our Partner [Learn More](https://money.com/go/6ecfd3a99635?bidid=4099801495&pmeta=p129-c591-u50761&ptid=669326883&ptoken=b52429c298d8b43e0e0277fd2f16d96b) Democratic officials immediately responded, calling out the growing consumer impacts from the Iran war — now in its fourth week — which has sent oil and gas prices soaring globally. "Groceries. Gas. Now packages. Is there anything Donald Trump hasn't made more expensive?" Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker wrote on X. "Call it what it is: the Trump Mail Tax." In its statement, the USPS defended the price increases, which still need final approval before implementation. "Transportation costs have been increasing, and our competitors have reacted with a number of surcharges," the statement said. "This charge is less than one-third of what our competitors charge for fuel alone, so even with this change, the Postal Service continues to offer great value." FedEx and UPS have long charged fuel surcharges, and those surcharges have increased significantly since the Iran war began, according to the [*Wall Street Journal*](https://www.wsj.com/us-news/postal-service-to-impose-first-ever-fuel-surcharge-on-packages-73b5e0fd?gaa_at=eafs&gaa_n=AWEtsqcFcI6v20h3xyI2hB8jJAwOb9svmXAY66Of86VR4Y8r_xAdDs1hZiIR6Xvg7aU%3D&gaa_ts=69c57876&gaa_sig=grk9YfOZu62DGuii75Cs11hTBpltgkfQhnSe0KJHxEVC1_B0bpRy0XFFXYm_OJ6IzG-fNU-wkeINT_JUyDlfbw%3D%3D). The USPS chose to [hold stamp prices](https://money.com/stamp-prices-shipping-increase-2026/) at 78 cents in January. It did, however, hike other postage and shipping rates that month, including price increases of 5.1% to 7.8% for the services that were just hit with the additional 8% surcharge (Priority Mail, Priority Mail Express, USPS Ground Advantage and Parcel Select). Before the recent fuel price spikes, the USPS had pointed to challenges including rising labor costs, coupled with long-term funding deficits. The agency has said higher prices are necessary to restore financial stability. If approved by the Postal Regulatory Commission, the new surcharge for package shipping will be in effect from April 26 to Jan. 17. ![](https://s3.consumersadvocate.org/prd/image/image/29780/medium_e439fd1c-3ee2-41b2-bccf-5dfe3c4d8add.png) Protect your vehicle with affordable Car Insurance. [View Rates](https://money.com/pr/b046d48341c1?ap_referrer=%2Fusps-fuel-surcharge-package-costs%2F) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "@id": "https://money.com/usps-fuel-surcharge-package-costs/#breadcrumb", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://money.com" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Economy and Politics", "item": "https://money.com/economy-and-politics/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "News", "item": "https://money.com/tag/news/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "New USPS Fuel Surcharge Will Make Mailing Packages More Expensive Through 2027" } ] }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://money.com/#website", "url": "https://money.com", "name": "Money", "publisher": { "@id": "https://money.com/#organization" } }, { "@type": "WebPage", "@id": "https://money.com/usps-fuel-surcharge-package-costs/#webpage", "url": "https://money.com/usps-fuel-surcharge-package-costs/", "name": "New USPS Fuel Surcharge Will Make Mailing Packages More Expensive Through 2027", "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://money.com/#website" }, "datePublished": "2026-03-27T11:36:01.000Z", "mainEntity": { "@id": "https://money.com/usps-fuel-surcharge-package-costs/" }, "inLanguage": "en-US", "breadcrumb": { "@id": "https://money.com/usps-fuel-surcharge-package-costs/#breadcrumb" } }, { "@type": "NewsArticle", "headline": "New USPS Fuel Surcharge Will Make Mailing Packages More Expensive Through 2027", "articleSection": "Economy and Politics", "image": [ { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://img.money.com/2026/03/News-Postal-Service-Surcharge-Packages.jpg", "width": 1600, "height": 1067, "caption": "News-Postal-Service-Surcharge-Packages" } ], "author": [ { "@type": "Person", "name": "Pete Grieve", "url": "https://money.com/author/pete-grieve/", "@id": "https://money.com/author/pete-grieve/#author", "description": "Pete Grieve is a personal finance reporter. 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