UPS 2026 Peak Pricing Hasn’t Been Announced Yet. Here’s What Shippers Should Do Now.

FedEx has already published its 2026 peak season demand surcharges. UPS has not. However, that does not mean that UPS shippers must wait to prepare for the 2026 peak season. In fact, much of the work required to understand and mitigate peak season costs can happen before UPS publishes a single 2026 demand-surcharge rate.

Here’s what UPS shippers can do today to prepare for the busiest time of year, before UPS publishes official 2026 peak season rates: 

Start With Last Year’s Actual Shipping Profile

While shippers do not know 2026 UPS peak season rates yet, what shippers can model is potential exposure based on their own shipping profiles. 

Start by pulling your 2025 peak season shipment data and break it down by:

• Weekly shipment volume
• Service level
• Residential versus commercial shipments
• Package weight and dimensions
• Packages that incurred Additional Handling, Large Package or Over Maximum charges
• Ground Saver and other high-volume services
• Existing peak and demand surcharge costs

Last year, UPS applied different demand charges based on package characteristics, service and, for qualifying high-volume shippers, weekly volume relative to a baseline. The 2026 structure could change, but the underlying shipment characteristics that create exposure are already sitting in your data.

Once UPS announces its rates, those shipments can be re-rated quickly instead of starting the analysis from scratch.

Audit Your Current Contract Before You Look at the New UPS 2026 Peak Season Rate Table

Peak-season pricing is only one half of the equation. The other half is your UPS agreement. Review which demand surcharges are discounted or waived today, how long those protections remain in effect, and whether there are conditions that allow UPS to modify or remove them.

We recommend paying close attention to that last point. Demand-surcharge waivers may contain language allowing UPS to revoke the concession, sometimes leaving shippers surprised when charges begin appearing again. Similarly, specific accessorial discounts in shippers’ contracts may expire before the broader carrier agreement itself.

Before peak pricing arrives, answer a few basic questions: 

• Which demand surcharges does your agreement address? 
• Are the concessions full waivers or percentage discounts? 
• Are there exceptions, thresholds or other conditions attached?

Find the Packages You Can Fix Before Peak

While some peak costs can be negotiated, others can be prevented operationally.

Review the packages that triggered Additional Handling, Large Package and Over Maximum charges last peak season. Look for recurring SKUs, carton sizes, dimensional thresholds or fulfillment practices behind them.

If one packaging configuration repeatedly generated an expensive surcharge in 2025, changing the package before the 2026 peak season may be more valuable than negotiating a better percentage off the fee.

Decide What You Want to Negotiate Before UPS Announces 2026 Peak Season Rates

UPS’s 2026 peak season rate announcement should trigger execution of a pre-planned peak season strategy. If you’re only beginning to develop your peak season strategy when rates are announced, you may be at a significant disadvantage.

Use your historical analysis and contract review to identify the concessions that would matter most to your business before the new schedule is released.

Your strategy could include pursuing stronger discounts on specific demand charges, requesting waivers where the financial exposure warrants it, protecting existing concessions, or negotiating contractual language that provides more certainty around how long those protections remain in place.

Get Expert Help Preparing for UPS Peak Season 

LJM can review your current UPS agreement and historical shipping activity to identify likely peak-season exposure, contractual protections and potential negotiation opportunities. Once UPS announces its 2026 demand surcharges, the new pricing can then be applied directly to your shipping profile to quantify the impact.

Request a complimentary peak season shipping analysis.