The parcel accessorial library
Every UPS and FedEx accessorial in one place: the short answer, what triggers it, what it costs on each date, fuel and demand treatment, how it stacks and its change history.
Delivery Area Surcharge (DAS)
A Delivery Area Surcharge is a flat per-package fee for delivering to a ZIP code that appears on the carrier’s delivery-area list. The destination ZIP decides it, not the zone or the distance. Each carrier keeps its own list with a standard and an extended tier, priced separately for commercial and residential addresses.
Today: UPS $4.50 · FedEx $4.45
UPS: Delivery Area Surcharge, in Commercial, Commercial Extended, Residential and Residential Extended versions; one schedule covers Ground and Air.
FedEx: Delivery Area Surcharge, in Commercial, Extended Commercial, Residential and Extended Residential versions, with Remote, Alaska and Hawaii tiers in the same family.
Additional Handling
Additional Handling applies when a package is over 50 lb, has a longest side over 48 in or a second-longest side over 30 in, measures over 105 in in length plus girth, exceeds 10,368 cubic inches, or is not fully packed in corrugated cardboard. Only the highest qualifying Additional Handling charge applies, and none applies when the package qualifies for UPS Large Package or FedEx Oversize.
Today (zone 2): UPS $46.50 · FedEx $46.00
UPS: Additional Handling, billed as Weight, Dimensions (length, width, length + girth, cube) or Packaging.
FedEx: Additional Handling Surcharge, billed as Weight, Dimension or Packaging.
Large Package / Oversize
UPS’s Large Package Surcharge and FedEx’s Oversize Charge apply to packages longer than 96 in, over 130 in in length plus girth, over 17,280 cubic inches, or over 110 lb. Both bill at least 90 lb and replace Additional Handling. UPS prices commercial and residential deliveries separately; FedEx lists one amount for Package Services and another column for Home Delivery.
Today (zone 2): UPS $219.50 · FedEx $255.00
UPS: Large Package Surcharge, Commercial and Residential.
FedEx: Oversize Charge, for U.S. Package Services and FedEx Home Delivery.
Over Maximum / Unauthorized
Packages over 150 lb, longer than 108 in, or over 165 in in length plus girth exceed the small-package limits. UPS bills Over Maximum Limits on top of other applicable charges, including the Large Package Surcharge. FedEx Ground bills the Unauthorized Package Charge, which as the highest non-standard charge replaces Oversize and Additional Handling.
Today: UPS $1,875.00 · FedEx $1,875.00
UPS: Over Maximum Limits.
FedEx: Ground Unauthorized Package Charge (Ground and Home Delivery).
Residential surcharge
The residential surcharge is a flat per-package fee for delivering to a home, including a business run from a home. The carrier decides whether an address is residential. Ground and air services have separate amounts, and peak demand surcharges are added during the published periods.
Today: UPS $6.50 · FedEx $6.45
UPS: Residential Surcharge, Ground and Air.
FedEx: Residential Delivery Charge (FedEx Ground and Home Delivery, and U.S. Express package services).
Remote, Alaska & Hawaii
Remote-area charges are flat per-package fees for ZIP codes on a carrier’s remote list in the contiguous U.S., Alaska or Hawaii. UPS publishes them as a separate Remote Area Surcharge. FedEx publishes them as tiers of its Delivery Area Surcharge. They are compared side by side here but are not the same charge.
Today: UPS $16.50 · FedEx $16.75
UPS: Remote Area Surcharge: US 48, Alaska, Hawaii.
FedEx: Delivery Area Surcharge tiers: Remote, Alaska, Hawaii.
Address correction & intercepts
An address correction charge applies when the carrier fixes a wrong or incomplete address. It is billed per correction. UPS also publishes a per-shipment maximum, and charges Delivery Intercept fees when a shipper redirects, holds or returns a package in transit.
Today: UPS $25.25 · FedEx $25.50
UPS: Address Correction (Ground and Air), Delivery Intercept (web and phone requests).
FedEx: Address Correction.
Signature options
Signature options are shipper-selected per-package fees. Both carriers offer a signature-required and an adult-signature option. FedEx also offers an indirect signature option with no direct UPS equivalent in the documents reviewed.
Today: UPS $7.70 · FedEx $7.60
UPS: Delivery Confirmation — Signature Required; Adult Signature Required.
FedEx: Direct Signature Required; Indirect Signature Required; Adult Signature Required.
Declared value
Declared value is an optional charge for raising the carrier’s liability above its standard limit. UPS charges per $100 of declared value with a per-package minimum. FedEx charges a flat amount for the first band and then per $100 above it, so a per-$100 comparison is only approximate.
Today: UPS $1.70 · FedEx $1.65
UPS: Declared Value for Carriage.
FedEx: Declared Value.
Demand surcharges
Demand surcharges are temporary per-package charges during the carriers’ high-volume periods. Some apply to package types (Additional Handling, Large Package / Oversize, over-limit packages); others apply to services such as residential ground and air. They are added on top of the regular charges and are fuel-assessable at both carriers.
UPS: Demand Surcharge (by package type and by service), plus Higher Volume Shipper tables.
FedEx: Demand surcharges (Demand — Additional Handling, Demand — Oversize, Demand — Unauthorized, Demand — Residential Delivery Charge and service demand charges).
Fuel surcharge
The fuel surcharge is a weekly percentage applied to the transportation charge and to the accessorials on the carrier’s fuel list. It is set from a published table keyed to a fuel price index (diesel for ground, jet fuel for air). The posted surcharge percentage is not the diesel price, and carriers change the tables themselves several times a year.
UPS: Fuel Surcharge (Ground, Ground Saver, Domestic Air, international).
FedEx: Fuel Surcharge (Ground and Home Delivery, Express, international).
- Coverage: domestic U.S. package accessorials. International-only charges, pickup fees and billing fees are on the roadmap in the methodology.
- Names differ by carrier; the library pairs comparable charges without assuming they are identical.