The U.S. Postal Service said a temporary package price increase will begin Sunday, Oct. 4, 2026, for several shipping products used by customers across the country. The change affects Priority Mail Express, Priority Mail, USPS Ground Advantage and Parcel Select, and the biggest listed retail jump is $20.80 for Priority Mail Express packages weighing 26 to 70 pounds going to Zones 5 through 9.
USPS said the temporary rates are tied to the 2026 peak holiday shipping season and, pending favorable review by the Postal Regulatory Commission, will stay in place until Jan. 17, 2027. No other products or services would be affected, according to the Postal Service, including First-Class stamps.
USPS set the increase for the holiday shipping season
USPS announced Aug. 25 that it filed notice with the Postal Regulatory Commission for what it called a temporary price change for some package products during the 2026 holiday season. The Postal Service said the rates would take effect at 12 a.m. Central Time on Oct. 4 and remain in place until 12 a.m. Central Time on Jan. 17, 2027.
For retail customers, the posted increases vary by product, weight and zone. USPS said Priority Mail Express would rise by $1.40 for Zones 1 through 4 packages weighing 0 to 3 pounds, $2.35 for Zones 5 through 9 packages in that same weight band, and as much as $20.80 for Zones 5 through 9 packages weighing 26 to 70 pounds. Flat Rate Priority Mail Express envelopes would increase by $2.35.
Other products also move up. USPS said retail Priority Mail for Zones 5 through 9 would increase by as much as $9.10 for packages weighing 26 to 70 pounds, while USPS Ground Advantage in those zones would rise by as much as $7.50 for packages in the same weight range. Parcel Select commercial prices would increase by as much as $2.35 for pieces weighing 26 to 70 pounds and oversized items.
The Postal Service announcement applies nationwide, so customers in the United States who ship packages during the holiday rush can expect higher rates beginning Sunday. USPS did not identify separate price schedules by state or city in its national announcement, and the Postal Explorer price-change page likewise presents the temporary change as a systemwide adjustment.
That means the local effect will depend on what residents and businesses are mailing, how much those packages weigh and how far they are traveling. The steepest increases are tied to heavier parcels and, in many cases, longer-distance zones. Lighter packages and shorter-zone shipments generally face smaller dollar increases.
USPS has also pointed customers to Postal Explorer for the full price files and Notice 123 materials for the temporary change. Those records show the change as a time-limited 2026 price adjustment starting Oct. 4, 2026, through Jan. 17, 2027. The agency has not said in the announcement how many local post offices or retail counters will see operational changes because of the higher rates.
USPS said the holiday-season adjustment is meant to help cover extra handling costs during peak season. In its Aug. 25 announcement, the agency said the temporary rates would bring prices for retail and commercial customers in line with competitive practices.
The Postal Service has given similar reasons for earlier temporary pricing this year. In a March 25 filing tied to a transportation-related, time-limited price change, USPS said the adjustment was meant to better align transportation costs with the market and help ensure the actual costs of doing business are covered, as required by Congress. That earlier notice described an 8 percent increase affecting the same major package products.
What comes next is set on the USPS timeline already posted. If the regulatory review remains favorable, the higher package prices start Sunday, Oct. 4, 2026, at 12 a.m. Central Time and remain in effect until Jan. 17, 2027, when the temporary holiday pricing is scheduled to end.